Let the Games Begin!

Tonight is the opening ceremonies for the Winter Olympics. I just dearly love the Winter Olympics….the excitement and danger of alpine skiing

 (Lindsey Vonn and Olympe, the matriarch of Vonn’s cow family)

and luge

(Doubles luge team Mark Grimmette and Brian Martin of the USA practice during a training session prior to the Viessmann Luge World Cup on November 19, 2009 in Calgary, Alberta Canada. (Getty Images))

and the grace and beauty of ice dancing (Davis and White in action)

and everything in between!

In honor of opening ceremonies I’m going to try and make a recipe that I’ve never made before….it’s an appetizer and I think it will be both fun and symbolic.

Just like the Olympic Flame coming from Greece…

Pawel Dwulit, Associated Press

(Canadian country music sensation Shania Twain lights the Olympic Cauldron with the Olympic Flame at Hollinger Park in her hometown of Timmins, Ontario on Friday, Jan. 1, 2010. The Olympic flame is passing through more than 1,000 communities on a 106-day journey before arriving in time for the Vancouver Games on Feb. 12.)

I’ve googled several recipes and here is the one I’m going with:

“Olympic Flame Appetizer (Saganaki)”

Ingredients:
1 pound cheese, sliced about 1/4 inch thick, 8 to 10 pieces (says it should be a hard Greek cheese such as Kasseri….I’ve never even heard of this, so we’ll see if I can find some of this when I get off work today)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup tablespoons fresh chopped oregano
OR
2 teaspoons dried oregano (I’ve read that the dried oregano works better)
1 cup plain fresh bread crumbs
3 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup Metaxa Greek brandy, or other brandy (I actually have brandy at home left from fruitcake making, so I’ll be using that)
2 lemons, juice of (I’ll be using the lemons from Kenny’s lemon tree!)
1 cup Greek Kalamata olives for garnish
Baguette slices or pita bread wedges, grilled or plain

Directions:

Beat the egg with milk and pour into a shallow plate. Combine oregano with bread crumbs, salt and freshly ground pepper. Dip slices in egg mixture and then press slices firmly into bread crumbs on both sides. Coating will not be uniform.
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. (Use two pans to make things go faster.) Place two or three slices of the breaded cheese into the pan(s). Fry about a minute or two until golden brown. Turn and fry another minute until cheese begins to melt.
Be ready with your long-handled match and brandy. With the cheese in the hot pan, pour 2 tablespoons over the top and immediately light. Shout Opa! over the flame, pour lemon juice over, and serve hot with bread and olives. Keep frying and flaming.

Pray that I don’t burn the house down!