I love it when my kids invite me to dinner. It’s always an adventure. This week Lisa and Tom were making Sanganaki and asked me to join them.
“Sanga—what?” I asked.
“San-ga-na-ki,” she replied slowly.
“Hmm. . . sounds Japanese,” I said, showing my unawareness of the classic Mediterranean dish.
“No, it’s Greek,” she said. “The version I’m doing is from Bon Appetit and has shrimp, tomatoes and cheese. It’s usually served over toast as either an appetizer or main dish. But we like it better over noodles.”
Google Search
Before I showed up, I did an online search to learn more. I found this is a super-easy, but fabulous, one-pan meal! It’s named after the two-handled dish in which it’s prepared and served. In some Greeks restaurants, such as Parthenon in Chicago, a Greek cheese is sliced, coated with flour, and flambéed table side. It’s sometimes followed by a shout of “Opa!” Then the flame is extinguished with lemon juice.
The cooking takes place in a sanganaki pan or any heavy skillet. Lisa used a block of sheep’s milk feta cheese, which is easier to find than the traditional Greek cheeses.
Lisa’s seafood version included not only the sauteed cheese, but shrimp, tomatoes, wine, and broth. She included the ouzo (anise-flavored liqueur), but skipped the pyrotechnic display—that would definitely enlivens the dish at a dinner party—and plated the concoction directly onto noodles.
Garnished with parsley and dill and you have a dish fit for Zeus himself. “Opa!” Recipe here.
