Mediterranean Baked Feta with Tomatoes

from Smitten Kitchen
submitted by Courtney Dyar
serves 4

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

⅓ cup chopped, pitted Kalamata olives

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ cup thinly sliced red onion

2 tablespoons finely-chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon olive oil

freshly ground black pepper

1 8- to 10-ounce block feta (can substitute goat cheese)

crackers, pita chips, or crostini

In a bowl, mix the tomatoes, olives, onion, garlic, 1 tablespoon of the parsley, oregano, olive oil and a few grinds of pepper.

Two cooking options:

On a grill: Heat your grill to medium-high. Set the feta block in the middle of a piece of foil. Pile the tomato mixture on top of the feta. Fold up the edges of the foil so that it will hold in any liquid as it cooks. Place the packet straight on the grill for 15 minutes to warm it through. Remove from grill and transfer to a serving dish with high edges. Garnish with remaining parsley and serve immediately.

In the oven: Heat oven to 400° F. Place the block of feta in the middle of an oven-proof dish with high edges. Pile the tomato mixture on top of the feta. Bake for 15 minutes. Garnish with remaining parsley and serve immediately.

The feta will not melt, just warm and soften. Serve with crostini/crackers/pita chips and individual plates since it can be a bit messy otherwise. Folks can either dip crostini directly into the feta or use a spoon to top crostini. As it cools, the feta will firm up again.