Flaming Cheese Adventure — The Full Kitchen

“Opa!” The unspoken rule at the annual Greek festival here is that someone shouts this every few minutes and the rest of the attendees answer in kind. Although the meaning remains fairly imprecise — “yay!” or “woooo!” or some other affirmative exclamation — I’ve found that “opa!” becomes the perfect thing to yell when setting alcohol-drenched fried cheese on fire.

Called saganaki, Greek fried cheese served on warm pita bread with a lemon slice during the three-day festival every autumn can be a meal by itself. One year I haunted the saganaki tent, accompanying each friend who wanted some, watching the guys at the burners like a hawk and peppering them with questions.

I was determined to replicate that saganaki at home. And it worked! Although we put a tad bit too much booze in the pan the first time so the giant fireball went all the way to my porch ceiling. Since then, I’ve gotten slightly better at this, turning it into a true appetizer rather than a gut-buster.

Festival-Style Saganaki

6 – 8 oz. halloumi cheese
Metaxa or an inexpensive brandy you don’t mind setting on fire
¼ C. All-purpose flour for dredging
Vegetable oil
Soft pita bread
Lemon slices for serving

Ingredients notes:
Halloumi: If you can’t find halloumi cheese, look for kefalotyri or another “grilling” cheese. Whatever you use needs to be able to hold up to intense heat without turning into a puddle while at the same time turning nice and soft underneath the crispy exterior.

Metaxa: Most liquor stores tend to carry Metaxa in their specialty liquor sections, but if you’re having trouble finding it or don’t want to shell out that much money, an inexpensive brandy would probably be a decent substitute. When not using Metaxa for this recipe, it goes in my mom’s recipe for syrup-soaked almond cake and in eggnog over the holidays. Or you could omit the booze completely and use water for the dredging instead.

Special considerations:

A cast iron pan or an all-metal pan.
Access to fresh air. Best to set this thing on fire outside, although if you’re careful with the booze, you could probably do it in the kitchen. Too freaked out? It’s OK to skip the fireball step and just serve the cheese after you pan-fry it.

Preparation:
Cut the lemon into slices for squeezing later. Warm the pita in a pan or in the microwave so that it’s nice and soft, cut into four or more wedges depending on how many people you’re serving, then set aside.

Put all-purpose flour in a bowl or on a plate for dredging. Put about ¼ C. of Metaxa, brandy or water in a shallow bowl.

Submerge a generous piece of halloumi cheese in the liquid, turning to coat, then pull it out and let the excess liquid drip off for a moment. Now dredge the cheese in the flour, turning to coat completely. Gently shake off excess and set the cheese aside. Repeat these steps for additional cheese pieces if you’re serving a crowd.

Put about ¼ C. of Metaxa or brandy in a measuring cup. Alternatively, use about a tablespoon if you’re staying inside. Get a lighter ready, ideally one with a long end.

Put about a tablespoon of vegetable oil in the cast iron or all-metal pan over medium-high heat. You can do this on a stovetop or grill. Once the oil is hot, carefully put the prepared cheese in the pan. Allow to brown well on one side, then flip over with a spatula. If you’re omitting alcohol, continue frying the cheese until it’s brown on the other side, too, then cut and serve with the pita and lemon.

Take the pan outside to a heatproof surface. Pour in the alcohol, then lean back from the pan and light the booze on fire. “Opa!” This, uh, might take more than one attempt with the lighter, taking so long that the flames end up being tiny and your guests are mildly disappointed. But I wouldn’t know anything about that...

As soon as the booze is burned off, transfer the cheese to a plate using a spatula, cut it into bite size pieces, place one on each pita slice and serve right away on plates with lemon slices. Repeat the cheese frying process for a crowd. You might need to reheat the pita slices, too.

Enjoy with a Greek salad and a nice cold beverage.