Saganaki Cheese
To prepare a delicious dish with garizii, we start by carefully washing the garizii under a stream of cold water, ensuring they are clean of impurities. After draining them well, we place them in a Pyrex dish, which is ideal for oven cooking, having the advantage of retaining heat evenly.
The next step in the recipe involves preparing a savory tomato sauce. In a pan, we heat the olive oil over medium heat, just enough to avoid smoking. We add finely chopped onion and sauté it until it becomes translucent, about 5-7 minutes. This will add flavor and sweetness to our sauce. Once the onion has softened, we add a can of tomatoes in juice, making sure the tomatoes are diced before adding them. We sprinkle over them the crushed garlic, freshly ground pepper, salt, a teaspoon of sugar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes, and if necessary, a little water to achieve the ideal consistency. We let the sauce simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Once the sauce is ready, we pour it evenly over the garizii in the dish. It's time to also add the feta cheese cut into generous pieces, which will add a special creaminess to the dish. We also remember the bay leaf, which we carefully place among the garizii, to infuse the dish with its distinct flavor.
We cover the dish with aluminum foil to retain moisture and allow the garizii to cook evenly. We place the dish in the preheated oven at a medium temperature (about 180 degrees Celsius) and let it bake for 20 minutes. After this time, we remove the aluminum foil, allowing the sauce to reduce and the garizii, along with the cheese, to brown slightly. We continue baking for another 15-20 minutes, until the dish takes on a delicious golden color.
In the end, we serve the garizii hot, enjoying the flavor of the aromatic sauce and melted cheese. This simple yet refined recipe will bring a touch of joy to your table. Enjoy your meal!
Ingredients: - 1 kg large unpeeled garbanzos (I saw them at Metro the last time I was in the country, a bit expensive but worth it) - 1 bay leaf - 250g feta cheese cut into cubes (original feta cheese... not that fine one) - 2 crushed garlic cloves - 150 ml olive oil - 1 medium onion - pepper and salt to taste (not too much salt because the cheese is salty) - 1 can of tomatoes in puree - 1/2 teaspoon sugar
