Instructions: Its salty, sour-sweet sharpness is the signature taste in a classic Greek salad. But feta can also perk up a slice of bread, spice up a sauce or round out an appetizer.

Feta bans blandness. In this story, youll find suggestions for 10 ways to use feta in everything from dip to dessert. But before you start cooking, it helps to have a little background information.

Feta dates back thousands of years in Greece, where its made with goats or sheeps milk. In this country, commercial feta is generally made with cows milk and cured and stored in a brine made with salt and either water or its own whey.

Brining stops the ripening process, keeping the cheese fresh. Brining is also what makes this cheese act as a salty element in recipes. Its the reason feta is often dubbed pickled cheese.
Feta ranges from soft to semi-dry. Its made in Lebanon, Israel, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, France, Italy and the United States.

Greek feta tends to be saltier and drier than U.S. feta. Kris Charles, spokeswoman for Churny Co. , makers of Athenos feta cheese and the largest feta producer in the United States, says sales have shown steady growth over the past five years.

In sauces, I like to use a moist French feta, which is creamier and blander, but I prefer Greek or American feta for salads, appetizers and poultry dishes.

Here are 10 fast ways to use feta:
1. Feta dip.

Serve this with triangles of pita bread and raw vegetables.

Combine 1 cup sour cream, 3/4 cup crumbled feta, 3 minced green onions, 1 medium clove minced garlic, 3 tablespoons minced Italian parsley, freshly ground black pepper to taste, 1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano and 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme. Mash ingredients together with tines of a fork. Taste and add lemon juice, if desired. Garnish with kalamata olives.

2. Spinach salad topped with roasted peppers and feta fingers.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a small roasting pan with olive oil and place a layer of 8 to 10 inch-wide strips of roasted and peeled red bell peppers in the pan. (If you dont want to roast your own, buy commercially prepared peppers in jars.)

Place a rectangle of feta (2 by 1/4 by 1/4 inches) in the center of each pepper strip. Top with the following: 2 medium cloves of minced garlic, 2 tablespoons drained capers, 12 pitted black olives, 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano. Drizzle 1/4 cup olive oil over all and bake 12-14 minutes, until cheese is lightly browned.

Place a handful of baby spinach in 4 salad bowls. Place two cheese-topped pepper strips in each bowl and spoon mixture from pan over cheese. Dress with your favorite vinaigrette.

3. Easy omelet.

Flavored feta is the easiest and fastest way to add oomph to eggs. I like to fill omelets with crumbled feta flavored with basil and sun-dried tomato. Just dont overdo it. For a two-egg omelet, use about 1 1/2 tablespoons of crumbled cheese.

4. Taco toppers.

Instead of the conventional queso fresco, shredded cheddar or jack, use crumbled feta on tacos or taco salads. Its also delicious with other cheeses in a quesadilla.

5. Cheese-please pasta sauce.

Sometimes, you want a pasta sauce with attitude. This feta-enriched mixture, and Giorgio DeLuca, can be prepared in advance and stored, well-sealed, in the refrigerator for several hours.

Mince 1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley, 2 teaspoons drained capers and 1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves. Place in bowl and stir in 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon dried red chile flakes, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 shallot sliced into rings, 12 pitted, imported black olives, such as kalamata, and 4 ounces crumbled feta. Toss sauce with 1 pound cooked, drained pasta.

6. Dont scrimp on shrimp.

Grilled shrimp topped with a feta vinaigrette is great atop bruschetta, rice or pasta.

To make it, marinate about 1 pound shelled shrimp in a mixture of 1/3 cup olive oil and 2 tablespoons minced fresh mint. Cover and chill 1 to 2 hours.

Meanwhile, soak bamboo skewers in water. Thread shrimp on skewers and grill 2 to 4 minutes over hot coals, turning once.

Prepare a vinaigrette by combining 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoons cider vinegar and a dash of garlic salt. Toss with 3 ounces crumbled feta. Place shrimp on plate and spoon vinaigrette on top. (This dressing is also wonderful spooned over cooked asparagus).

7. Chicken with olives and feta.

Skinned chicken thighs braised with tomatoes, onion, olives and red wine are delectable sprinkled with crumbled feta. (See recipe below.)

8. Wine-baked olives.

Serve these as a side dish with grilled meat, chicken or fish, or as a topping for rice.

Place 1 pound imported black olives in a small saucepan and cover with water.

Bring to boil on high heat for 1 minute. Drain well.

Place olives, 1/2 cup dry red wine and 3 tablespoons olive oil in small, ovenproof dish. Bake 30 minutes in 350-degree oven, tossing twice during baking.

When cooked, toss with 1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon and 1 tablespoon minced Italian parsley. Sprinkle with 3 ounces crumbled feta. Serve warm or at room temperature.

9. Feta with honey.

Drizzled with honey, feta becomes a sweet-yet-savory dessert. Place about 1/2 pound crumbled feta on a plate. Drizzle about 3 tablespoons honey on top. Serve with thinly sliced French bread or a nut bread.

10. Greek greens.

No list of feta suggestions would be complete without a version of Greek salad. (See recipe in this collection.)

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