Up your Greek salad game with a big slab of grilled feta

This Greek salad recipe brought back one of my favourite food memories. My husband and I were sitting in a small restaurant in Greece, waiting for our food to arrive. We watched as a waiter carried a salad toward our table. On top of it was something big, square and white. When the plate was placed in front of us, we realised it was a slab of feta.

As we shared the salad, we mmm’ed and aahed over the creamy saltiness of a feta like we’d never tasted. That cheese, combined with the super-fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and olives, was so delicious that we still talk about it when we recall our trip.

That was more than 30 years ago, when my experience with Greek salads was limited and the ones I’d had were good but not memorable. Usually, bits of feta were crumbled on top of a lightly dressed bowl.

In the heat of summer, looking for a way to dig into the season’s red tomatoes, I came across this preparation from Salads Are More Than Leaves by Elena Silcock. She calls it a Grilled Greek, and it takes the luscious feta experience to another level. Silcock has you place the slabs of cheese on a heatproof pan, drizzle them with honey and sprinkle them with fresh herbs. The pan then goes on the grill until the cheese turns golden around the edges and gets soft and luscious.

The slabs of grilled cheese are then sliced in half and nestled atop tomato, cucumber, red onion and olives with fresh oregano and mint leaves. You’re left with warm, creamy, slightly smoky cheese; chilled crisp vegetables; and bright herbs all dressed in a tart, vinegary dressing. Silcock recommends serving the salad with toasted or baked pita chips, which are perfect carriers for a smear of that smooth cheese.

The best feta to use for this dish is a Greek sheep’s milk feta because it is the highest-fat option, making it the creamiest and richest.

Don’t want to mess with the grill? Bake the feta in an oven, or even your toaster oven, instead.

If you’re an adventurous salad maker – or would like to be – Silcock’s cookbook is full of great ideas for building salads that combine varying temperatures, textures and flavours to create something that is far from an afterthought or a side dish. That said, even half a slab of salty feta makes this salad suitable more as an occasional indulgence. If you love the idea of it, consider serving it alongside grilled or roasted chicken, beef or fish.

To make the recipe vegan, use a vegan feta-style cheese or firm tofu and swap in maple or agave syrup for the honey. The large slab of feta makes this dish a fatty, high-calorie luxury.

Active time: 20 mins | Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 4

This Greek salad with warm, soft feta is wonderfully smoky when made on the grill, but you can bake the cheese in the oven or toaster oven, as well. It is best to use sheep’s milk feta for this dish. Spread the warm cheese on toasted pita or pita chips, if desired. To make the recipe vegan, use a vegan feta-style cheese or firm tofu and swap in maple or agave syrup for the honey. This salad is best if eaten right away.

Storage notes: Refrigerate the feta and salad separately for up to 2 days.

Ingredients:

900g cherry tomatoes, halved, or your favourite tomato cut into bitesize pieces

1 cucumber (about 115g), cut into bite-size wedges

¼ tsp fine salt, plus more as needed

6 tbsp olive oil, divided, plus more as needed

2 tbsp lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed

½ medium red onion (85g), thinly sliced

Two (200g) packages sheep’s milk feta cheese

4 fresh thyme or dill sprigs or ½ tsp dried

2 tsp honey

115g kalamata olives, pitted

2 tbsp fresh oregano, or 2 tsp dried

Fresh mint leaves, torn, for serving (optional)

Toasted or baked pita chips or toasted pita bread, for serving (optional)

Lemon wedges, for serving (optional)

Method:

In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes and cucumbers and sprinkle lightly with salt.

Preheat the grill to high (see notes).

In a small bowl, whisk together 4 tablespoons of oil, the lemon juice, ⅛ teaspoon of salt and the pepper. Add the red onion to the dressing.

Generously grease a heatproof baking pan and transfer the feta to the pan. Top each block with sprigs of fresh thyme or dill, or with the dried herbs. Drizzle with the remaining oil, and the honey, and season generously with black pepper. Place the pan on the grill grate, cover and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the feta is softened and golden around the edges (at the last minute, you can add the pita to the grill to toast, if you like). Transfer to a heatproof surface to cool for 2 to 3 minutes, then cut each block in half diagonally.

Drain the tomatoes and cucumbers, if necessary. Return them to the bowl and toss with the dressing, olives and oregano.

Divide the tomato mixture among the bowls and top each with a wedge of feta. Sprinkle with the mint leaves, if using, and more pepper, if desired.

Serve with pita chips or toasted pita and lemon wedges.

Notes: The feta can be baked instead. Preheat the oven to 220C with the rack in the middle. Oil an ovenproof casserole dish or cast-iron pan. Prepare the feta as directed and roast, 20 to 25 minutes, or until softened and golden around the edges.

To prepare the grill: if using a gas grill, set it to 250C. If using a charcoal grill, fill 2 chimney starters with charcoal, light them and when the coals are white-gray with ash, pour them into charcoal grate, adding more charcoal, if necessary, and put the lid on the grill, making sure the air vents are open all the way. When all of the coals are gray and hot, about 15 to 20 minutes, your grill should be between 250-260C. (Use a grill thermometer or test the heat by holding your hand, palm-down about 10 centimetres above the coals for about 2 to 4 seconds.) A charcoal grill may make this recipe take about 20 minutes longer.

Nutritional information per serving: Calories: 641; total fat: 51g; saturated fat: 18g; cholesterol: 70mg; sodium: 1524mg; carbohydrates: 24g; dietary fibre: 5g; sugar: 15g; protein: 21g.

This analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s advice.

© The Washington Post