A whole block of feta baked in the middle of blistering tomatoes, peppers and chickpeas, then crushed through the lot to make an instant creamy sauce.
Prep
10 mins
Cook
40 mins
Servings
4
Per serving
£1.85
Difficulty
easy
Almost no work for the result it gives. The feta softens rather than melts, and stirring it through the burst tomatoes at the end turns the tray into something silky and salty without any cream or stock.
Heat the oven to 200C fan. Tip the cherry tomatoes, peppers, chickpeas, onion wedges and whole garlic cloves into a baking dish with the olive oil, half the oregano, the chilli flakes and the black pepper. Toss well.
No salt goes in at this stage. Feta and olives bring a great deal of their own and it is very easy to overshoot.
Push the vegetables aside to make two gaps and sit a block of feta in each. Spoon a little of the oil from the dish over the cheese and sprinkle it with the remaining oregano.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the tomatoes have burst and darkened, the peppers are soft at the edges and the feta is puffed and golden on top.
Scatter over the olives and return to the oven for two minutes, just to warm them through.
Squeeze the roasted garlic from any loose skins and crush it into the dish. Break up the feta with a fork and stir it through everything so it streaks the tomato juices into a creamy sauce.
Stir while it is properly hot. Once the dish cools the feta stops coming apart and stays in stubborn lumps.
Add the lemon juice, tear over the basil and finish with the extra virgin olive oil. Taste before adding any salt; it usually needs none.