Smoky marinated feta

One jar in the fridge, and you have something delicious on hand all week. Roasted garlic, lemon, and chipotle infuse the oil and your feta. Spoon it over toast with avocado, over a baked potato, or in a salad, or simply eat it with a glass of wine.

Ingredients

• 270 g homemade feta, cut into 2 cm cubes
• 10 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 1–2 lemons: 8 thin strips of peel and ½ tbsp juice
• 4 bay leaves
• 2½ tsp chipotle chili flakes
• 1½ tsp paprika powder
• 250 ml olive oil
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes

Preparation

1. Roast the garlic. Heat a small pan over medium-high heat. Roast the garlic for 3–4 minutes, shaking halfway through, until it looks slightly charred on the outside.
2. Build the flavor. Add the lemon peel and bay leaves and cook for another 1½ minutes. Add the chipotle flakes and roast for about 20 more seconds, until everything smells fragrant.
3. Make the marinade. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the paprika powder, olive oil, and salt. Allow the marinade to cool completely.
4. Marinate the feta. Toss the feta cubes in the marinade and put everything in a glass jar with a lid. If you plan to eat it within a few hours, leave it at room temperature. Otherwise, store the jar tightly sealed in the refrigerator.
5. Serve. Remove the jar from the refrigerator an hour beforehand so that the oil becomes liquid again. Add the lemon juice just before serving.

Tips:                                                                                                                   Storage: tightly sealed, the jar will keep well in the refrigerator for over a week        Variations: replace the chipotle with another chili flake, or add thyme, oregano, or fennel seeds.