LCBO Food & Drink Holiday 2017

Kitchen Essentials from page 260

a splash of ouzo from page 23

into 2- to 3-inch (5- to 8-cm) triangles (they don’t need to be uniform). With a slim wooden skewer, pierce each cheese slice in several places. 2 Put cheese slices in a large resealable bag. Add ½ cup (125 mL) ouzo and seal bag, squeez- ing out excess air. Refrigerate overnight, turn- ing bag occasionally. 3 Remove cheese slices from bag, discarding ouzo. Arrange cheese slices in a single layer on a large plate. Spread flour on a second large plate. Have ready a third large plate. 4 In a small bowl, stir together oregano and pepper. Sprinkle top sides of cheese slices with half of oregano mixture. Place half of seasoned cheese slices, oregano-side down, in flour. Sprinkle these cheese slices with half of remaining oregano mixture. Flip slices to coat other side in flour. Tapping them on plate to remove any excess flour, remove flour-coated cheese slices to clean plate. 5 Repeat with remaining cheese slices, oreg- ano mixture and flour. 6 In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tbsp (30mL) oil over medium-high heat. 7 Meanwhile, pour 1 oz (30 mL) of remain- ing ouzo into a heatproof shot glass and have ready near stove, along with lemon halves and a barbecue lighter or long matches. 8 Add half of cheese slices to skillet. Cook un- til golden brown on undersides, 1 to 2 minutes. Using 2 forks, flip cheese slices and cook until golden brown on other sides, 1 to 2 minutes, reducing heat if cheese starts to brown too much. 9 Remove skillet from heat and turn off burn- er. Standing well back, pour shot glass of ouzo into skillet. Crying “Opa!” (optional) and, again, standing well back, light ouzo (flame will shoot up a considerable height, so take care). Immediately squeeze half a lemon over cheese to douse flames. 10  Remove cheese slices from skillet to a warm platter. Wipe out skillet with paper towel. Re- peat with remaining cheese slices, cooking and flaming them as before. 11  Garnish cheese with oregano. Serve at once with lemon wedges for squeezing over cheese, warm pita on the side and additional chilled ouzo to drink. Serves 6 to 8 as an appetizer

SAGANAKI Serve the saganaki as an appetizer, or teamwith a traditional Greek salad (minus the feta) for a light main course. Dramatic as it is to ignite the ouzo, take great care when doing this. Keep children and pets well away from the kitchen, have long hair tied back, don’t wear long or droopy sleeves, and have a lid for the skillet and a fire extinguisher nearby. 1 lb (500 g) kefalotyri, kefalograviera or halloumi cheese

BAS IC PAN GRAVY 1 Pour off all the drippings from the roasting pan. Add 2 tbsp (30 mL) fat back to the pan and heat over medium-high heat, scraping up any little bits on the base of the pan. Add 2 tbsp (30 mL) flour and cook until golden, about 1 minute. The roux should have the con- sistency of pancake batter. While whisking to remove any lumps, drizzle in 2 cups (500 mL) chicken stock and cook until thickened, about 5 to 6 minutes. If not thick enough, continue to reduce. If too thick, add more stock. Season

¾ cup (175 mL) ouzo, divided ¼ cup (60 mL) all-purpose flour 1 tsp (5 mL) dried oregano leaves 1 tsp (5 mL) freshly ground black pepper ¼ cup (60 mL) olive oil, divided 1 lemon, cut in half Fresh oregano for garnish Lemon wedges and warm pita to serve

with salt and pepper. Makes 1 cup (250 mL)

1 Cut the cheese into ½-inch (1-cm) slices. De- pending on the shape of the cheese, cut slices

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230  FOOD & DRI NK HOLIDAY 2017