Gebna Makleyah (Oven-Fried Cheese)

Ingredients

* 1 cup firm feta cheese, crumbled, or traditional Egyptian cheese such as labna or gebna
* 1 Tablespoon flour
* 1 egg
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
* Olive oil
* Lemon wedges and pita bread cut into triangles, for serving

Procedure

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place the cheese, flour, egg, salt, and pepper in a bowl and mix well with very clean hands.

Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls.

If the mixture seems too loose to hold the ball shape, add a little more flour.

If the mixture seems too dry, add a bit of lemon juice, vinegar, or water.

Pour 2 or 3 Tablespoons olive oil onto a cookie sheet to grease.

Arrange the cheese balls on the cookie sheet, rolling them around to coat thoroughly with the oil.

Bake 5 minutes.

Wearing an oven mitt, open the oven door and shake the cookie sheet to prevent cheese balls from sticking and to turn them.

Bake 5 more minutes, until golden brown.

Remove with a spatula and drain on absorbent paper.

Serve warm with lemon wedges and triangles of pita bread.

Serves 4 to 6.

"Gebna Makleyah." Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of Foods and Recipes of the World. The Gale Group, Inc, 2002. Answers.com 18 Mar. 2008. http://www.answers.com/topic/gebna-makleyah

 

 

Egyptian Food and Recipes