baked feta with roasted tomatoes and greek olives

I've been craving Greek food ever since Michael Psilakis became New York's most-favored chef this winter with the nod from Food & Wine for "Best New Chef". I've visited his Upper West Side restaurant, Kefi, and loved it both times (and reviewed it on my former blog, Goûter), and I am dying to try Anthos. He must be doing something right, because Anthos is one of the only two Michelin-rated Greek restaurants in the world. Then, last night during my weekly romp around Whole Foods, I found the inspiration I needed to make my own Greek meal when I found a big, fresh, milky block of feta cheese.

I imagined this recipe all the way home on the subway, and it came out just as I had imagined. The ingredients in my Baked Feta with Greek Roasted Tomato Salad are simple; the creamy, salty feta cheese is complimented perfectly by the sweet, juicy red tomato, tangy red onion, and briney olives. With a drizzle of fine olive oil and a sprinkle of spices and lemon rind, this dish takes simple ingredients and makes a delicious Greek gourmet snack that anyone can make -- whether or not you're Michael Psilakis.


BAKED FETA WITH GREEK ROASTED TOMATO SALAD

Serves 2 as an appetizer

1 block Feta Cheese
1 large Tomato
1/2 small Red Onion
Greek Kalamata and green olives
Fresh Oregano, minced
Lemon rind
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Pre-heat oven to 400-degrees. Put a small roasting pan (or better yet, a clay pot) in the oven to warm.

Cut the tomato into large chunks. Slice the onion into paper-thin, half-moon slices, and separate. Toss together with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper. Set aside.

Take out warmed pan from oven. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on the bottom, and place the feta block inside. Drizzle the top of the cheese with olive oil, and sprinkle with fresh oregano, lemon rind and pepper. Arrange tomato salad alongside the feta inside the pan.

Place pan in oven and cook until cheese begins to sizzle, about 7-10 minutes. (If using a clay pot, cook with cover on.) Once the cheese and tomatoes have become soft, transfer entire pan to broiler (remove lid if using clay pot), and broil on high, about 2-3 minutes, until cheese begins to brown.

Serve immediately with warm pita bread. Shots of ouzo and occasional plate-breaking are optional.

the perfect pantry

Spice table at Saxe-Breteuil market in Paris, 2005

The one thing that distinguishes a frugal gourmet from the rest of the hungry masses is a well-stocked pantry. Having a pantry full of ingredients, rather than snacks, paves the way for culinary innovation under any budget. The perfect pantry is an investment, and may initially cost a bit more than your regular trip to the grocery store. But once your pantry is stocked, your weekly grocery bills will decline, and the majority of your spending will be on fresh, seasonal produce, which is not only fresh and nutritious, but inexpensive.

As Michael Pollan writes in his book, In Defense of Food (Penguin Press, 2007): "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." This dietary trope has become an increasingly popular credo for cooks and eaters who are becoming more conscious of the importance of knowing the origins of their food. According to Pollan, a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, grains and the occasional animal protein, feeds the human body as it was meant to be fed, with food food, not cellophane-wrapped synthetics.

The additional benefit to this earthy way of eating is that it costs comparatively less. Anything that comes in a box can be sold at a higher price point than things that come in crates. Consider this: not only are you paying for the producer's name-brand label on the box, but you're also paying for the cost of packaging materials. So if you're trying to "make ends meat" and your shopping cart is regularly filled with grocery items instead of things from the produce section, try the following experiment. Take note of how much you spend on a regular grocery trip. Sometime in between shopping trips, go shopping for the items to put together The Perfect Pantry. Next shopping trip, only visit the produce, meat, and dairy sections (according to your taste). These items will become the main focus of your dishes, and your perfect pantry will supplement each meal. You'll see that your grocery bill will be significantly lower. Just remember that the items from your pantry trip are an investment, which in the long run cost you nothing. In economic terms, this is your deadweight loss, which ultimately is your culinary gain.

So what to buy for the perfect pantry? I've divided the contents of the pantry into seven groups: Grains, Legumes, Flours, Canned Goods and Butters, Nuts and Dried Fruit, Oils and Vinegars, and importantly, Spices. These will provide the backbone to any dish, allowing you to be creative with your fresh ingredients.

Here is a starter grocery list of my favorite and trusty items that will transform your snack cupboard into a chef's stockroom.


THE PERFECT PANTRY

Grains

• Bulgur
• Couscous
• Rice
  
• Farro
• Quinoa
• Oats
  
• Pasta (a box or more each of long form pasta, ribbon pasta, and tubular pasta)*

Legumes (canned or dried)

• Chick peas
• Cannenelli beans
• Black / pinto / butter beans
• Lentils
  

Flours

• Unbleached white flour
• Whole wheat flour
• Whole wheat / unbleached white pastry flour

Canned Goods and Butters

• San Marzano peeled tomatoes (look at cans to be sure that the variety is San Marzano)
  
• Tomato paste
• Capers
  
• A nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew, etc)
• Tahini (sesame butter)

Nuts and Dried Fruit

• Raw Walnuts
• Raw Almonds
• Pignoli (pine) nuts (can be quite expensive)
  
• A variety of seed, like pumpkin
• Raisins / currants

Oils and Vinegars

• Olive oil (for cooking)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Sesame Oil
• Nut oil (i.e., pumpkin seed oil, walnut oil)
• Balsamic vinegar
• White wine / champagne vinegar
• Rice wine vinegar

Spices**

• Peppercorns (use only freshly ground pepper)
• Salt (kosher salt for cooking, and a sea salt variety in a grinder for flavoring)
  
• Cumin
• Cinnamon
• Bay Leaves
• Chili powder
• Nutmeg
• Saffron
  
• Curry powder and/or Garam Masala
• Coriander
• Mustard
• Tumeric
• Dried oregano
• Dried rosemary
• Dried thyme
  

*Alternatively, you can make your own delicious, inexpensive, homemade pasta using the flour from your pantry if you have a pasta machine.

** Instead of wasting your money and your potential for flavor on dried herbs, garlic power, onion power, and powdered ginger, buy these ingredients fresh, when available. However, if the availability of fresh herbs is scarce, dried herbs are just fine, such as the ones I've suggested. Try to avoid buying dried leafy herbs, such as basil, cilantro, and parsley, as they dramatically lose their flavor and utility when dried.