Pretza

Circle B Kitchen

According to Marlena Spieler of the San Francisco Chronicle, pretza is a very traditional Greek dip, but in other research, I discovered that pretza is also a soft pungent Greek cheese that is served in much the same way as the dip. Be sure to drizzle the pretza with a little olive oil before serving.

8 ounces sheep's milk feta (preferably Greek or Bulgarian), crumbled (I actually prefer a creamy French feta)

1/2 cup or more, thick whole-milk yogurt (preferably sheep's milk) (I use Fage Greek yogurt)

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Pinch of freshly ground white pepper (this is a must!)

1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Several large pinches of thyme (dried or fresh)

Combine the feta cheese with as much yogurt as you need to make it a dip- like mixture, with little lumps of feta in a yogurt cream.

Stir in the lemon juice and season with pepper, then spoon onto a plate.

Garnish with a generous drizzle of olive oil, and a big pinch of thyme and serve with lightly toasted slices of French baguette drizzle with a little olive oil.

Serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer