First things first: We’ve been in love with the grilled feta at Effie’s for years, and much of the inspiration for this recipe tracks back straight to their delicious original. But here at the Phoodie.info Test Kitchen, we’re cool with letting the inspiration take us somewhere else entirely. In this case, that means going from Greece and the Gayborhood to Bulgaria by way of a Fishtown rooftop, but trust us, it’s worth the hike. After the jump, we explain.
NOTE: Before the recipe gets underway, we’d like to make an important distinction: If you can, use Bulgarian feta for this recipe. Greeks and Bulgarians have and will continue to argue the supremacy of their respective fetas. For the record, we have no quarrel with either. But for grilled feta, we did notice that the Bulgarian variety doesn’t dry out the way traditional Greek feta did under grilling conditions, and for this recipe, that is a major plus. That said, here’s what you’ll need:
1. Cut feta across the block into thick, 1/2-inch slices.
2. On a flat piece of aluminum foil (say 12×12″), drizzle a bit of olive oil.
3. Gently stack the thin-sliced shallots on a bottom layer, followed by slice of feta. Repeat, but do not stack more than three layers of feta high. Drizzle each new layer with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil.
4. When finished, surround your stack with pepperoncinis.
5. With another piece of foil, gently cover and fold both pieces of foil so that they form a pouch. Poke holes in the foil carefully on both sides for ventilation.
6. Grill, 8 minutes per side. Transfer foil pouch to a dish, cut it open and serve with either slices of toasted pita or solo. Feta should be warm, gooey and delicious, with a salty, shallot-infused flavor. Enjoy!
As always, feel free to improvise. And let us know if you made it, and if you liked it!
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My Brother is one of the owners of Cornerstone. Thanks for the plug!
Great recipe! We just made some of our own, 3 feta stacks high of the gooey goodness out for samplin right now! We’ll do our best to leave some for customers, but I’m afraid you’ll have to hurry.