Loukaniko with kefalotyri

Loukaniko, or Greek sausage, stuffed with kefalotyri, a delicious Greek cheese

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The Greek meze is a thing of beauty and loukaniko with kefalotyri is no exception. The variety and wealth of small plates available to enjoy with family and friends is endless and covers everything from vegan recipes like the famous fava from Santorini, to an endless array of pita (spanakopita always being a popular choice). You can serve marinated olives, little fried fish for the seafood lover and keftedes, or Greek meatballs, for the meat lover. All of this accompanied by something wonderful to drink, like straight ouzo, or a lovely ouzo cocktail makes feasting on small bites a very lovely thing to do.

Another wonderful addition to a meze spread, or a buffet dinner, is loukaniko, and of course, kefalotyri. Loukaniko is Greek sausage typically made with pork or lamb, and is flavoured with orange and often fennel. It is a firm sausage (does that make sense?!) and holds up well to grilling, frying after being cut into slices, or baked in the oven. Although amazing served all on it’s own with a squeeze of lemon, loukaniko also does well incorporated into other recipes like our loukaniko with eggs and potatoes. One of our favourite ways to eat loukaniko when we were girls was encased in bread. Our parents would make bread dough, wrap the loukaniko with the dough and then bake it. The result was like a Greek pogo!

No Greek table is complete without cheese, and cheese served alongside meat like loukaniko is a winning combination. This is why charcuterie boards are so popular! Feta always makes an appearance and is sometimes dressed up with a drizzle of olive oil and some dry oregano sprinkled over top. Another favourite Greek cheese is kefalotyri. This is a hard cheese made of goat or sheep’s milk (or a combination of the two) and kefalotyri has a nutty, sharp flavour. It is the cheese often used in the amazing Greek meze of cheese saganaki and we love to use grated kefalotyri or kefalograviera (another great Greek cheese) to make crackers. When there is no time or energy to do either of these things, we just nibble on kefalotyri, and are grateful that there are such delicious things to eat in the world.

With our loukaniko and kefalotyri recipe we have combined two of our favourite Greek foods into a simple and incredible meze. Nothing could be simpler than what we propose here. Simply slit your loukaniko lengthwise, stuff it with kefalotyri and bake. Serve while still warm (and the cheese soft) with plenty of fresh lemon juice squeezed over top and enjoy every bite!

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Where to buy kefalotyri cheese.

If you happen to live near a Greek or Mediterranean market you may be able to find kefalotyri there – it is one of the most popular Greek hard cheeses. You can also purchase kefalotyri online. If you are really stuck and can’t find kefalotyri you can substitute it with Gruyere, which is similar.

Where to buy loukaniko.

Again, a local Greek market is your best bet, or online. One day, hopefully, we will share the recipe for homemade loukaniko. We have the greatest memories of our parents making loukaniko and hope to convince them to teach us how – it’s a production and they haven’t done it in years…but you never know!

If you can’t find loukaniko you can use another sausage. Just be sure to select one which is firm and can hold up to being slit, stuffed and baked.

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Looking for more recipes for Greek mezes like loukaniko with kefalotyri? Check these out:

Tyropitakia

While bean stuffed artichoke hearts

Feta and fig crostini

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Thanks for sharing!