Asparagus Feta Pancakes
Photo: Ajna Jai / Contributor
Originating in Greece, feta is traditionally a crumbly salt-brined cheese made from sheep’s milk or a combination of goat and sheep’s milk. Tangy and salty with a rich aroma, it is usually served as a table cheese with bread, olives or olive oil, oregano and other aromatic herbs.
When I first tasted the Blue Heron Farm feta cheese made by local self-taught cheesemaker Lisa Seger many years ago, I knew I had landed on something special. Made entirely with goat’s milk, it’s neither brined nor as salty as most fetas, and is dry-aged with salt for just a few days to pick up, as Lisa puts it, “local funk.”
After reading Michael Pollan’s “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” and wanting to pursue a less exploitative path and be surrounded by nature, Christian and Lisa Seger traded their corporate lives for a goat farm just outside Houston in 2006 and haven’t looked back. They raise 40 goats to make chèvre with various flavors, and the delicious feta that they sell at several farmers markets around the city.
This cheese is a fixture in my refrigerator and makes a great addition to a simple breakfast. Let the cheese melt just a little on these savory little breakfast pancakes with asparagus.