Sunday, July 5

Blogger Secret Ingredient: Feta

Doggy Bloggy at Chez what has kindly asked me to host this weeks BSI: Blogger Secret Assignment. After racking my brain about what the ingredient should be, I finally came to a decision — my favorite cheese of course, feta! Did you know that feta means 'slice' in Greek? Neither did I! It is a very versatile cheese that can be used in a variety of ways, crumbled or melted. I chose to crumble mine on top of balsamic dressed caramelized onions served in a puff pastry shell. You get the best of both worlds from the sweetness of the caramelized onions and the salty tang from the cool feta cheese and of course the added flaky crunch of the pastry puff. It is a utopia of flavors!


Caramelized onion and feta stuffed puff
2 yellow onions, sliced thin
1-2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 box puff pastry shells, make sure it says shells on the box
crumbled feta
a couple of sprigs of mint

1 Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2 Heat some olive oil in a pan and caramelize the onion slices for about 30 minutes over low heat until golden brown, not charred.
3 While the onions are caramelizing, thaw the puff pastry and bake for 15-17 minutes.
4 Add 1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar to the onions and cook an additional 5-10 minutes.
5 When the pastries are puffed up and ready,layer the the shell with a bit of feta, then add a layer of onions, then top with more feta. Add a sprig of mint.

Here are the past BSI hosts with their chosen ingredient:
Week 38: Zoe - Feta
Week 37: ChezWhat- Potatoes
Week 35: Girlichef - Greens
Week 34: The Ungourmet - Watermelon
Week 33: Bread + Butter - Bell Pepper
Week 32: Burp and Slurp - Corn
Week 31: Say Yes to Salad – Kabocha
Week 30: Thinspired – Bananas
Week 29: To Be The Whole Package – Almonds
Week 28: Kristas Kravings – Lemon
Week 27: From French Fries To Flax Seeds – Coconut
Week 26: Plentiful Plants – Avocado
Week 25: Training Fuel – Eggs
Week 24: Dinner at Christina’s – Cabbage
Week 23: Hey What’s for Dinner, Mom? – Strawberries
Week 22: One Bite at a Time – Basil
Week 21: Just Sweet Enough – Black Beans
Week 20: What I Ate Yesterday – Kale
Week 19: What’s for Dinner – Orange
Week 18: BranAppetit! – Spinach
Week 17: Tales of Expansion – Dates
Week 16: Biggest Diabetic Loser – Zucchini
Week 15: Sweet & Natural – Peppermint
Week 14: bella eats [and runs] – Ginger
Week 13: Coffee Talk – Walnuts
Week 12: For the Love of Oats – Pumpkin
Week 11: Trying to Heal – Sweet Potatoes
Week 9: Itzy’s Kitchen – Pears
Week 8: The Fitnessista – Cranberries
Week 7: Tri to Cook – Lentils
Week 6: Rhodey Girl Tests – Polenta
Week 5: Eating Bender – Butternut Squash
Week 4: Care to Eat – Apples
Week 3: On a Lobster Placemat – Mushrooms
Week 2: Hangry Pants – Tomatoes
Week 1: Sportsnutritionliving – Quinoa

I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!! All you have to do is create a recipe using feta, link back to this post, and either leave a comment here with a url of your feta post, or email me directly at znachman@gmail.com.
Deadline is Sunday, July 12. **Updated: There will be a prize!

43 comments:

teresa said...

Hi! I'm here from Chezwhat's blog, and I'm glad I discovered you because your blog is beautiful! You've got some yummy stuff here. I'm going to be racking my brain for feta ideas!

♥peachkins♥ said...

That pastry is pretty. I can almost smell those caramelized onions..

♥peachkins♥ said...

oh,and I have an award for you at my blog..

Anonymous said...

oh this is great! I already have a recipe: http://burpandslurp.wordpress.com/2009/07/04/screaming-till-im-red-white-and-blue

But I might send in another one!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

I'm a big fan of feta cheese, so your recipe just makes me drool! Very appetizing!

Cheers,

Rosa

Parita said...

Wow thats a grt choice, let me see if i can come up with something new!

maybelles mom said...

great choice--feta is delicious.

Anita said...

Great recipe - love the photos. I think feta would have been a great choice, hopefully some great recipes using feta are posted.

Chef Fresco said...

Oh wow! These look amazing! I love feta, nice choice :)

Anonymous said...

Scrumptious puffs with feta! Great choice for BSI!

Anonymous said...

