Bruschetta with Feta and Roasted Red Peppers
ABOUT GREEK FETA: From week to week, there is always a recipe or two that includes the national cheese of Greece, feta. There are a few things to know about this world-class brine cheese: Greek feta is the only officially recognized feta in the EU, and thus the only one allowed to be exported legally. Greek feta is made only with sheeps’ or sheeps’ and goats’ milk and NEVER with cow’s milk. It is a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) cheese. You can find a good selection of real Greek feta in most American supermarkets.
RATING
SERVES
12
PREP TIME
20 min
COOK TIME
20 min
RECIPES
Ingredients
- 2 large red bell peppers
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil plus a little more for drizzling over bread
- Salt
- 3 Tbsp fresh oregano leaves coarsely chopped
- ½ pound Greek feta
- Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce to taste
- ½-1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 baguette cut on the diagonal into 12 1/3-inch thick slices
Instructions
-
Light the grill to medium. Place the red peppers over the hottest part of the grill, turning, for about 10-14 minutes total, until charred on all sides. Remove, place in a shallow bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. When the peppers are cool enough to handle, peel and seed in the bowl. Strain the juices and set aside. Cut the peppers lengthwise into strips about 1/8-inch thick. Toss with one tablespoon of olive oil, a little salt, and one tablespoon of oregano.
-
Combine the feta, ¼ cup olive oil, Tabasco, pepper juices, black pepper and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor and pulse on and off until smooth and spreadable. Set aside.
-
Brush the bread slices on both sides with the remaining olive oil. Grill for about 2 minutes per side. Remove.
-
Spread each piece of grilled bread with about one heaping tablespoon of the whipped spicy feta. Top with a few strips of roasted red pepper and sprinkle with oregano. Drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil and serve.
