Taverna-Style Baked Feta Dip

Once upon a time, on our first night in Oia on the island of Santorini, we were starving and jet-lagged, walking along the cobble stone streets in search of something to eat. There were many stray dogs and cats wandering the streets, almost all of which appeared to be well fed and taken care of by the many shop owners. One tall dog that came up to my hip started walking alongside of us. Delighted (because I love dogs, especially big dogs), we continued on together, until the dog diverted to the right and bolted inside a small, dimly-lit taverna that was blaring jolly music. We decided this was a sign and followed the dog into the restaurant where we were greeted by a smiling Greek man who didn’t speak much English. We ordered this appetizer from him, along with a basket of crusty bread, and a bottle of local Santorini wine; it was heaven. As we spooned the hot feta and veggies onto our sliced bread, we were happy to see that the dog also received a treat for entering the restaurant. Throughout the meal we talked about how to recreate it at home. Luckily, the ingredients were so simple that it was possible to do so, even in Japan. Now we’ll share it with you!

1 block of feta cheese
Extra Virgin oilve oil
cherry tomatoes, sliced
green bell pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
red onion, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 clove garlic, minced
dried oregano, to taste
salt & pepper, to taste

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

• Place the feta in the middle of a small ceramic baking dish. Add the olive oil to the dish until it almost reaches the top of the feta.

• Scatter the tomatoes, bell pepper, onion and garlic around the dish. Add the oregano, salt and pepper.

• Bake for 15-20 min. or until the olive oil is bubbling nicely, and the feta is starting to melt around the edges. Let rest for 5 minutes. Place in the center of the table and serve with lots of sliced bread and a spoon for serving.