Skip to main content

Gebna Mashwi aw Makli

Ingredients

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Greek cheeses such as halumi, kefalotyri, and kasseri, which are hard and salty, or the popular kashkaval, are delicious cut into cubes or slices, grilled or fried, and served with a squeeze of lemon.

    Step 2

    Cook the cheese under the broiler, until the skin begins to blister, becomes spotted with brown, and starts to melt. Alternatively, fry the cheese in hot oil or sizzling butter, rolling the pieces in flour first if you like. Serve very hot, sprinkled with lemon juice.

    Step 3

    Fried cheese used to be served in cafés in Cairo in two-handled frying pans straight from the fire, to be eaten with bread and lemon juice.

    Step 4

    Sidqi Effendi, in his Turkish cookery manual written in the nineteenth century, gives this recipe for grilling cheese: “Put a portion of cheese in silver paper. Wrap it up and put it over a fire. When the paper starts to glow the cheese is ready to eat and deliciously creamy. . . . This is good food which enhances sex for married men.”

Cover of Claudia Roden's The New Book of Middle Easter Food, featuring a blue filigree bowl filled with Meyer lemons and sprigs of mint.
Reprinted with permission from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, copyright © 2000 by Claudia Roden, published by Knopf. Buy the full book on Amazon or Bookshop.
Read More
Keep this easy frittata recipe on hand for quick breakfasts, impressive brunches, and fridge clean-out meals.
Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.
Like fattoush salad and strawberry shortcake roll.
Add a bag of potato chips and you've got yourself a party.
This is the type of soup that, at first glance, might seem a little…unexciting. But you’re underestimating the power of mushrooms, which do the heavy lifting.
The most efficient method takes less than an hour, but you might not even need it.
Using two entire lemons—pith, skin, and all—cranks up the citrus flavor in this classic dessert.
Think a Hugo spritz, a gin basil smash, and plenty more patio-ready pours.