TravelTalkOnline Forums People Talk Recipes Cherry Tomatoes Side Dish

I made a cheese dip over the 4th of July, and decided to make it again to help use up a plethora of cherry tomatoes I have growing in my garden, and it was a great marriage of flavors that we have been continuing to enjoy.

Cheese Dip - mix a couple different cheeses (manchego, asiago, Pecorino Ramano)are the ones I chose. (Note: softened cheese works better in my blender.) Mix in blender with some garlic cloves that have been softened in the oven. Add in cilantro and basil, and you can add in olive oil or not to the blender, depending on the consistency you want. Put in bowl and use as a dip, or if you refrigerate, bring it back to room temperature to use as a dip later. But temperature doesn't make much of a difference for the side dish below, you can take it out of the refrigerator and mix it cold, or it can be room temperature.

The other ingredients you need besides cherry tomatoes are Feta peppered cheese, and greek seasoning.

Halve the cherry tomatoes, top with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with greek seasoning. Add in the peppered feta, and the cheese dip (above). We just start out with however many cherry tomatoes we want, and add in the feta and cheesy mix to our liking. I might put basil and cilantro on top, to bring out that flavor a little more. I always seem to have extra feta and the cheese mix to use later, it will depend on how many cherry tomatoes you use.

Hope any of you try it like it as much as we do.

Sounds really good. I applaud your patience at working with the cherry tomatoes, wonder how it would work with Beefsteaks <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />
Thanks for posting.

I probably wouldn't mix the beefsteak tomatoes all together, but I would slice the beefsteaks, add olive oil and greek seasoning to the tomato slices, add the peppered feta and cheese mix over the top, with cilantro and basil to top off the cheeses for garnish and color, and you have another version of the dish. Maybe finish off with a little more olive oil.

While I am on the subject of peppered and crumbled feta, it is really good with eggs in the morning, no need for salt and pepper. And good with just about any application I have used it for, it is sold in the deli cheese section of the store I shop at. They sell cheese ends and that's usually where I pick up a lot of different cheeses, I am not buying big blocks of cheese.