For any New Year’s Eve revelers stumped on what to make for the fast-approaching holiday, keep reading. Zoës Kitchen, the Mediterranean-inspired restaurant chain that opened its doors to the SoHo neighborhood of Tampa not too long ago, has shared a few celebratory recipes from its head chef, Antonio Iocchi, with CL.
They’re fit for serving before, during or after (hey, don’t we all come down with the munchies at weird hours?) the party — and totally a dream for hardcore feta lovers.
Four kinds of marinated feta, turns out, are pretty easy to pull off, and Iocchi — whose featured food formulas are inspired by his childhood in Italy and frequent travels — makes the process look fun (seriously, there are pickling jars stuffed with all kinds of culinary wonder involved). But before getting started, do check out the chef’s quick instructional video below.
Rookie cooks and pros who like to entertain at home can even get creative with their marinated feta flavor combinations. Don’t like Italian salsa verde or Kalamata olives together? Swap either with roasted lemon wells, garlic or red pepper, or something else. Whatever suits your fancy.
According to Iocchi, some of the recipes’ ingredients were purchased from the grocery store, but others — the salsa verde, harissa sauce and what’s called “Spice of Life” — are available at Zoës.
See you in 2018!
Harissa & Roasted Red Pepper Marinated Feta
3 ounces Zoës Kitchen Harissa Sauce
4-5 ounces diced feta
Roasted red peppers, sliced
3-4 ounces extra-virgin olive oil
Add diced feta to a jar, leaving some space for the rest of the ingredients. Add harissa sauce and roasted red peppers. Top with extra-virgin olive oil. Refrigerate for 2 to 3 days. For best flavor results, shake the jar upside down at least once a day. Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before serving.
Roasted Lemon, Calabrian Pepper & Bay Leaf Marinated Feta
4-5 ounces diced feta
4 roasted lemon wells
2-3 Calabrian peppers, whole or chopped
3-4 bay leaves
3-4 ounces extra-virgin olive oil
Add diced feta to a jar, leaving some space for the rest of the ingredients. Add roasted lemon, Calabrian peppers and bay leaves. Top with extra-virgin olive oil. Refrigerate for 2 to 3 days. For best flavor results, shake the jar upside down at least once a day. Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before serving.
Salsa Verde & Kalamata Olive Marinated Feta
3 ounces Zoës Kitchen Italian Salsa Verde
4-5 ounces diced feta
8-10 Kalamata olives
3-4 ounces extra-virgin olive oil
Add diced feta to a jar, leaving some space for the rest of the ingredients. Add the Kalamata olives and Italian salsa verde. Refrigerate for 2 to 3 days. For best flavor results, shake the jar upside down at least once a day. Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before serving.
Roasted Garlic & Parsley Marinated Feta
3 ounces Zoës Kitchen Spice of Life
4-5 ounces diced feta
3 ounces roasted garlic
1/4 cup parsley, roughly chopped
3-4 ounces extra-virgin olive oil
Add diced feta to a jar, leaving some space for the rest of the ingredients. Add Spice of Life, roasted garlic and chopped parsley. Refrigerate for 2 to 3 days. For best flavor results, shake the jar upside down at least once a day. Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before serving.
