Greek fried cheese dressed with garlic sauce is gratifying

Named for the small frying pan traditionally used to prepare this dish, Greek saganaki is an appetizer made by pan-searing slabs of firm cheese. We chose to create a version using halloumi.

To make a slightly more dressed-up version, we made a quick sauce with thinly sliced garlic, fresh parsley and red pepper flakes to drizzle over the top. The pan-fried halloumi also tastes great with a drizzle of honey.

Pan-Fried Halloumi

2 tablespoons cornmeal

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 (8 ounce) block halloumi cheese, sliced into ½ inch-thick

slabs

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Lemon wedges

Garlic Sauce, optional, for serving (instructions follow)

Combine cornmeal and flour in shallow dish. Working with 1 piece of cheese at a time, coat both wide sides with cornmeal mixture, pressing to help coating adhere; transfer to plate.

Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Arrange halloumi in single layer in skillet and cook until golden brown on both sides, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to platter and serve with lemon wedges.

For the Garlic Sauce: Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil to now-empty skillet and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Add 1 thinly sliced garlic clove, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, and ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes and cook until garlic is golden brown and fragrant, about 1 minute. Drizzle oil mixture over pan-fried halloumi and serve with lemon wedges.

Makes about 8 servings.