It's all Greek to me!!!

This past Saturday, I went with my girlfriend, Kathleen (Mrs. Nolan to those of us who love her), to a small market in the heart of Peabody, MA that specializes in fresh cuts of meat, home cooked delicacies, out of the ordinary condiments and all foods Greek. I never saw so many olives in one place! Some items were very expensive and others extremely reasonable. It was evident from the warm hospitality of the place that this was a family run operation.


Mrs. Nolan had been told to make sure to purchase some of the unbelievably fresh Feta cheese as it was deemed, “the best ever”! Now I’m not a huge fan of Feta; only on the occasional Spinach Salad with Bacon, Shrimp & Warmed Dijon Vinaigrette… but that’s a recipe for another day! This Feta cheese however… was the BOMB! There were 3 different varieties and one of the butchers let us taste them all. We both opted for the strong imported one and each bought a pound of it. Mrs. Nolan purchased a few other things and as we drove away I was quite pleased with my purchase. When I got home, reality set in… “What the hell am I going to do with this huge block of Feta cheese?!!”

The next day while my Sunday Pot o’ Sauce was workin’ on the stove and the Patriots were workin’ on the field, my hubby & I cracked a couple of cold beers and were looking for something to nibble on. I remembered the block of cheese that was taking up so much room in my fridge and scouted around my kitchen for something to add to it for a quick-n-easy snack. This is what I ended up with:

Maria Aphrodite Bruschetta


6 thick slices of dense whole wheat bread like Ciabatta or Tuscan Pane (toasted)
Olive Oil for drizzling
¼ lb. of Feta cheese (crumbled)
6 slices of roasted red peppers
6 thin slices of tomato
1 handful of fresh basil (torn into pieces)
1 handful of Kalamata olives (coarsely chopped)
Shaved Romano cheese

Arrange toasted bread slices on a serving dish; drizzle with olive oil. Divide the Feta cheese between the toast and press down a little to keep it in place.  Then stack on the roasted pepper slices, the tomato slices, the basil and the chopped olives. Drizzle again with olive oil. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the Romano cheese over the top of the bruschetta.

These were so simple yet SO DELICOUS! Who would have known that when Italy teamed up with Greece they would create such a festival of flavors in your mouth? Ottimo!