AppetizerDavid Scott AllenProvencal RecipesTaste

Provencal Feta and Sardines a Recipe for Wine Pairing

Salty food and oily fish is a wine pairing challenge. However, nothing that Cocoa & Lavender wasn’t willing to try. Taking inspiration from southern France, this delicious warm platter of feta and sardines paired beautifully with two Acquiesce wines. Producing only Rhône-style white and rosé wines, Acquiesce Winery is a maverick in Lodi appellation. The San Francisco Chronicle included the Acquiesce Winery tasting room among its list of 52 vineyards to visit in 2020. To read more about the wines and the vineyard in Lodi, California, click here.

Provencal Feta and Sardines

Provencal Feta and Sardines

David Scott Allen | Cocoa & Lavender
This recipe is a French appetizer best served with crusty bread and wine.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine French, Provencal
Servings 5 people

Ingredients
  

  • 5 oz Cherry or Grape Tomatoes
  • Salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 tbsp Olive Oil plus 1/2 tablespoon
  • 1 1/2 tsp Herbes de Provence
  • 1/4 tsp Piment D’Esplette
  • 6 oz (piece) Feta Cheese about 3/4-inch thick
  • 1 tin (3.75 oz) Canned Sardines Packed in Oil drained (with or without skin)
  • 10 Kalamata Olives
  • 1 tbsp capers drained
  • Zest of 1 Lemon
  • Crusty Bread for Serving

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400°F.
  • Halve tomatoes lengthwise, then again crosswise. Place them in a small baking dish – the one you will use to serve – and drizzle with 1/2 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper, and roast the tomatoes for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
  • While the tomatoes are roasting, combine olive oil and herbes de Provence in a small bowl.
  • Nestle the slice of feta into the cooled tomatoes. Next, place pieces of sardines, olives, and capers around the sides of the cheese. Zest the lemon over the top, then pour olive oil-herb mixture evenly over everything.
  • Bake for 20 minutes.
  • Serve immediately with slices of crusty bread. You’ll want a serving spoon and forks.
Keyword Breads, Cheese, French Recipes, Tomatoes
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Additional Appetizer Ideas:

Tarte Soleil - Puff-Pastry Appetizer
From the chef, "Provençals like things sunny and pretty, so this is a popular take on the local, traditional fougasse. It can be filled with any strong-flavoured spreadable mixture such as tapenade or anchoiade or a sundried-tomato paste or even a spinach/ricotta or goat cheese." 
Check out this recipe
Le Pistou Cookery School Uzès Blue Cheese Tarte Soleil
Panisse (Panelle, Sicilian-style) or Chickpea Fritters   
Panisse is very popular in Provence, although a similar recipe can be found in other places along the Mediterranean as I discovered in Sicily. Impress your guests with this salty, yet slightly sweet nibble with cocktails.
Check out this recipe
Panisse Chickpea Fritter Recipe Cote d'Azur Tasha Powell
Crunchy Tomatoes
This quick appetizer has a sweet, crunchy finish. Pretty, colourful and fresh cherry tomatoes with a touch of cheese, your guests will love this taste of Provence.
Check out this recipe
Crunchy Tomatoes Appetizer

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David Scott Allen

David Scott Allen

David Scott Allen is the author, photographer, and cook behind Cocoa & Lavender, a weekly food blog based in Tucson, Arizona. Passionate about travel, he especially enjoys eating traditional foods and learning local customs, whether in the United States or around the globe.

David's first trip to France took place when he was 14, and he returned as often as possible thereafter. However, it wasn't until his 50th birthday that he finally made it south to Provence. The beauty, history, charm, warmth, cuisine, and - of course - the rosé wines captured his heart. He shares his Provençal recipes here on Perfectly Provence, and his food and wine pairings monthly on the Provence WineZine.

David is a firm believer that sharing a meal with friends around the table is one of life's greatest pleasures. And if it happens to be in Provence, all the better!

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