Fabulous French Feta

I'm a fan of Valbreso French Feta. It is one of those foods, like avocadoes and vine-ripened tomatoes, that I could easily eat every day. Not all feta cheese tastes the same. If you tried other feta, but found it too bland, too salty or soggy, you might want to try the Valbreso brand. It has a pleasantly rich and creamy taste, with a tangy, mildly salty edge.

Feta was first made by shepherds near Athens, Greece. Though the traditional Greek feta was made from sheep's milk, feta is now often produced from cows' milk, or even from a combination of sheep, goat, or cow's milk. Cow's milk feta has become very popular and affordably priced, but to me, it too often lacks a fully rounded flavor. Valbreso Feta, as the package tells us, is made from "the rich sheep's milk of South West France."

Feta cheese is remarkably versatile. It can be used much as you might Parmesan, as topping on salads, gratins, pasta, potatoes, quiche, or scrambled eggs. It is also a satisfying complement to fresh sliced fruit.

In a recent article in Fine Cooking Magazine, I learned that you can alter the saltiness and the texture of feta after you bring it home. If feta is too salty for your taste, you can store it (in the refrigerator) in plain water. In a couple of days, some of the salt in the cheese will leach out of the cheese into the water.

I store Valbreso Feta in a light brine of sea salt and water. This seems to help keep the feta fresh and firm when it isn't all eaten in one day. If you want to increase the creaminess of your feta, try adding a few tablespoons of milk to a refrigerated lightly-salted brine. Let the mixture sit for a few days. I have read that a chunk of fresh feta, stored in refrigerated brine, will last three weeks. Feta in my house is eaten long before that length of time.

Greek Potato Salad with Dried Tomatoes
Makes 8 servings

1 lb. (3 medium) potatoes, cut into ¼-inch slices
1 cup dried tomato halves
1 cup sliced seedless cucumber
½ cup sliced red onion
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
½ cup Greek olives or pitted ripe olives

Lemon Dressing:
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup water
2 ½-T. lemon juice
1 large clove garlic, pressed
1 T. chopped fresh (or 1 t. dried) oregano leaves
1 t. salt
½ t. pepper

In a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, cook potatoes, covered, in 2 inches boiling water until tender, about 12 minutes; drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in small bowl, cover tomatoes with boiling water; set aside 10 minutes while you whisk together dressing ingredients.

Thoroughly drain tomatoes and pat dry with paper towels.

Add potatoes, tomatoes and cucumbers to bowl containing dressing; toss to coat.

Mound potato mixture on plate

Arrange onion, cheese, and olives on top.

- Recipe from skopelos.net

Spaghetti with Feta
Serves 2 or 3

4 oz. spaghetti
1 garlic clove
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
a little freshly grated nutmeg
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
1 T. chopped fresh basil
a few black olives to serve

Boil the spaghetti in plenty of lightly salted water. When done, drain.

In the same pan, gently heat the garlic clove in the oil for a minute or two, then add the cherry tomatoes.

Increase the heat to fry the tomatoes lightly for a minute, then remove the garlic and discard.

Toss the spaghetti, season with the nutmeg and seasoning to taste, then stir in the crumbled feta and basil.

Check the seasoning, remembering that feta can be salty. Serve hot, topped with olives.

- Recipe from The Complete Encyclopedia of Vegetables and Vegetarian Cooking by Roz Denny and Christine Ingram.

Pamela Lee fixes food with fancy French Feta in Pullman

Copyright: Copyright on articles, recipes and images are jointly held by the Moscow Food Co-op and the respective contributors, except were otherwise noted.

Return to Recipe List

For additions or corrections to this page, please contact the Webmaster.