Saganaki

Each time we go on our Greek holiday, my husband Jim and I always make a pact - we always tell each other, this time we will go easy with food. No saganaki, no ordering mezedes, cut the bread, no fried zucchini, skip the buffet breakfasts. No saganaki. No saganaki. NO SAGANAKI!

The sentiment doesn’t last long. Our first night in Greece we order zucchini, saganaki, horiatiki salata (Greek salad), , souvlaki kalamaki, a glass of rosé (for me), a bottle of Mythos beer (for him). The standard ‘we-are-now-in-Greece’ order!

The word saganaki means small vesse/fry pan (the ‘aki’ in the word means small) that this heavenly meze is fried in. And yes its fried - fried cheese. All crispy on the outside and warm and oozy in the centre. Squeeze some lemon on top and it’s just amazing.

There are many varieties to choose from. Some are wrapped in filo pastry, fried golden and drizzled with honey and sesame seeds. Others use different cheese - kefalotiri, keflograviera, manouri, haloumi, feta - but they all taste amazing.

In Greece, other dishes cooked in saganaki style include prawns, peppers, eggs - so make sure you order correctly!

One of my very favourite saganaki cheese’s is from Yialo Yialo at Platys Gialos in Mykonos. There’s is coated, then drizzled with honey and sesame seeds. So tasty!

Cheese Saganaki Recipe

- 250 grams kefalograviera (or similar)

- Flour for dusting

- Olive oil for the pan

- Lemon to squeeze on top when finished

Cut the cheese into a 2 centimetre thick slice, dust with flour and pan fry in hot oil. After a couple minutes, squeeze some lemon on top and serve with crusty bread - and most importantly enjoy!