Two ingredients. And a little patience is all you need to make this fabulous appetizer.
This is actually my mother-in-law’s recipe. I’ve mentioned before what a good cook she is, and this is one of her staples. I have yet to meet anyone who doesn’t like it. In fact, we had guests over recently, one who happens to be a chef, and he couldn’t get enough of it. Its. That. Good!
Not only is this my mother-in-law’s recipe, but she actually did the hard work — roasting the red peppers! She and my father-in-law have a special outdoor contraption they use to roast bushels of peppers which they freeze and use all winter. I have quite the stash of these little beauties in my freezer. Lucky me!
If you have the wherewithal to roast your own peppers, then you get a big gold star! But if you have no desire to do the roasting, relax — just buy some at the store. They come canned or in jars. Just make sure they are the roasted variety.
It’s important that you let these simmer so the juices re-absorb and reduce to provide that deep, sweet and smoky roasted flavor. But probably the most important thing is to let the peppers cool a bit before adding the feta. If the peppers are too hot, you’ll end up with creamy red pepper soup. If the peppers are too cool, then you’ll end up with hard chunks of feta. Think Goldilocks here — you want the pepper temperature to be just right — just warm enough to slightly melt the cheese while leaving some chewy curds behind. Serve this on bread, crackers or with veggies.
P.S. If this is sounding a little familiar, I actually posted this recipe a couple of weeks ago, but the photos didn’t turn out. I finally got around to re-making it, much to my husband’s delight, so here it is.
Ingredients (serves about 8)
2 cups roasted red peppers and their juice (or a 16 oz. jar/can) — chopped into 1 inch squares
1/4 pound feta cheese — crumbled
Directions
- Place the peppers and their juice in a non-stick pan over high heat and cook for 5 – 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Then reduce heat to simmer and let cook another 10 – 15 minutes until no juices remain. You should be able to push the peppers around the pan without leaving a trail of liquid.
- Using the tip of a wooden spoon, gently break up any larger pieces of pepper.
- Remove peppers from the stove and let cool, uncovered, about 7 – 10 minutes until they are still warm to the touch but not hot.
- Gently stir in the crumbled feta, allowing it to partially melt.
- Serve warm, room temperature or cold on sliced bread, crackers or with vegetable sticks.
cheri says
Hi Amy, how wonderful for you that your in-laws have a roasting contraption. The peppers look amazing, I bet this is delicious!!!
cheri recently posted…Cottage Cooking Club Month of October, Two Recipes
Amy says
Hi Cheri – Yes, I’m certainly lucky. My husband is visiting his parents and bringing back another cooler full of the good stuff!