Crazy Feta

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Hello and Goodbye, for now!

I am so sorry I’ve been M.I.A. First it was Memorial Day and then it was high school graduation (yay, Mattes!) and well, here I am crawling to the finish line. For all the usual reasons…irregular summer schedule, lack of cooking mojo, inspiration drought…it is time for me to take my summer sabbatical but I couldn’t just leave you hanging. So here is one final recipe to get you through the dog days.

If you live in the DC area (or maybe beyond, at this point?) you are familiar with the Cava restaurant chain. They are fast casual Mediterranean restaurants that have been all the rage for quite some time. A highlight of any bowl, salad, or wrap that you customize is always their Crazy Feta which is a mixture of feta cheese, jalapeños and roasted garlic. It’s salty, a little spicy and quite frankly addictive.

This recipe is a super close copycat of the original. To be honest, I can’t tell the difference. And it’s the perfect dip to serve all summer long with pita chips (store bought or homemade). Crazy Feta would also be at home served along any grilled meat and vegetable combo. It can keep in your fridge for a week and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to just make sure that you always have a container at the ready. You’ll thank me later.

So without further ado, here is Crazy Feta and I will be back with an arsenal of exciting new recipes in September. Until then, please go through the Sly Rooster Recipe Index to remind yourself of old favorites and try lots of new ones. I promise that there isn’t a bad recipe in the bunch. Enjoy!

Crazy Feta
Print Recipe

Crazy Feta

Ingredients

  • 16 oz feta cheese approx 2 bricks (prefered over crumbled)
  • 3 whole jalapenos
  • 1/4 c olive oil plus 1 Tbls
  • 1 bulb garlic
  • 1/2 lemon zest and juice
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop the top off the garlic bulb and drizzle it with a teaspoon of olive oil. Wrap it in foil and roast for 25-30 minutes, or until garlic is golden in color.
  • At the same time, brush the jalapenos with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Either grill or roast them – I stuck them in the oven with garlic and just watched until they were charred (turning occassionally).
  • Remove both from oven and let cool. Once jalapenos are cooled, remove skins, cut in half and discard the seeds. Chop into small pieces.
  • In a large bowl, crumble the feta bricks. Crumbling the bricks yourself works best, but if you can only find crumbled feta that is fine. Add chopped jalapenos, the zest of half a lemon, and the juice of half a lemon. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the bulb directly into the feta. Add 1/4 cup of olive oil and mash with a fork. You want the feta to be a bit “wet” – sort of a cross between a spread and a dip. There is no right or wrong – make it however you’d like.
  • Taste the feta and season with pepper and possibly a dash of salt but be careful, feta is salty and you won't need much salt, if any at all. Serve with pita chips, warm pita or naan, or spread it on sandwiches. Store it in the fridge for up to one week but it's best at room temperature, so allow it to sit out for about 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
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