Cheese Saganaki Recipe

Crete offers up some great recipes and meals taken from the many Taverna's dotted across the island of Crete, many of these Taverna's offer home cooked meals prepared for years with the recipes handed down through the generations from mother to daughter. Holidays To Crete has pulled together a select few of our favourites recipes for you to cook at home.

You will find the Cretan recipes have a good balance of ingredients, and although may seem fat laden in places work out to offer an excellent diet, and as almost all recipes are cooked in olive oil, it offers a great reduction in saturated fats you find in sunflower oils.

This recipe is broken down into description, ingredients and cooking method.

Cheese Saganaki is a wonderful starter served up in most Greek restaurants and a Cretan favourite of mine. Shallow or deep fried this recipe is a great appetiser.

Use this recipe to make your own cheese Saganaki.

Ingredients

4 Tbs (60 ml) butter

1 egg, well beaten

1 tsp (5 ml) flour

1/2 lb (250 g) kasseri cheese*, sliced 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick

Juice of 1/2 lemon

*This cheese can be replaced with Gouda or White Cheddar.

Preparation and Cooking

Cut cheese lengthways into 6 slices, then cut each slice in half diagonally to make to make 12 triangles.

Dip cheese into a bowls of iced water, then drain and toss in seasoned flour to coat, shaking off excess. Heat oil in a frying pan, then cook cheese. in batches, over medium heat for 1 minute on each side or until golden. Squeeze juice of half a lemon over, scatter with parsley, then serve with crusty bread and remaining lemon quarters on the side.