Feta love

An ode to feta seems in good order in these pages given the number of recipes that go around the house and contain a healthy dose of this chalky white cheese that tickles the tongue and saves the addition of salt in all dishes. This, to me, is the essence of spring and summer tastes combined.

Only this time, I have found a recipe that is featured in the winter section of Donna Hay's Seasons (have I told you how inspiring the recipes of this book are? Well, it's done now.). The shift in season for this cheese made me want to try the recipe immediately and here is to an easy preparation and a fully satisfactory dish, perfect alongside a nice slice of meat - and for us, it was pork on that day.

♨ Ingredients

-1Kg potatoes (preferably starchy)

-185ml of full-fat milk

-60ml olive oil 

I am currently using the Stefanini oil that I had delivered to us from Italy. This is an elegant oil, not pungent but subtly fragrant while not invasive. I would not use it to cook at high temperature, but for salads and gentle, low-temperature cooking it works fine and takes you straight away to the city of Lucca and its gorgeous Tuscany surroundings, sparing you the hassle to pack and drive to the airport. How good is that?

-150 crumbled feta

-Olives to taste 

The original recipe rightly calls for Kalamata olives, but to be hones I took unsourced ones that were ok-ish...

♨ How to

Cook the potatoes in a pan full of salted water, bring to the boil and let cook until a skewer can be inserted smoothly. Drain and mash. Then add the milk (you may want to warm it up before) and oil and stir to combine. Now add the crumbled feta and olives. If you wish, you may season with more salt - I find that the potatoes and feta are savory enough and skip the operation altogether. You may also add some pepper - and to please the eye, why not white pepper?

Credits: Unknown (and the picture was chosen because of the predominance of white...and a certain resemblance to our own kitchen...)