Hooray feta cheese!!!

brandi said...

great pic for BSI! I have feta at home, so I better get the thinking cap on :)

Creative Classroom Core said...

Love those puffs! How yummy and elegant!

The Food Hunter said...

I love feta cheese. Your puffs look great.

Anonymous said...

Looks like a good combo! I'm not even a fan of feta. But carmelized onions and flaky puff + cheese = YUM

Annie said...

A combo made in heaven!

Reeni said...

Your puffs are gorgeous! Great pick of secret ingredient!

Chaya said...

I love that you selected feta. I have two recipes, I wanted to play around with and they both call for feta. I also have two packages of feta, one soft and one in a block which I have never seen before.

Thanks for hosting this.

Laura said...

Curious, what's the prize? The BSI host also provides a prize for the winner. Usually something small under 15 bucks or so. Thanks!

Oh and feta may be the best pick yet! I love feta.

Stacey Snacks said...

Gorgeous photos....I am always looking for great appetizer recipes. Delicious!

~~louise~~ said...

Looks like I dropped by just in time for some gorgeous looking stuffed puffs. I adore Feta cheese and must save this easy recipe for the near future.

Thanks for sharing Zoe, bookmarked!!!

Katerina said...

Yum! I love feta, and these look delicious.

Colleen said...

Feta is one of my favorite cheeses - these look delicious!

Katy said...

gorgeous! These look awesome,

unconfidentialcook said...

Great pick (LOVE feta) and a great recipe! Thanks, I will definitely make these....

grace said...

confession: feta is NOT a favorite of mine. however, combined with some amazing puff pastry and the delight that is the caramelized onion, i may change my tune!

Unknown said...

wow this looks so good, i wish i could have one right now :)

Parita said...

Hi Zoe, this is my entry for BSI
http://paritaskitchen.blogspot.com/2009/07/melon-feta-cheese-tarts-touching.html

nora@ffr said...

my first visit here and m loving every bit :)

Jackie at PhamFatale.com said...

Your puff pastry looks like perfect goodness. I need to run to the store, get some feta and replicate your wonderful dish

Faith said...

Hi Zoe, I made spinach, sweet onion, and feta pie for this week's BSI. Here's my link: http://www.thought4food.us/?p=578. :)

theUngourmet said...

I am being so lame this week. I'm just now getting over here to see what your secret ingredient is. Feta is a fabulous choice!

mycookinghut said...

Hi Zoe,
Thanks for dropping by my blog and your comment! What a beautiful blog you have! I will be visting frequently from now on!!

Yes, I would like to submit this
http://www.mycookinghut.com/2009/07/04/summer-recipe-tuna-vegetable-couscous-salad/
for blogger secret ingredient!

Thank you!

Soma said...

Hi Zoe, I have sent you a mail, & here is my link: http://www.ecurry.com/blog/condiments-and-sauces/marinated-feta-cheese/

Amy said...

I'm totally entering! With...(drumroll)... Strawberry and feta salad! If folks hurry and you're in the right part of the country, you can still snap up some fresh local strawberries for it.

LK- Healthy Delicious said...

Here's my feta entry:
http://healthy-delicious.com/2009/07/mediterranean-stuffed-zucchini-with-feta-pepper-sauce/

Thanks to Christo for introducing me to such a beautiful blog!

Karena said...

That looks fantastic! I popped over here from Burp and Slurp - she's mentioned BSI a few times. I'm excited about feta! I'll definitely be sending over an entry this week :)

Anonymous said...

I love feta. I had fun cooking and eating it. Here it is.

When I posted, something happened to my photos - they disappeared. There is one left and that will have to be it. I spent a long time uploading and I do not have that time to do it again.
The photo is the finished product.

http://comfycook.wordpress.com/2009/07/10/burst-of-flavor/

Ingrid_3Bs said...

I want that block of feta! So good the kids and I just LOVE it!
~ingrid

Karena said...

hihi! I'm back again with my entry! http://runbeansrun.blogspot.com/2009/07/gah-where-did-day-go.html

The pictures aren't too great, but I hope you enjoy!

Anonymous said...

Here is my submission:
http://nutmegnanny.wordpress.com/2009/07/11/bsi-pasta-with-shrimp-and-feta/

Ivy said...

Hi Zoe, First time here. You have a lovely blog and delicious recipes. Here is the link for my recipe
http://kopiaste.org/2009/07/fetatziki/

Laurie said...

Not sure how often you check older posts, but I'd love to know how many servings your recipe makes, as written. Thanks!