Tomato, Feta and Red Pepper Cazuela

This is the kind of dish you should learn to make by heart. By any other name, this is baked feta. Put it in a cazuela, or a small oven-to-table casserole dish, and you have a filling lunch or first course served with toasted pita. Naturally, this is superb with summer tomatoes, but it will also improve the washed-out winter tomatoes that may have found their way onto your kitchen counter. Improvise and improve to your own liking as you go, and this dish will never let you down.

• One 1-lb/455-g block feta cheese

• 2 plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped

• 2 roasted red bell peppers, cut into thin strips or bite-size pieces

• 4 thin strips lemon or orange zest

• 12 to 16 oil-cured black olives

• Freshly ground pepper

• 1/4 cup/60 ml extra-virgin olive oil

• Whole-wheat pita or flatbread for serving

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C/gas 7.

Step 2: Break the feta into large chunks and place in four 8-oz/225-g square or oval bak¬ing dishes or cazuelas or one large cazuela. Top with the tomatoes, bell peppers, lemon zest, and olives. Season with pepper and drizzle with the olive oil. Cover each baking dish with aluminum foil and place them on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until warmed through, about 20 minutes, removing the foil after 15 minutes to let the cheese brown on the top.

Step 3: Meanwhile, place the pita on an open flame on the stove top, turning with long metal tongs, until toasted and warmed on all sides. Cut or tear into wedges. Place each baking dish on a plate or set a larger dish in the center of the table. Serve warm with the pita.