Baked Feta with Blistered Tomatoes & Honey

Ingredients

• 8 oz block feta, in brine
• 3 cups Cherry Tomatoes
• 1 Shallot, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp chili flakes
• 8 oz short pasta or 4 thick slices of bread
• Black pepper and torn basil

Method

1. Heat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Tumble the Cherry Tomatoes, Shallot, garlic, oregano, chili flakes, and half the oil into a baking dish and season with pepper only — the feta brings the salt.
2. Nest the block of feta in the center, pour the rest of the oil over it, and drizzle with the honey.
3. Bake 25–30 minutes until the Cherry Tomatoes have burst and gone jammy at the edges and the feta is soft, slumped, and browned in patches.
4. If you're going the pasta route, cook it now and reserve ½ cup of the water. Mash the feta and Cherry Tomatoes together into a rough pink sauce, loosening with pasta water until it clings.
5. Fold through the pasta, or just spoon the whole thing onto toasted bread. Finish with basil and more pepper than feels reasonable.