Tomato Feta Cobbler with Dilly Za'atar Biscuits
Though it pains me to say this, just because it’s September doesn’t mean we must rush into winter squash. In fact, it’s peak tomato. After a summer of tomato salads, BLT’s, and quick pastas with cherry tomatoes lazily thrown into the pot (all beautiful things!) maybe there’s a little space left for something different.
Enter: tomato cobbler. Big crusty biscuits layered with za’atar, dill, and feta sit tall upon a skillet of herby burst cherry tomatoes and even more feta. It’s warm, flakey, tender, and juicy. Best of all it can mascarade as breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
To make this more manageable, you can prepare the biscuits ahead and have them sit in the freezer until it’s go time. The recipe also makes a few extra biscuits to have on hand whenever the urge for hot flaky biscuits strikes- for me 1x a week.
Tomato Feta Cobbler with Dilly Za’atar Biscuits
Alexa | September 4, 2023
active prep time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 generously or 6 as a side
Ingredients:
Dilly Za’atar Biscuits
4½ cups AP Flour, plus more for dusting
1 Tbsp + ¼ tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Sea Salt
¼ tsp Black Pepper
½ cup + 3 Tbsp (155g) Unsalted Butter, cold & cubed
1½ cups + 2 Tbsp (400 ml) Buttermilk, cold
4 oz (113g) Feta Cheese, crumbled into medium chunks
4 sprigs Fresh Dill, fronds picked and roughly chopped
1 Egg, for brushing
2 tsp Za’atar, for sprinkling
½ tsp Flaky Salt, for sprinkling
Tomato Cobbler
1½ - 2 lbs (900-1130g) Cherry Tomatoes, washed
3 Tbsp EVOO
½ tsp Sea Salt
¼ tsp Chili Flakes
2 Tbsp Sugar
3 sprigs Fresh Thyme, leaves picked (dried thyme or oregano work here too)
1 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
4 oz (113g) Feta, crumbled into medium-large chunks
Instructions:
Dilly Za’atar Biscuits
Combine all of the dry ingredients (the first 5 listed) in a large mixing bowl and stir well.
Add in the cold cubed butter and work the butter into the flour using your hands, pinching the butter to break it up into hazelnut to pea-sized pieces.
Add the feta and dill and toss to distribute.
Add the buttermilk and quickly toss to distribute throughout the mixture until everything is hydrated, making sure to not overwork the dough.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and pat it into a square roughly 1½ to 2 inches (4-5 cm) in thickness.
Completely optional BUT if you want to be extra fancy, put a few “turns” into the dough by folding it onto itself in thirds like a business letter, roll it out until it’s 1½ inches thick, and repeat once more. Roll out to 1½ to 2 inches (4-5 cm) in thickness.
Use a sharp knife or round cutters to cut the dough into equal portions, about 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter. Place the biscuits onto a baking sheet and let chill in the freezer for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Do-ahead: Freeze the biscuits completely, then transfer to a ziploc bag to hang out in the freezer for up to 1 month (2 months is pushing it but probably fine).
Tomato Cobbler
Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C.
Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil and tomatoes, tossing the tomatoes to coat. Cover the skillet with a lid and cook for 2-3 minutes, then remove the lid, stir, and add salt, thyme, chili flakes, sugar, and red wine vinegar, tossing to coat the tomatoes. Cook for 1-2 minutes longer until about 75% of the tomatoes have begun to burst, then remove from the heat.
Top the tomatoes with crumbled feta, followed by the biscuits, leaving about a 1/2-inch (1.2 cm) between each biscuit. You may have extra, in which case lucky you. They can be well-wrapped and kept in the freezer for up to 1 month (or 2 if you like to push the limits 😏).
Whisk the egg and brush it on the tops of each biscuit.
Liberally sprinkle each biscuit with zaatar and flaky salt.
Bake the cobbler for 30-45 minutes until the tomatoes are bubbling, the feta is lightly burnished, and the biscuits are golden brown.
If you have fresh herbs lying around, sprinkle them around for a pop of color.
Serve hot or at room temperature.