Feta Pesto Recipes

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Stir in the bow ties and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and run it under cold water just until it stops steaming. Bounce the pasta around to get rid of as much water as you can.
• Dump the pasta into a large serving bowl. Stir in the pesto until the pasta is coated. Toss in the cherry tomatoes and the crumbled feta. Taste the salad and season it as you like with salt and pepper. You can make the salad up to about 1 hour before you serve it. Check out the salt and pepper just before you serve the salad. If it's looking a little dry, add some olive oil and stir it around.
• Pesto:
• 5 big handfuls basil leaves (about 2 hefty bunches)
• 1/2 cup pine nuts or 3/4 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
• Juice of 1 small lemon
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• Kosher salt
• About 20 grinds freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Place all ingredients with 1/2 cup of the oil in a blender and blend. Gradually drizzle in the remaining 1/4 cup of oil until pesto is thick and smooth.
• Yield: about 1 1/2 cups

Steps:

• Place tomatoes on a double layer of paper towels; sprinkle with salt. Cover with additional paper towels. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together pesto and mayonnaise. Preheat oven to 375°. On a floured sheet of parchment, roll dough into a 12-in. circle. Transfer to a baking sheet or pizza stone., Spread pesto mixture over crust to within 2 in. of edge; top with ¼ cup feta. Arrange tomato slices over feta; arrange cherry tomatoes on top, cut sides up. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup feta, Italian seasoning and pepper. Fold crust edge over filling, pleating as you go and leaving center uncovered. In a small bowl, whisk egg and water; brush edge of crust with egg wash and sprinkle with Parmesan. , Bake until crust is golden brown, 35-40 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before slicing. If desired, top with basil before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat a grill pan to high heat. Heat a toaster oven or oven to 250 degrees F.
• Wrap breads in foil and place in oven to warm.
• Combine yogurt and next 4 ingredients. Coat chicken in mixture then thread meat onto metal skewers. Brush grill pan with oil and grill meat 5 to 6 minutes on each side.
• Combine chopped lettuce, chopped veggies, olives and hot peppers on a large platter or in a serving bowl. Dress the salad very lightly in lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil and salt and pepper.
• Place all ingredients for pesto in the food processor except extra-virgin olive oil. Turn processor on and stream in extra-virgin olive oil.
• Remove bread from oven and cut into wedges.
• Place grilled meat on salad and top liberally with pesto. Place cut flat breads or pita wedges around the platter or serving bowl and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Using the grapeseed oil, lightly grease a rectangular baking dish large enough to accommodate the fillets in a single layer.
• Place the halibut fillets in the prepared baking dish and season lightly with salt and pepper. Use a sharp knife to slash several deep cuts in the top of each fillet, being careful not to cut all the way through the fish.
• In a mini food processor, combine the scallions, kale, celery, and cheese and process until the ingredients are crumb-sized. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and pulse until a paste forms, adding more oil as needed to achieve a good consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
• Use a small spoon or your finger to stuff the pesto into the slits in each fillet, filling them with as much pesto as will fit and allowing it to overflow. Roast until the fish is opaque at the center when tested with the tip of a knife, about 15 minutes. Let cool for 3 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Roll out the pastry on a surface lightly dusted with the Parmesan to about the thickness of a ten-pence piece. Stamp out 12 rounds using a 6cm plain cutter and line a shallow 12-hole bun tin. Chill for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/gas 6.
• Prick each pastry base with a fork and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. Remove from the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack. Meanwhile, tear the leaves from the parsley stalks and put all but 12 of the small sprigs in a food processor with the pine nuts, then whizz until coarsely chopped. Then add the feta, garlic and oil and whizz to make a thick paste. Keep the reserved sprigs in a bowl of water in the fridge. The pastry bases will keep in a tin for up to 2 days and the pesto will keep in the fridge overnight.
• To serve, dollop a spoonful of the feta pesto onto the tarts and top each one with two cherry tomato halves. Garnish with the reserved parsley sprigs. Arrange on a platter and hand round with a bowl of black olives and sparkling mint & lemon juleps.