Greek Bouyourdi. AKA oven-baked feta cheese.
Yup. It’s pretty much the best thing since sliced bread.*
This delicious and super easy 10 step appetizer or side dish is mouth-watering and is as authentic as you could get for Greek food. It is pretty much on every menu in Greece and you really can’t go wrong wherever you get it.
Not in Greece or don’t have a Greek restaurant close by? You can make this rich and satisfying dish at home!
All you need are a couple slices of tomato, several pieces of green bell pepper, a dash or two of hot red pepper and a block of feta cheese. Oh! And of course extra virgin olive oil. How could I forget?!
Now, if you want to get real fancy, add some extra veggies in there. It won’t hurt. But by all means, make sure you grab that loaf of sour dough for dipping! And don’t forget to throw a plate down of dolmades!
Feast on grilled, oozing feta cheese with vine-ripened tomatoes, fresh crisp peppers, a little spice and fresh-pressed, extra virgin olive oil!
Completely authentic.
Easy to make.
100% Greek.
Mediterranean Baked Feta - Greek Bouyourdi
Ingredients
- 2 Tomato - medium vine-ripened, sliced
- 1 Green Bell Pepper - sliced into thin rings
- 4 slices Feta Cheese - 300g
- 9 Tbsp. Olive Oil - fresh and cold pressed
- 1 Tbsp. Oregano - finely chopped
- 1 Jalapeño Pepper or red pepper - chopped (or crushed red pepper flakes) to taste
- salt to taste
- Bread - thick slices of fresh crusty sourdough bread - definitely not optional - trust me!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (180 celsius)
- Core the tomato carefully and slice horizontally into about 5 or 6 slices. Spread tomato slices on a paper towel to drain
- Oil a shallow 8-9 inch baking dish (ceramic if possible) and spread a couple of the tomato slices on the bottom, reserving half of the slices to top the feta
- Layer with some green bell pepper slices
- Dash a little jalapeno or red pepper on top
- Put the feta pieces on top, then add one tomato slice on each piece of cheese
- Add a few bell pepper rings on top of the tomato
- Drizzle liberally with olive oil and sprinkle with oregano and the remaining jalapeno/red pepper
- Transer dish to the middle of the oven
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until the feta turns a light-golden color (25-40mins)
- Add a little salt if you'd like
- Serve immediately alone or with warm bread
*Actually, I’m not all for sliced bread once I found out why the Greeks don’t slice the loaf all the way through.
Did you know?
The Greeks don’t slice through the entire loaf because we are expected to “break bread” before every meal. Bread is served at every single meal; without it, your meal is incomplete. It’s a deeply rooted tradition that dates back to ancient times. Pretty interesting and culturally amazing, in my opinion!
So, make sure you dip your freshly broken bread into your authentic dish of Greek bouyourdi, eat up & enjoy!
