Nobody’s a bigger feta fan than I am, but I’m getting a little tired of that baked feta/tomato/pasta recipe that won’t go away. Especially because it’s not tomato season. Now’s the time to be pairing feta with artichokes, asparagus, leeks, beets, radishes, green garlic…all the tender spring crops that are at their peak right now. Although I can’t go back to my favorite Greek restaurant quite yet, I can make the restaurant’s sublime roasted asparagus with feta. And so can you.
Kokkari, in normal times, is one of San Francisco’s busiest restaurants, for good reason. Chef Erik Cosselmon, who has run this kitchen for 16 years, has a talent for updating Greek dishes while still respecting their roots. I wait for California asparagus all year so I can make this warm and wonderful first course. You could pair it with lamb, salmon or roast chicken, but I like to serve it all by itself. It’s that good.
Which feta? You need a creamy style that will soften in contact with the warm spears, which means feta with sheep’s milk. Greek feta always contains at least 70 percent sheep’s milk—that’s the law. (The rest is goat’s milk.) Valbreso, made in France, is 100 percent sheep’s milk and extra creamy. I love it. Because Greek feta is protected with a PDO (protected designation of origin) in Europe, Valbreso no longer refers to its product as feta, but it is feta in everything but name. I wouldn’t use goat’s or cow’s milk feta here; both are too dry for this recipe.
Another Kokkari hit: Spring Peas with Feta
California asparagus is at its peak right now. Enjoy it in the Kokkari recipe now and, in the coming weeks, with two other favorite recipes pairing asparagus with cheese:
Shaved Asparagus Salad with Ricotta
Frittata with Asparagus and Sheep Cheese
Kokkari’s Roasted Asparagus with Feta and Dill
The feta will be easier to crumble if it’s cold. If your asparagus spears aren’t thick, adjust the cooking time. From Kokkari: Contemporary Greek Flavors by Erik Cosselmon and Janet Fletcher (Chronicle Books).
2 pounds thick asparagus spears
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Scant ½ cup (2 ounces) finely crumbled Greek feta
1 to 2 teaspoons coarsely chopped fresh dill
1 Eureka lemon or Meyer lemon
Preheat the oven to 475°F and put an oven rack in the top position. Holding an asparagus spear between both hands, bend it until it breaks naturally at the point where the spear becomes tough. Repeat with the remaining spears, discarding the tough ends.
Put the trimmed spears on a heavy baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle with the 3 tablespoons olive oil and mix with your hands to coat evenly. Season with salt and pepper and toss again, then rearrange the spears in a single layer. Roast on the oven’s top rack until sizzling hot and lightly browned in spots, 10 to 12 minutes.
Using tongs, transfer the asparagus to a platter. Combine the feta and dill and sprinkle the mixture over the hot spears. Drizzle with a little additional olive oil and lemon zest to taste. Serve at once.
Serves 4