I’ve been wanting to cook some recipes from a new cookbook of mine – Flavour, by Sabrina Ghayour, published in 2024, but I haven’t been able to get beyond these feta balls! Hardly a recipe, but what fun! The cheese is rolled into balls that are then rolled into herbs or spices. Nothing terribly unique, but I’ve never made them.

Sabrina Ghayour is well known for her previous cookbook called Persiana, published in 2022, also all about Middle Eastern cuisine.

These beautiful feta balls would be so great for a party, especially one focusing on hors d’oeuvres. Or as a festive addition to a beautiful salad.

“These feta balls are simple enough to make, but I chose four different flavorings to give them a little extra dimension. Enjoy them in salads or even on their own with a lovely warm pillowy bread that’s good for mopping, or flatbreads or wraps. They also make a wonderful gift, so prepare a double batch if you think you can stand to part with a jar. Keep the feta submerged in oil in an unopened jar in the fridge for up to a week.”

The feta I purchased, from Amazon, was Valbreso, which I love.

Herb & Spice Feta Balls

7 ounce block of feta cheese, cut into 12 (I made mine 1 ounce each)
1 teaspoon sumac
1 1/2 teaspoons dried wild oregano
2 teaspoons pul biber chilli flakes
2 teaspoons nigella seeds
Extra virgin olive oil
Flatbread or wraps, to serve

Shape the feta pieces into balls using your hands, then roll three of the balls in one of the four spices until evenly coated all over. (I used a curry powder, pul biber, and nigella seeds.)

Repeat with the remaining balls and spices. (As you can see, the spices didn’t really stick to my feta. I blended the nigella seeds to create more of a powder, which did work better.)

Put them all on to a small serving plate, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve with flatbreads or wraps. (I didn’t do this.) Alternatively, place the coated feta in a clean airtight jar, pour in enough of the oil to cover them and seat the lid tightly, then refrigerate until required.

When I first read this recipe, I wondered why the feta was not mixed with cream cheese and a little butter, to make the coatings stick better and the balls to look smoother. Feta is just on the dry side, but I wanted to respect the recipe. And, they were good!

I wish I had a nice green herb, but I didn’t. I did use edible flowers, which actually stuck quite well.

I think they came out the prettiest!