This honey lemon halloumi recipe is going to be a summer staple in the Rye household. It's sticky and sweet but also really light and refreshing - it pairs perfectly with a bowl of mixed salad leaves. Simple, elegant, tasty - what more could you want?
It's been such a busy time lately and I am very aware of how behind I am on blog posts. It can be hard balancing work and the demands of life with regularly writing and publishing posts on here, especially while we are going through a period of so much change.
These past months I've been really challenged by the food we eat on a daily basis, and, in particular, the amount of sugar we consume. Having recently come off the contraceptive pill after 15 years, I've been doing a lot of reading into the regulation of our body systems and the importance that diet plays. Hint = sugar is a demon and green leafy vegetables are magical. So, we've been attempting a real overhaul of our diet.
As well as that, I've really started to struggle with this concept that anyone who runs their own business should see themselves as a "brand". The demands and expectations to sell ourselves on social media are already sky high, why are we dehumanising ourselves even further? I'm over the idea of influencers and I'm exhausted by instagram algorithms.
All this has made it harder to see how I will proceed with the work that I love, but I have decided that I will just do things in a way that suits me, and trust that everything will work out how it should.
Oh, also, we are house hunting. That's a whole other thing.
Anyway, back to halloumi and figs. I adore halloumi, though I hardly touch it in the wintertime. To me, it's become synonymous with summertime barbecues as the go-to vegetarian option. The addition of honey, lemon and thyme makes halloumi all the more moreish and the roasted figs add a much needed hint of freshness to keep the dish from being too heavy. Perfect for a summer's day.
NOTES
Don't skimp on the marinading time! It's important to really let the halloumi sit so that it soaks up the delicious flavours.
Once the halloumi is in the pan keep a close eye on it. I always find that it goes from milky white to golden brown in a flash. I've burnt far too much halloumi in my day and don't want any more halloumi to suffer the same sorry fate.
Serve this fresh and warm. Halloumi is always best just cooked, so once it's done get it straight onto the plates and in your mouth.
Honey Lemon Halloumi with Roast Figs, Pecan Nuts and Fresh Thyme
Prep time 5 minutes + marinading time
Cook time 10 minutes
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 225g packet of halloumi
2 tablespoons honey + extra for drizzling
Juice of 1 small lemon or 1/2 a big lemon
A handful of fresh thyme
4 figs, cut into halves
A handful of pecans
1 teaspoon olive oil
Method
Slice the halloumi into 1cm thick slabs. Place these into a tupperware with a lid. Drizzle over the 2 tablespoons of honey and the lemon juice, and add the handful of fresh thyme and then put on the lid of the tupperware. Leave the halloumi to marinade for a few hours, occasionally flipping the tupperware upside down to move the marinade around the halloumi.
Heat the oven to 180ºC fan oven. In a small to medium roasting tray add the figs and the pecan nuts, drizzle the figs with a little honey and then put in the oven for 10 minutes until the figs are soft and the pecans smell deliciously nutty. Once done, remove from the oven.
While the figs and pecans roast in the oven, heat a medium to large sized frying pan on the hob and add the olive oil. Add the halloumi to the pan, reserving any excess marinade still left in the tupperware. Fry the halloumi for a few minutes until the underneath is a beautiful deep golden colour, then flip the halloumi and cook it for a few more minutes on the other side.
Pour the remaining marinade into the pan and allow the halloumi to cook for 30 seconds more, and then serve up with the roasted figs and pecans scattered on top.
Comments