Greek Chicken Skewers with Fired-Up Cheese
- Bamboo skewers, 8 inches or longer
- 1 English (seedless) cucumber (the one wrapped in plastic)
- 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 3 lemons
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup whole-milk plain yogurt
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders (about 20 pieces)
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano or marjoram, chopped, or 1/2 tablespoon dried
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup flour (relax, its not that much)
- 1-pound wedge of Kasseri cheese, 1/2 inch to 1 inch thick
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 ounces Ouzo or Grappa
- A handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- Preheat a charcoal grill or grill pan on high.
- Submerge the skewers in warm water as this will help prevent them from burning up on the grill or grill pan.
- With a box grater, grate the cucumber onto a clean kitchen towel.
- Wrap the kitchen towel around the grated cucumber and squeeze out the water.
- Place the squeezed, grated cucumber in a mixing bowl and add half of the chopped garlic, the juice of 1 lemon, a little salt, and a lot of freshly ground black pepper.
- Mix in the yogurt and reserve.
- Combine the chicken tenders in a bowl with the juice of 1 lemon, the oregano or marjoram, the other half of the chopped garlic, about 2 tablespoons of the EVOO, salt, and pepper.
- Toss to coat the chicken completely.
- Thread the chicken onto skewers.
- Place on the grill for 3 minutes per side, or until cooked through.
- Crack the egg into a shallow dish and thoroughly whisk.
- Dust the wedge of cheese in the flour and shake off the excess.
- Place the flour-coated cheese in the beaten egg and flip to coat completely.
- Place the cheese back into the flour, coating it on both sides lightly.
- Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with the remaining 3 tablespoons of EVOO (3 times around the pan).
- Once you see the first waft of smoke rising from the pan, add the butter and swirl it in the pan to melt.
- Once melted, carefully add the coated cheese wedge, browning it on each side, 2 minutes per side.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the Ouzo or Grappa, then replace the pan on the heat.
- Stand back and be careful: The pan will flame up.
- Once the flame extinguishes, squeeze the juice of the last lemon over the cheese and sprinkle with the parsley.
- Platter up the fired-up cheese and serve alongside the chicken skewers topped with a liberal dose of the cucumber-yogurt mixture.
skewers, cucumber, garlic, lemons, salt, wholemilk, chicken tenders, fresh oregano, extravirgin olive oil, egg, flour, cheese, butter, grappa, handful of fresh flatleaf parsley
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/greek-chicken-skewers-with-fired-up-cheese-374831 (may not work)