This is one of my traditional Christmas dishes. I first had it in Greece at a nice restaurant in the town of Gargalianoi – the closest town to my parents’ village where we have a home. I like to make this around Christmas because of the beautiful red and green colors.

In Greek cooking there are a whole slew of dishes which are categorized as saganaki.  One of the most popular is feta saganaki a meze (appetizer) of fried feta set aflame with the help of a little ouzo or Metaxa.  The term saganaki actually refers to the small, two-handled frying pan in which the food is cooked called a sagani, a derivative of the Turkish word sahan, which means copper dish.  But you don’t need a special pan to make this dish, any sort of deep frying pan or cast iron skillet will work.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 red pepper, cut into strips
• 1/2 green pepper, cut into strips
• 10 ounces grape or cherry tomatoes 
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tbsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1lb shrimp, peeled and de-veined
• 3 tbsp ouzo
• 3/4 cup Greek feta, crumbled
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

• Heat the olive oil in a large skilled over medium heat and saute the onion for 5 minutes until soft and translucent. 
• Add the minced garlic, red and green pepper strips, cherry tomatoes, red pepper flakes, oregano and paprika and saute for an additional 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
• Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring regularly for 2 – 3 minutes and then add the shrimp to the pan with the ouzo. Stir, cover your skillet, and cook for 5 minutes, on medium-low.
• Uncover your skillet and sprinkle the crumbled feta onto the shrimp and tomato mixture. Broil for up to 5 minutes in the oven or until feta is soft and browned.
• Sprinkle with the chopped parsley.
• Serve with toasted/crusty bread or over pasta or rice.