A joyful "opa!"

On Tuesday nights, I have dinner with some dear friends. It's a weekly tradition I always look forward to. Tonight we decided on Greek food at a little place near my house called Zorba's. I love that we always begin with flaming Kasseri cheese. I also love that nobody else likes beets on their Greek salads so I get 'em all. Tonight it's cold and drizzly, so when our server flamed the cheese, we rubbed our hands near the flames for warmth. And after the cheese and salad and a bowl of avgolemono soup, I was too full for my Grecian chicken. That means leftovers tomorrow!

Some other dear friends (I am blessed with so many!) taught me how to make this impressive appetizer last year. It really is fun to do. Since I was too busy warming my hands to take a picture tonight at dinner, I just spent an hour and a half trolling the Web looking for a good video to post. I found lots of recipes, but very few good videos. (Lots of funny ones, though.) I learned that there was a terrible Bananas Foster incident this past spring and that many restaurants are rethinking their flaming menu items as a result so I wonder if a lot of how-to-flame-your-food videos have been taken down. I did find this really nice recipe on the GreekFood TV YouTube channel - but sadly, it doesn't include the flaming step.

I found a variety of ways to prepare Saganaki:

• Many recipes call for dipping a firm, rubbery, "squeaky" cheese (Kasseri, Kefalotyri, Feta, Haloumi, etc.) in warm water before dredging in flour
• Some specify milk or beaten egg or milk and beaten egg
• Emeril marinates his cheese in two cups of brandy (BAM!)
• Olive oil, butter or a mix ...
• I found one recipe where a thick block of pink Himalayan sea salt was heated over a flame and used as the cooking surface -- now that was extremely cool
• Some add seasonings to the flour - salt and pepper, red pepper flakes, dried herbs
• Or to the cheese while it's marinating
• Or to the top of the cheese just before it is flamed - or just after
• One chef tops his Saganaki with a selection of pestos just before flaming
• Metaxa, Ouzo or any old brandy for flaming (in a warmed ladle, in the pan or in a flame-proof baking dish)

So many options!

How did I not know about this whole Himalayan salt block cookware thing? 

Opa!

--Olive Koffay