I used to buy cook books until moving to a small flat meant that I had to cut back on buying too much stuff so there would be no risk of turning into one of those hoarders who can no longer see any surfaces in their houses. One of the books I purchased was called “The Foods of the Greek Islands” By Aglaia Kremeziwhich revealed the fact that Ithacans use twice as much garlic as anywhere else in Greece. This explains my mother’s skordalia (garlic and mashed potato) which sets your mouth on fire, due to the copious amount of garlic in it. Back to the recipe at hand. One of my favourite recipes in the book is Garides (Prawns) Saganaki, which features prawns, tomatoes and feta and this is my adaptation from the book. Apparently it is not a traditional dish, but is tasty nevertheless. Nice washed down with some Samara Ouzo, or wine of choice.
Serves 4
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped brown onions
1/2-1 tsp chilli flakes
3 cloves garlic minced
700 g prawns, peeled and deveined, tails left on
1/2 cup finely diced tomato, drained in a colander for 5 minutes
salt
2/3 cup coarsely grated hard feta cheese (crumbled is fine too)
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
Preheat the oven to 200c
In a large pan heat the oil and saute the onion over medium heat for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the chilli flakes and the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add the prawns and saute for 2 mintues or until they start to become firm. Add the tomato and salt to taste and cook for 2 minutes more or until they begin to become firm. Add the tomato and salt to taste and cook for another 2 mintues until the sauce begins to thicken. Transfer to a baking dish or four individual dishes.
Bake for 10 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve. Serve with plenty of fresh crusty bread to soak up the sauce.
Photo by Food to Culture Blog
