"feta" news and stories

• What can you do with cherry tomatoes? Many things.
• An in-depth investigation of Boston lunch carts.
• Yes, you can make a simple relish with cabbage!
• The pleasing history of cornmeal.
• This week is the last week for Boston's Restaurant Week (yup, it actually lasted two weeks).
• A review of Sleep On It, a new book with recipes for bed & breakfast owners.
• More recipes: Peach and Blueberry Cobbler; Gratin of Squash, Tomatoes, and Mozzarella; and Pattypan Squash Stuffed with Corn and Feta.

This is the Domestic Goddess's Watermelon and Feta Salad and if there is a more refreshing side dish on a hot summer day, I'm not sure what it would be. It is also very simple to make; the chilled salad has the crunchy sweetness of watermelon, its juiciness enhanced by mixing it with salty, creamy feta cheese. Jennifer has added chopped parsley to hers for a bit of color contrast, but I have seen recipes, like Nigella Lawson's, that call for adding chopped olives to the mix. Paula Deen's recipe asks for slivered onions to be included. The Traveler's Lunchbox tosses pinenuts and basil in with the watermelon. Whichever combination of flavors you end up using, this is a great use for watermelon and a beautiful, sweet-and-savory side to replace potato salad at your next bbq.

 

 

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Fritattas could very well be the most popular brunch food there is. Not only are they relatively easy to prepare, but they are very versatile. You can put almost any combination of meats, cheeses or vegetables into the egg base and turn out a fantastic dish. Fritattas can also be served hot, cold and at room temperature, so they fit easily into party preparation and, when it comes time to serve them, they can be cut into bite sized pieces or meal-worthy wedges. The problem is that many recipes call for both stove-top and oven cooking or specialty cookware. This is not the case with this recipe.

This particular fritatta recipe is one of my favorites. Not only is it simple, but it eliminates any confusion over what sort of pan is best for cooking. The whole thing is poured into a 9x13 Pyrex baking dish and cooked in the oven. The large, finished fritatta can be sliced easily to fit any occasion. And the flavor? With a spinach and feta filling, it tastes just like spanikopita: delicious.

• The NYT tracks the much-hyped recipe for cooking an egg between two cellular phones.
• Julia Moskin explores the inner workings of Trader Joe's.
  
• A profile of the Dames du Boeuf, a group of ladies with a passion for the old-school dining experience.
• Kim Severson talks to New Orleans chef and cookbook collector Ken Smith.
• Mark Bittman slow-cooks  spareribs.
  
• The Greek feta cheese battle, with recipes.
• Eric Asimov tastes Irish whiskies.
• Marian Burros reports on a new study about grass-fed beef.

I don’t know why I find news about cheese so amusing…

Danish authorities recently intercepted a shipment of supposedly-Greek feta cheese traveling from Greece to Denmark. Greece has recently been trying to restrict the use of the term feta to only Greek products. The discovery of this Bulgarian cheese, being passed off for export as Greek feta, serves as a setback to those seeking to confine the use of the name. The EU recently ruled against the Danish dairy industry, saying that Greece should have the exclusive rights to the name feta.

“I’m very happy that the Greeks were caught in the act, said Dairy Board director Hans Bender, “bogus shipments are common knowledge.”

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