You’re looking at a beautiful big slab of “kefalograviera” cheese. And you know what I’m going to do with it? Slice it up in thick wedges and fry it! It has the tastiest, most “moreish” and addictive flavour. I ain’t a cheese expert but I gotta tell you this beauty takes on a whole different dimension when lightly pan fried. It’s a salty, Greek cheese with a very strong and pungent aroma. When I opened the package in my kitchen it released its strong aroma quite quickly. I generally have a hard time enjoying certain Greek cheeses because of their aroma but this one is different. It’s addictive.
Some people prefer to dredge the cheese in some plain flour before frying but I don’t bother. I use a good quality non stick pan, add a few splashes of olive oil and pop it in. I let it fry till it forms a golden crust and turn it over and repeat. Serve it with a lemon wedge and you’re good to go. Just a point here: the word “saganaki” actually refers to the small, two “handled” pan the cheese is traditionally cooked and served in. You can also find other dishes referred to as saganaki which are typically foods cooked in a tomato sauce with feta cheese (such as prawns saganaki)…but in the end it doesn’t matter! It’s all Greek to me! As you can see from the photo I swayed from tradition and chose to serve it on a plate with some toasted pita bread and a glass of crisp white wine. Like a lot of Greek dishes, the saganaki is best served in the centre of the table for sharing. Just make sure you have plenty for everyone though!
I’m entering the first picture for this month’s CLICK which is all about cheese and tofu.
Hi! I'm Peter. Welcome to Souvlaki For The Soul. My "little" space on the web. My blog is choc full of recipes, travel stories and photos. Have a good look around and enjoy your time here. Cheers!
O my God, I just love, love… saganaki cheese!!
Everytime we go to Greece; it is one of the first things I do… have a nice bit of fried cheese! Tom just hates it, hates everything cheese, for some strange reason by I just love it!
On a different note; I know you’re also on wordpress software. I am in the process of setting up a new site, but there are a couple of things that… well… are just not working like I want them to. Is it ok if I ask you a couple of things?
There ain;t nothing like it…when that parade of cheese walks into to the room, the waiter lights the alcohol and lighter’s up…OPA & sizzle never were better!
aaaahhh amazing!! i love this (and the lemon is just a must here!!), you are the master of transforming simplicity into the most amazing deliciousness! beautiful photos too!
Saganaki sounds more Japanese than Greek to me, doesn’t it? Chico… I’ll pass this one over… no cheese for me, but I would have some of that crisp white wine. The first picture is stunning, Peter! Cheers amigo
Now that is my kind of meal! I love the opening photo – the platter is beautiful.
Cheese and wine – all is right with the world.
Phoo-D
Marvelous! Refined simplicity! I’d love to be able to find that cheese here… Awesome shots!
Cheers and have a nice weekend,
Rosa
What a beautiful photo with the perfect wedge of cheese on the pewter plate. I really like the soft effect that you have created.
Saganaki is what made me fall in LOVE with Greek cuisine. Am loving this, Peter. NOM.
you’ve just presented one of the most popular meze recipes in greece made in the simplest way
what i love about greek food is that sometimes it is a case of plain simplicity to make something that tastes good, just one or two good quality ingredients (in your case olive oil and cheese), the barest of utensils and spices, and voila, perfection…
The perfect mezes for a glass of wine, ouzo or raki. Stin ygeia sou!!
This is by far my favourite meze at our local Greek taverna. We seek it out at every chance we get!!!!With a nice pita and a glass of Greek wine I am set……
I adore saganaki. It’s a must-have for me whenever I go to Greek restaurants.
Yum! I love cheese any way shape or form – but you are right I love this type with a bit of lemon! Just perfect Peter – I daresay, Picture Perfect!
At first I was surprised that you’d take that beautiful piece of cheese and pan fry it…but I’ve learned to trust your instincts and I love sagnaki when I go to Greece restaurant. Isn’t it usually served up flaming with brandy or ouzo?
Hot cheese, browned on the outside, and melty on the inside, with a little sharp lemon to counteract the richness? There’s nothing better. Especially if you have friends around with which to enjoy it. (Off topic, but I love the word “moreish” – I’ve never heard it used in the US, but it is perfectly descriptive of saganaki and many other foods of the addictive variety.)
Yum! I’ve always wanted to try saganaki. I don’t know if it’s going to happen, though, because I don’t think we have the right cheese.
That sounds and looks wonderful! I need to scout that cheese around here…!
One of the simplest and tastiest things, ever. I, too, love kefalograviera. We always had it on the table with feta growing up. But it’s even better pan fried with some lemon. Mmm.
You had me at ‘cheese’
A squeeze of lemon would freshen it up nicely and lower the GI too!
Congrats on your CLICK win! It’s a beautiful photo
I need to find some of this cheese! I love cheeses you can grill/fry without making a mess. The browned parts are the best.
Update to my comment: I went to Artopolis in Chicago Greektown for lunch this past weekend and they had saganaki kebobs on their menu! Definitely had to order them…it came out with 6 large chunks of saganaki served with lemons and a tomato dipping sauce. I was in heaven.
Oh! I adore saganaki! I am lucky enough to be able to buy kefalograviera in a cypriot area near where I live in North London. But I don’t buy it and cook it nearly often enough (I do use a little flour).
My favourite saganaki moment was having it as part of an impromptu meze one lunchtime in a taverna overlooking the harbour in Naxos town – the cheese came out from the kitchen in the pan it had been fried in and there was a special bit of theater as half a lemon was squeezed very noisily over it at our table.
Congrats for the winner. So beautiful photo. Can I find it in US? Is it home-made or store brought cheese?
Okay this looks incredible – we sell kefalograviera at our middle eastern store – i have fried haloumi cheese but frying kefalograviera never occurred to me. im going try this, this weekend, great idea.
This is a dish from the gods………………I LOVE IT!
I love love love saganaki! At a local restaurant they flame it at the table with alcohol (forget which), shout Opa! and serve it with a flourish. Delish.
Comments on this entry are closed.
{ 1 trackback }