Greek Chicken Skewers with Fired-Up Cheese

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Preheat a charcoal grill or grill pan on high. Submerge the skewers in warm water as this will help prevent them from burning up on the grill or grill pan.

   Step 2

   With a box grater, grate the cucumber onto a clean kitchen towel. Wrap the kitchen towel around the grated cucumber and squeeze out the water. Place the squeezed, grated cucumber in a mixing bowl and add half of the chopped garlic, the juice of 1 lemon, a little salt, and a lot of freshly ground black pepper. Mix in the yogurt and reserve.

   Step 3

   Combine the chicken tenders in a bowl with the juice of 1 lemon, the oregano or marjoram, the other half of the chopped garlic, about 2 tablespoons of the EVOO, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat the chicken completely. Thread the chicken onto skewers. Place on the grill for 3 minutes per side, or until cooked through.

   Step 4

   Crack the egg into a shallow dish and thoroughly whisk. Dust the wedge of cheese in the flour and shake off the excess. Place the flour-coated cheese in the beaten egg and flip to coat completely. Place the cheese back into the flour, coating it on both sides lightly.

   Step 5

   Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with the remaining 3 tablespoons of EVOO (3 times around the pan). Once you see the first waft of smoke rising from the pan, add the butter and swirl it in the pan to melt. Once melted, carefully add the coated cheese wedge, browning it on each side, 2 minutes per side. Remove the pan from the heat and add the Ouzo or Grappa, then replace the pan on the heat. Stand back and be careful: The pan will flame up. Once the flame extinguishes, squeeze the juice of the last lemon over the cheese and sprinkle with the parsley. Platter up the fired-up cheese and serve alongside the chicken skewers topped with a liberal dose of the cucumber-yogurt mixture.