A friend back home in Bozeman is hosting a little shindig this weekend and is planning a Greek inspired meze menu – flavorful ‘small dishes’ served simply and without pretense.
That ‘sit around the table with great finger-food and abundant adult beverages’ approach to gatherings so deeply ingrained in Mediterranean culture seems to fit most of the crowd we hang with in Montana as well.
She wanted to chat a couple of days ago about Greek cheeses we’d shared a few years ago at another gathering in another place. We both ended up having to do a bit of research as Greek cheese is far, far from an area of personal expertise for me and we’ve not met even one cheese-making Greek in Bozeman over the past few years.
Our friend is pulling out all the stops and making a pretty danged impressive meze menu for her party – 4 different olive preparations, falafel, zucchini fritters, dolmades, hummus, tzatziki, crisp lamb meatballs and meatballs in pomegranate sauce.
Of course there’ll be several plates of Greek Fried Cheese (she found some Kefalotyri), a nifty dish we’ve enjoyed with big bowl of warm, spiced olives on more than one cold winter’s night lately.
This recipe will impress your meze loving friends with minimal effort (really quick and easy) – it’s simple enough to do bankside after a day’s fishing (though go easy on the Ouzo if you’re driving home that night…)
10-12 slices of Kefalotyri or Haloumi cheese, roughly 1/2 inch thick
1/4 cup flour
3-4 tbsp. peanut or grape seed oil
2-3 tbsp. flat leaf parsley, minced
3 lemons, scrubbed and quartered
Freshly ground black pepper
Red pepper flakes
Prep. Slice the cheese; scrub and quarter the lemons, mince the parsley. Heat half the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
Make the magic. Dust the cheese slices with flour, shaking off the excess. Place half of the floured slices in the hot oil (single layer of course) and leave for 2-3 minutes until the edges brown. Turn for another 1-2 minutes then remove to a paper towel lined platter to drain well. Repeat with the remaining cheese.
Serve. Plate on a warm platter with a sprinkling of fresh ground pepper, minced parsley and red pepper flakes if you’re so inclined. Place the lemon wedges on the side and stand back.
Might as well drag out the Ouzo too. Stin uyeia sou.
Enjoy.
