MEDFIELD — The popular Greek dish of fried cheese set aflame is called saganaki. But the name saganaki (or sagani) also applies to a two-handled frying pan. “Anything cooked in that pan can be called saganaki,” says Brendan Pelley, executive chef of Zebra’s Bistro and Wine Bar.
The most common dish using the name is shrimp saganaki, followed by mussels saganaki, which pairs the shellfish with a zesty tomato sauce and crumbled feta.
Pelley remembers these flavors from his childhood; his paternal grandfather was Greek. “My papou taught my very Irish mom to make some Greek dishes,” he says. The 36-year-old chef, who competed on the TV show “Hell’s Kitchen” this spring (“it wasn’t so much about cooking as much as the drama,” he reports), has recently become much more interested in the cooking of his grandfather’s heritage. And next month he’s visiting Greece for the first time.
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“Using lots of fresh herbs is traditional in Greek cooking,” says Pelley, who appreciates flavors that are “simple and fresh and vibrant.” He adds dill to his shrimp saganaki, which may be a surprise, but the herb’s feathery leaves are common in Greek cuisine. “I like the combination of dill and seafood,” says the chef. Feta provides a creamy, salty element to accompany the rich red sauce and sweet shrimp.
With orzo mixed in, it’s more of a meal, says Pelley. At his bistro, the chef adds a handful of diced, roasted eggplant to each saganaki bowl. “It brings another texture and flavor,” he says. The home cook can add almost any chopped, sauteed vegetable or leafy greens for more heft. Ouzo, the anise-flavored liquor some say tastes like black licorice, provides “another layer of Greek flavor,” says Pelley.
Toss fresh cherry tomatoes into the sauce as a nod to summer dining. You can serve this satisfying dish year round, but the bright flavors feel most at home right now.
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Lisa Zwirn can be reached at lisa@lisazwirn.com.