feta

By:
On:
In: chicken
Tagged: , , ,
With: 0 Comments

In the summertime, I become highly overzealous while foraging for wild berries all across town. The first to appear are mulberries, followed soon after by blackcaps, raspberries, blackberries, wineberries, and blueberries, in that order. This leaves me with a giant load of berries which I usually transform into jam and gift or use throughout the year. The abundance of said jam was the inspiration for this berry jam chicken with feta.

Berry jam chicken with feta is a cozy and simple dish that is easily assembled and cooked on the stove. Par-boiling the potatoes allows them to soften and absorb the layers of flavor from the luscious chicken cooking atop. Salty feta balances the sweetness of the jam and the richness of the potatoes for a meal with profuse flavor sensations.

ingredients

  • 2 pounds russet potatoes, chopped into 1-inch pieces
  • 5 tablespoons salt, divided
  • 2 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
  • 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ red onion, sliced
  • 6 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 6 tablespoons mixed berry jam
  • 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
  • 6 ounces feta, crumbled

steps

Par-boil the potatoes, in a large pot of water with 1 tablespoon of the salt, for 10 minutes. Strain and set aside. 

Generously season the chicken thighs on both sides with 2 tablespoons of salt and 1 tablespoon of freshly cracked black pepper. Place the seasoned chicken thighs in a large pan or skillet with a matching lid and brown them, skin-side down, on medium-high heat until the skin becomes crispy, about 12 minutes. Flip the thighs and brown on the other side for another 12 minutes. Remove the chicken thighs from the pot and pour off the grease until about 2 tablespoons of rendered chicken fat remains.

Place the red onion and cook for 4 minutes then add the garlic and oregano. Cook until the garlic is blonde and add the balsamic vinegar. Add the par-boiled potatoes to the pan and cook for 4 minutes until heated. 

Place the chicken thighs, skin-side up on top of the potatoes. Spread about 1 tablespoon of jam on top of each chicken thigh. Cover and cook for 35 minutes until chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are soft. Plate the potatoes and chicken and sprinkle a pinch of chopped parsley and 1 ounce of feta on each plate. Serve with a simple salad.

By:
On:
In: sourdough
Tagged: , , ,
With: 0 Comments

Sourdough bites with roasted red pepper and feta are sweet and savory and salty and cozy. The flavors are a simple + heartwarming combination that can be enjoyed as a snack or elevated into a meal. The dough’s multi-dimensional flavor develops over an extended bulk fermentation which allows the sourdough depth to slowly develop is really when and where the magic happens.

Make these sourdough bites for a crowd when entertaining or freeze them between sheets of parchment paper and bake one off at a time for a quick and delicious, real-food snack. The dough takes a full 14 hours to ferment, so make the dough the day before you intend to bake the bites.

makes about 24 bites 

ingredients

for the dough

for the toppings and assembly

  • ½ cup / 100g feta, crumbled
  • 4 ounces roasted red pepper, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon / 18 grams freshly cracked black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons / 11 grams salt

dough steps

The day before you want to bake the bites, mix together the butter and water then add the starter into a large bowl and mix until combined. Add in the sugar and mix, then add in the flour and salt and mix until the dough is evenly combined. It will be shaggy at first but become blended and somewhat sticky as you mix. With wet hands, pinch and press the dough until it is smooth then cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for 2 hours. 

After the dough has rested for 2 hours, stretch the top of it up and fold it over itself. Turn the bowl 90° to the right and pull the top of the dough up and over. Repeat this 8 times total. Let the dough sit for another hour then repeat the folding process 8 more times. Let the dough sit for one more hour then repeat the series of folds one last time, for a total of three stretch and fold sequences.

Let the dough rest for about 14 hours overnight until it has doubled in size. After this bulk fermentation, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and cut it into squares. I used a 2 ¾ x 2 ¾-inch square cutter, but you can just as easily use a knife or bench scraper.

Let the squares rest for 1-2 hours until they puff up. After this final rest, preheat the oven to 375°F.

assembly steps

Distribute about 1 teaspoon of feta on each square then layer with about 1 tablespoon of roasted red pepper. Top each square with cracked black pepper and a pinch of salt. 

Bake for 20 minutes at 375°F, then turn the oven up to 450°F and bake for 10 more minutes. 

By:
On:
In: party food, pasta & noodles, sides
Tagged: , , , ,
With: 0 Comments

There is something about grapes and feta that I find extremely appealing. Each has a very distinct texture and consistency that, when combined, beautifully accentuates the other. Grape and feta pasta salad happily integrates crisp grapes and salty feta while allowing each to maintain its individual brilliance. Crunchy pine nuts and fresh herbs complete this flavor profile, which envelops chewy bits of penne for a deeply satisfying snack or meal.

This recipe for grape and feta pasta salad can easily be doubled for a larger group and made in advance to allow the flavors to co-mingle and deeply marinate. I use penne, but free to mix it up with different pasta shapes!

Serves 6

ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons salt, divided
  • 1 pound penne rigate
  • 2 tablespoons aioli
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
  • 2 cups grapes, halved
  • ½ cup basil, chopped
  • ½ cup parsley, chopped
  • 6 ounces feta, crumbled
  • 1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper

steps

Bring a large pot of water with 2 tablespoons of the salt to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente, about 8 minutes, then strain the pasta and rinse it in cold water to cool it and wash off excess starch. This will prevent the pasta from sticking together. Transfer the pasta to a bowl and toss it with the aioli and olive oil. Season with the remaining 2 tablespoons of salt and the black pepper. Add in the toasted pine nuts and toss to combine, then gently fold in the grapes. Add the basil and parsley until evenly distributed. Lastly, toss in the crumbled feta.