“I’m not very on top of things like social media. I’m hopeless at jumping on bandwagons, always late to the party, trend-wise,” admits food writer Georgina Hayden.
“However, one thing I did share on social media several years ago now, was my method for scoring and grilling a whole block of halloumi with apricots – it took off. I’d never seen halloumi cooked this way before, and now it’s being recreated far and wide and I do feel a bit proud.
“While the flavour combination is a family standard, I attribute using the whole block to my dear friend Iain, who would eat an entire block of halloumi in one sitting, because ‘it looked like a chicken breast’. I thought, well, why can’t it be treated like a chicken breast or any other form of protein…? Score, season and grill! Iain, this one’s for you.”
Whole grilled halloumi with apricot
Ingredients:
(Serves 2-4)
1 x 250g piece of halloumi
Olive oil
4 apricots
2tbsp honey
A few sprigs of oregano or thyme
Method:
1. Preheat your grill to medium-high. Carefully score the top of your halloumi in a criss-cross pattern – don’t cut too deep, you want to keep it intact. Rub the cheese with olive oil, in between the cuts, too. Halve the apricots, remove the stones, and halve again into quarters. Place the halloumi in a snug dish (ideally metal) and nestle around the apricots, drizzling them with olive oil, too.
2. Pop under the grill, not too close, and grill for eight to 10 minutes, so that the fruit starts to caramelise and the halloumi is tender and charred on top. The success of this recipe depends on having the right distance from the grill and heat, so check a few minutes into cooking and see if you need to raise the temperature or lower the grill bars. It’s quite a forgiving technique, so take your time and see what works with your grill. When the halloumi is ready, drizzle with honey and scatter over the thyme or oregano. Serve immediately.
Greekish: Everyday Recipes With Greek Roots by Georgina Hayden is published by Bloomsbury, priced £26. Photography by Laura Edwards. Available April 25.
