[titch]

bought some feta, it says on the packet to eat within three days of eating, as i am new to eating this cheese, what will it taste like if its gone off?? anyone know??
if you dont, i might in a few days :shock:

i cant believe it will go off if i dont eat it within three days :?
i dont think i can eat it all that quickly :roll:
any good ideas what to do with it? can i cook with it?? dont want it to go to waste (eating this cos its cow dairy free, and i am not eating cow dairy)
thank you

[Aunt Sally]

I love a Greek salad:

Sliced red onion
bite sided pieces of peeled cucumber
bite sized pieces of tomatoe
crumbled fetta cheese

Mix together in a flat dish, season with salt and black pepper, drizzle with olive oil and leave to stand for a little while before serving with fresh crusty bread...  delicious !!!!

[mumofstig]

The stuff in packets goes off quickly, because the bulk cheese is stored in the liquid left from the cheese making. It's not a dry cheese like cheddar or parmesan.

If you can buy a larger piece in a plastic marge style tub, it keeps longer.

Hope you like it, it's an acquired taste but after 4 years in greece i love the stuff

[titch]

will try the recipe Aunt sally, sounds delish.  Its also a luch i could take to work in a tub - it could marinate while i play with the little peeps and be ready at lunchtime, yum, will give it a go tomorrow as a trial run

where might i find the stuff in tubs mos???

[Aunt Sally]

It doesn't need to stand too long.  Don't put any salt on it if your taking it to work. Take the cheese and seasoning separatly and add just before you want to eat it.

[mashauk]

I think they mean eat within 3 days of opening, unless you've bought some that's near the end of it's shelf life, mine normally keeps a good few weeks unopened.

I sometimes use a bit in a pasta sauce as it melts nicely.  A recipe of mine for "marinated" feta lasts a lot longer:

A large handful of mixed fresh herbs, any will do, but I normally use basil, rosemary, thyme, parsley and whatever else I've got growing. Put the berns in a blender with the olive oil and blitz.  Cube the feta, put it in a clean jar, layer it with the oil and herb mixture making sure the feta is covered in oil at the top, put it in the fridge and don't eat it for a week (that's the hard bit but you want the flavours to infuse), it then lasts quite a long time.  You could also add garlic and chilli if you like it.

[Trillium]

I personally prefer the feta in brine (in tubs) and simply crumble it over any salad and it's fab. however, I bought a new brand that turned out to be a very slimey feta and most went to the compst. It was truly yukky. Now I look for the firmer feta in brine/liquid.

[jennyb]

i keep mine in a tuppaware tub with the liquid once opened - i find it does start growing mould if left too long, normally little red spots (rather than blue/green) appear - so you should be able to see by looking.

its more of a summer eat for me,  mainly due to greek salads (my ingredients lettuce, cue, tomato, black olives, red onion - i roast min as i don't like it raw, and i nice extra i like is watermelon)

a warmer dish - aubergine rolls.  slice the aubergine length ways into 1/2 inch thick slices, cook (grill or fry) to soften.  once soft roll up a stick (small rectangle) of feta (and anything else you fancy like olives (sliced) or herbs) in the aubergine slices, place in an oven proof dish (pack in tightly so they don't unroll!) and cover with a chunky tomato sauce (i usually make my own) sprinkle a little parmesan over the top and put in a hot oven for about 20 minutes (my ovens normally around 180 C) or until cheese has melted and is hot through.

another cooked one i've tried is this:
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/5754/feta-baked-with-tomato-and-oregano

[chrissie B]

what i find happens is it gets a creamy mushy outside , if its not gone too far then rinse it under the tap , it will keep longer in brine .

one thing we like doing with feta is in a small oven dish drizzle olive oil ,
place sliced tomato and a chopped fresh chili then a slice of your feta drizzle little more oil and sprinkle with oregano you can then either zap it in the microwave till the cheese starts to bubble or put it in the oven for a more crusty effect , later takes a little longer ,
serve with very crusty bread and a glass or 2 of red wine .
.

brown scones , i like to ad some to the basic scone recipe and sprinkle a bit on the top , when the feta goes brown its yummy .
Chrissie b

[titch]

thanks for all the ideas
just had it with bread for lunch - wasnt able to get to shops for salad stuff, but am loving the taste