Sauteed Feta Cheese with Parsley, Raisin, Caper & Pine Nut Sauce for Tyler Florence Fridays

It was a fun and crazy week and now it is Friday and time again for Tyler Florence Fridays.  I wanted an easy, low effort, big flavor pay off for dinner last night and Tyler's recipes for Sauteed Feta Cheese topped with a Parsley, Raisin, Caper and Pine Nut Sauce from Eat This Book, sounded like just what I needed. The cheese was inspired by a marinated sheep's cheese he ate in France.  The sauce is one of several delicious sounding Fresh Chopped-Herb Sauces that Tyler has in the book that he uses with different dishes

Sauteed Feta Cheese

Eat This Book,  Tyler Florence

30 minutes / Serves 6-8

1 large block (1 1/2 lbs) feta cheese

1 cup all-purpose flour

extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 lemon

1 recipe Parsley, Raisin, Caper and Pine Nut Sauce (see recipe below)

Cut the feta into 1/2-inch thick slices.  Put the flour on a large plate.  Put a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and coat with a 2-count of oil. When the oil is smoking, dredge the cheese slices as will comfortably fit in the pan.  Brown about 1 minute on each side, until golden brown.  Squeeze some lemon juice over them, then use a spatula to carefully transfer to a platter. Repeat with the rest of the cheese, adding a little more oil to the pan if you need to.  Spoon the chopped herb sauce over the cheese and serve.   

Parsley, Raisin, Caper, and Pine Nut Sauce

Eat This Book, Tyler Florence

Makes about 1 cup

1/4 cup golden raisins, coarsely chopped

3 Tbsp capers, drained and coarsely chopped

3 Tbsp pine nuts, coarsely chopped

3 anchovy fillets, finely chopped

1/2 bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped (1/2 cup)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Stir up all ingredients in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.

The sauce was the favorite part of the dish for me.  Lest you eyeball the list of ingredients and say "Gross!  Anchovy and Raisins!?!", let me assure you it is excellent--salty, savory, sweet and tangy all at once. I am not a fan of whole anchovies but since they are finely chopped, they are mixed in and all you get is the great savory flavor. I would use the sauce of veggies, pasta and fish. The cheese is very good too. My trial and error tips are use a feta that is pressed tightly together, cut the slices thick and make sure the pan is hot enough and you have enough oil.  My first two in the pan, I had some challenges and lost some of the flour coating but I got the hang of it.  I served it on baguette slices  but it would also be nice over salad greens.  I liked the combo of the feta and sauce and would make the dish or either component again.  

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