KING PRAWN SAGANAKI WITH OUZO AND METSOVONE
Saganaki is also the name of the small frying pan that this dish is traditionally cooked in.
Serves: 6
Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: about 30 minutes
1kg tomatoes, halved
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes 1 red chilli, roughly chopped
Small white onion, peeled
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1tbsp caster sugar
1 shot of ouzo (2 if you want a more powerful flavour)
Sunflower oil, for deep-frying 24 uncooked king prawns, heads removed, peeled and deveined
250g feta cheese, crumbled
300g Metsovone cheese or any yellow smoked hard cheese, crumbled For the tempura batter
1 x 400g pack shop-bought tempura batter mix
To serve
50g feta cheese
Sprinkling of chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 Wrap the 50g feta to serve in clingfilm and place in the freezer.
2 Put the fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes, chilli, onion, garlic, olive oil and sugar in a food processor or blender and blend very thoroughly, then pass through a fine-mesh sieve into a saucepan. Boil the mixture for 20min until reduced and thick. Season to taste with salt, remove from the heat and pour in the ouzo. Transfer the mixture to an oval terracotta or ceramic baking dish. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6.
3 Whisk the tempura batter mix with 600ml cold water in a bowl, then cover and leave to rest in the fridge for at least 10min.
4 Heat enough sunflower oil for deep-frying in a deep-fryer or a large, deep saucepan to 170°C. Season the prawns with salt and pepper, dip them into the tempura batter and deep-fry in the hot oil, in batches, for 1-2min until golden. Drain and place on a plate lined with kitchen paper to soak up the excess oil.
5 While you are frying the prawns, sprinkle the crumbled cheeses over the tomato sauce in the baking dish and bake in the oven for 5–6min. Remove the dish from the oven and place the prawns on top, then sprinkle with chopped parsley. Finally, take the feta out of the freezer and finely grate it directly on to the prawns before serving.