I’ve been sharing my love of Greek food (and beyond) since 2007. I’ve been privileged to be able to meet so many wonderful people. Other people fond of Greek food and many Greek chefs as well!

One such friend is Dina Nikololaou – Chef, TV personality, restaurateur, caterer, consultant. She is also a friend.

I recently bookmarked a recipe of her’s she calls “Feta and Tomato Snack” and this week I finally made it.

It uses stale bread, crumbled Feta and ripe tomatoes. I have all that! I call it a frugal cheese ball as stale bread is a big component of the snack/meze.

I tried serving it with rusks/crackers but it’s bread on bread – not necessary. Just present the ball, spoon some onto your plate and nibble away.

A great Ouzo-meze for you to try!

Frugal Cheese Ball

(serves 4/makes 2 cheese balls)

3 thick slices of stale (2-3 days old) country bread, crusts removed

2 large ripe tomatoes

1 1/2 cups crumbled Feta

1 Tbsp. dried Greek oregano

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1. Into medium sized bowl, use your hands to crumble the bread. Cut your tomatoes in half and gently squeeze excess water and seeds from them. Now use a box grater to remove the pulp from the tomato. Discard skins.
2. Add tomato pulp, Feta, oregano and mix well with a spoon. Transfer the mixture to a tea towel and gather up the four corners to wrap completely. Twist the top with one hand and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
3. Open up the tea towel, spread the mixture and drizzle olive oil over it. Form the mixture into one or two balls and wrap in plastic wrap and twist the top to shape a tight ball(s).
4. Place ball in a bowl to help keep it’s shape and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to set.
5. Unwrap from plastic wrap, place on a plate, serve with some Kalamata olive paste, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle of Greek oregano.