Grilled Cherry Tomatoes with Marinated Feta
Sweet cherry tomatoes, grilled on aromatic rosemary stems until barely warm, combine with marinated cubes of feta cheese in this beautiful side dish. If you like, use a mixture of red, gold and green cherry tomatoes. Rosemary’s piney flavor makes this dish a good accompaniment to Greek or Middle Eastern fare.
Ingredients
- 12 rosemary stems, each 4 to 5 inches long
- 1/2 lb. feta cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 3 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1 lb. cherry tomatoes, stemmed
- Salt, to taste
Directions
Strip all but the very top leaves from the rosemary stems, reserving the leaves and stems. Mince 1 1/2 tsp. of the leaves.
In a bowl, stir together the cheese, 2 Tbs. of the olive oil, the lemon juice, the minced rosemary and a few grindings of pepper. Set aside.
Prepare a medium fire in a grill and oil the grill rack.
Pierce the cherry tomatoes with a skewer to make a hole. Thread 3 to 6 tomatoes onto each rosemary stem. Brush the tomatoes with the remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.
Grill until the tomato skins are just beginning to brown and split, about 2 minutes per side. Gently push the warm tomatoes from the rosemary skewers and mix with the marinated cheese. Serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Eat Well, by Charity Ferreira (Oxmoor House, 2008).