Saganaki: Pan-Seared Greek Cheese * (Not IC Safe)

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I only make this recipe every few years because a) I have to go to a special store for the Greek cheese and b) It’s not that great for you to fry cheese in oil.  Haha.  But when I do channel my Greek heritage, I make the following recipe.  I enjoy my new kitchen too much to try to light the dish afire so I stick to a simple method.  You can scale this recipe, because a lb. of this cheese is often $9.99-11.99!  Yikes!  We used a cast-iron pan! Enjoy….

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 lb. Kefalotyri or Kasseri cheese 
  • 1/2 cup olive oil 
  • 2/3 cup flour for dredging 
  • Freshly ground black pepper**
  • 2-3 lemons, quartered **
  • (Beaten egg, optional).  

**Known IC irritants, tread carefully! It will lose a lot of flavor to remove the pepper and lemon juice, but it can be done to make it safe.

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Cut the cheese into slices that are 1/2″ thick by 2.5-3″ wide.  
  2. Combine flour with a few grinds of freshly ground pepper.  
  3. Moisten each slice with cold water and dredge in the flour.  
  4. If desired, after dredging in flour, you can dip the cheese into the beaten egg at this point.  
  5. In a sagani (Greek pan used for this dish) or a small heavy-bottomed frying pan (like cast-iron), heat the oil over medium-high heat, and sear each slice in 1 T. of oil until golden-brown on both sides.
  6. Serve hot with a last-minute squeeze of fresh lemon juice. 

 

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