Herbed Feta Cheese Spread

by Laura Donnelly — April 2, 2007

Sandwiches are the most convenient, go-anywhere, anytime meal. Perfect for work, school lunches, boating, hiking, and picnics, there is some form of sandwich in almost every country. As gyros, dosas, tortillas, wraps, panini, smorgastarta, butty, and toebroodjies, sandwiches can range from a richly sauced, oozy, melted-cheese extravaganza to a dainty pinkies-in-the-air teeny-tiny cucumber tea sandwich.

There are two stories of how sandwiches evolved.  One credits the ancient Jewish sage Hillel the Elder, another refers to an allegedly compulsive gambler, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, who couldn't stop playing cards long enough to eat, so he had some meat slapped between two slices of bread, thus keeping his cards and hands clean.  In the 1st Century B.C., Hillel the Elder filled matzo with bitter herbs and Paschal lamb to symbolically remind the Israelites of their forced labor for the Egyptians.  During the Middle Ages, before plates and utensils, food was placed on thick slabs of bread called "trenchers."  When the meal was finished, the trenchers were tossed out for hungry dogs or less fortunate peasants.

When Nancy Silverton chef/owner of Campanile Restaurant in Los Angeles , took a food tour of Italy a few years back, she didn't come home craving bistecca fiorentina, ribollita, or gelati. Her fondest memory was of a little crostini bar in Florence where friends gathered after work to enjoy a glass of wine, some camaraderie, and grilled toasted bread rubbed with garlic and topped with prosciutto and arugula or tuna, egg, and anchovies.   Casual, simple, boldly flavored, and inexpensive, the sandwiches she has duplicated from Fuori Porta on Thursday nights at her otherwise upscale eatery make it the most popular evening of the week.

It's almost impossible to come up with a bad sandwich recipe.   Just remember to use high-quality ingredients.  Get your cold cuts and cheeses from a reputable deli or Italian market, use a bread that is compatible with the fillings, whether hearty or delicate, and feel free to use condiments such as tapenades, chutneys, and pestos liberally to moisten the sandwich.  My father's great secret to his Black Forest ham and Swiss on rye bread was a paper -thin slice of red onion and lots of freshly cracked black pepper. And I'm going to make one right now!

Herbed Feta Cheese Spread

This herbed feta cheese spread is a perfect combination with any vegetarian sandwich.  Feel free to substitute soft goat cheese or the delicious whole-milk Greek yogurt you can find in gourmet shops nowadays.  Play around with the herb combinations, too. I substitute dill for the basil and oregano when I am making a fish sandwich.

Makes about 2/3 cup

1/4 cup softened low-fat cream cheese
1/4 cup low-fat sour cream
5 ounces feta cheese or goat cheese
1/4 cup each chopped basil and chives
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste, and keep in mind that feta cheese can be quite salty

Combine all ingredients well, mashing feta cheese to blend. Let sit in refrigerator for a few hours before spreading on sandwiches so the flavors mix together.  Will keep for 4 to 5 days refrigerated.