Herby Feta Dressing for Summer Greens
Recipe by: Fiona Hammond - January 2025
This dressing is so worth having on hand for summer eating. It’s a classic vinaigrette with Dijon mustard blitzed with feta for some added tang and a generous handful of soft green herbs for freshness. The result is a thick, creamy, green sauce perfect to complement the vegetable greens available over summer.
- Summer, Autumn
HERBY FETA DRESSING:
- 50g feta, try our local Main Ridge Dairy goat feta
- 80ml olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons quality apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 ½ teaspoons honey
- ½ bunch soft leaf herb of your choice, leaves plucked (try mint, or basil, or coriander, or tarragon, or dill, or chervil, or flat-leaf parsley)
- Dressing:
- 50g feta
- 80ml olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons quality apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 ½ teaspoons honey
- ½ bunch soft leaf herb of your choice, leaves plucked (try mint, or basil, or coriander, or tarragon, or dill, or chervil, or flat-leaf parsley).
Summer vegetable suggestions:
ICEBERG LETTUCE
- 1 iceberg lettuce
- 1 quantity of Herby feta dressing using a combination of mint and coriander leaves, plus extra for garnishing.
GREEN BEANS
- 400g green beans, stem ends trimmed
- 1 quantity of Herby feta dressing using dill, or tarragon, or mint, or basil leaves plus extra for garnishing.
ROAST ZUCCHINI
- 4 medium-large zucchini (about 250g – 300g each)
- 1 quantity Herby feta dressing made with dill leaves, or mint leaves, or chives
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
GRILLED ZUCCHINI
- 4 medium zucchini (180g-200g each)
- 1 quantity Herby feta dressing made with dill leaves, or mint, or basil, or tarragon leaves, or flat-leaf parsley
- extra virgin olive oil, for brushing.
Choose a soft leaf herb, or a combination for the dressing, that will be flavour friends with the vegetable you’re serving. Here’s some suggestions to give it a whirl.
- HERBY FETA DRESSING
To make the dressing, place all the ingredients in a tall jug, season with a pinch of sea salt flakes and a grind of black pepper, then blitz with a stick blender until the herb and feta are finely chopped and the sauce is smooth, thick and creamy-like. Alternatively, use a small food processor to blend.
The dressing can be made a few hours ahead. Place the jug in the fridge until needed. If you have any left-overs later, or perhaps would like to double the recipe to make a larger batch, transfer to a screw top jar. It will keep for up to three days refrigerated, for drizzling over your summer salads.
Summer vegetable suggestions:
- ICEBERG LETTUCE
Trim the base to neaten the lettuce for serving, keeping the core intact, then cut into 6 or 8 wedges. Arrange wedges on a serving plate and drizzle over some dressing, with any left-over passed around for eaters to add more as they wish.
Variation: Replace iceberg lettuce with 2 cos lettuce, each cut into four wedges.
- GREEN BEANS
Steam the beans, or alternatively cook them in a large pot of boiling salted water for 3 minutes until just tender. Transfer to a bowl of iced water to stop the cooking process and cool down. Drain well. Transfer to a serving dish and spoon over the dressing, to serve.
Variations: replace green beans with butter beans, snow peas, or sugar snaps.
- ROAST ZUCCHINI
Pre-heat the oven to 210°C (190°C fan-forced).
Cut the zucchini into 4cm chunks. Toss in a bowl with the olive oil, ½ teaspoon of sea salt flakes and a generous grinding of black pepper. Tip into a baking paper lined roasting dish and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 25 minutes, removing from the oven, turning over halfway during cooking and popping back in the oven.
Serve hot or at room temperature. Transfer to a serving dish and any remaining oil from the base of roasting dish. Spoon over some dressing. with any left-over passed around for eaters to add more as they wish.
- GRILLED ZUCCHINI
Cut the zucchini in half lengthways. Then score on a diagonal in a criss-cross pattern, about 1cm apart, being careful not to slice through the skin. Lightly sprinkle a layer of salt over the cut surface. Set aside for 15 minutes. This will draw out excess moisture.
Pre-heat a barbecue or cast-iron grill plate over a high heat.
Pat the cut surface of zucchini with paper towel to absorb the excess water. Place the zucchini on a hot plate skin side down and cook for 10 minutes until base is charred and the skin blackens. Brush the cut side with olive oil to coat then turn over and cook for another 10 minutes, until the zucchini flesh is a dark golden brown and zucchini is tender when pierced with a knife (there’ll be no resistance).
Carefully transfer the zucchini cut side facing up to a serving plate. Serve hot or at room temperature, sprinkled with sea slat flakes and herby feta dressing spooned over.