Marinated Feta In Oil With Sundried Tomatoes and Herbs

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• This marinated feta cheese appetizer requires no cooking.
• It's great for sharing at picnics and summer parties.
• It is a time saver because you can make it in advance. 
• It just gets better if you allow it to mature for a few days.
• You can get creative and tweak the flavors to suit you.
• It is easy to make and use for an appetizer or meat or vegetable platters. 
• It's is also great for mixing into pasta, salads, or as a pizza topping. 
• This is a small batch recipe enough for four people, but you can easily double or triple the recipe if making for a crowd.
• You can use either soft Danish style feta or firm feta like Greek. (see ingredient notes for more details).
• Make it in pretty little jars to give as inexpensive holiday gifts.

Ingredients

Feta cheese -  You can use either soft or firm feta.

• Use soft feta like Danish if you intend to use the cheese as a spread on sandwiches, crackers, bruschetta, or crostini.  
• Use firm feta like Greek for things like appetizers on skewers, for crumbling into salads or pasta.

This recipe makes a small batch so, if you plan on making this recipe for a party, you might like to double or triple the recipe.

We like to buy ½ a block of feta from the deli at our supermarket, which is about 100 grams (3.5 ounces) if it's just for us at home.

Extra virgin olive oil - will help preserve the feta and give it some flavor so, use a good quality olive oil.

Sundried tomatoes in oil - the sundried tomatoes will give the jar of oil some color, and a little of the tomato oil gives added flavor. 

Extra flavorings - black peppercorns, Italian dried herbs, citrus peel, black olives, and fresh rosemary. If you don't like any of these, you can leave them out.

Step By Step Instructions

Prepare the jars and ingredients.

• You will need to wash a jar in hot soapy water, rinse it well, and thoroughly dry. 
• Then wash and dry an orange and lemon, then remove one to two strips of peel about 4 -5 cm (1.5 - 2 inches) long using a vegetable peeler.
• Wash and dry the fresh rosemary.
• We used sundried tomato strips, but you can use whole sundried tomatoes and cut them into thin strips.
• Slice the olives into thirds.
• If using firm feta, cut it into cubes. We like 1.5 cm (½ inch) cubes, but they can be larger if you prefer. 
• If using soft feta, because it is so soft and crumbly, you are better off breaking it into smaller pieces as you add it to the jar.

Filling the jar

• Measure out 2 tablespoons of sundried tomato oil and put this into the jar with the dried Italian herbs.
• Pour in the olive oil. If necessary, use a spoon to mix the two oils to get an even color.
• Next, layer in the feta, sundried tomatoes, olives, peppercorns, and sprigs of rosemary to the oil in the jar.
• If there are any pieces of feta poking out of the oil, gently push them down into the oil. If necessary, you can top the jar up with a little more sundried tomato oil or olive oil to make sure they are fully submerged.
• Seal the jar and store it in the fridge for at least 24 hours before using. Note: The oil will solidify when it gets cold - this is normal. 

Expert Tips

• Use a wide mouth jar rather than one with a narrow opening. It will make it that much easier to remove the marinated feta.
• Do not store at room temperature. It should be kept cold and put back in the fridge after use.
• Always use a clean and dry fork or spoon to remove the feta from the jar to avoid contamination.

Serving Size

This recipe is based on four servings.

Calories Per Serve

Each serving of feta cheese with most of the oil drained off is about 218 calories.

Serving Suggestions

Remove the jar from the fridge and allow it to stand at room temperature for about 30 - 60 minutes so that the oil can become liquid again. As soon as you have finished using it, return the remaining back into the fridge.

How To Use

You can add marinated feta to meat and vegetable platters, use flavored cubes of feta in salads like my Greek tomato cucumber salad.

Or use it as:

• A simple topping on bruschetta or crostini.
• Spread it onto crackers and bread.
• Mix it into pasta.
• Use in omelettes and frittatas.
• Crumble it over roasted vegetables.
• Use them to make simple skewer appetizers with cubes of firm feta, cherry tomatoes, black olives, and cucumber wedges.
• With the leftover oil use it to make salad dressings or use it to make crostini.

Storage

It is best to store the feta in oil in the fridge. Just note, the oil will solidify when cold and will turn back to liquid once you take it out and leave it at room temperature for a short time.

FAQ

More Snack Ideas

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• Cherry tomato and bocconcini skewers
• Marinated mozzarella balls
• Bruschetta with mozzarella
• Italian bread dipping oil
• Tomato feta bites
• Slow cooker Italian meatballs in tomato sauce
• Onion soup dip
• Corn relish dip