Wild Garlic Saganaki with Morel Mushrooms, Honey, and Ouzo

• ▸250 g halloumi, sliced 1 cm thick
• ▸15 g dried morel mushrooms, rehydrated in 120 ml warm water for 15 minutes then drained, soaking liquid reserved
• ▸40 g fresh wild garlic leaves, roughly torn
• ▸2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▸3 tablespoons ouzo
• ▸1.5 tablespoons thyme honey
• ▸1 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated
• ▸1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ▸freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• ▸crusty bread or pita, to serve

1. 1

   Put the morels in 120 ml warm water and leave them for 15 minutes. Lift them out with your fingers, squeeze gently, and roughly chop any that are large enough to be unwieldy. Slowly pour off 60 ml of the soaking liquid into a small bowl, stopping before you reach the grit that's settled at the bottom.

2. 2

   Pat the halloumi slices completely dry with paper towels. Any surface moisture will steam the cheese instead of searing it, and you'll lose the crust.

3. 3

   Set a wide, heavy skillet — cast iron if you have it — over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and wait until it shimmers and moves easily when you tilt the pan, about 30 seconds.

4. 4

   Lay the halloumi slices flat in a single layer and don't touch them. After 2 to 3 minutes the undersides should be deep golden and release cleanly from the pan. Flip and fry the second side for 2 minutes. Move them to a warm plate.

5. 5

   Turn the heat down to medium. Add the chopped morels to the same pan and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they pick up a little color at the edges.

6. 6

   Add the wild garlic leaves and toss them through the morels for about 45 seconds, just until they wilt. They'll smell sharply of garlic with a faint spring-onion sweetness underneath.

7. 7

   Pour the reserved mushroom soaking liquid into the pan and let it bubble and reduce for 1 minute, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom.

8. 8

   Pull the pan off the heat, pour in the ouzo, then return to medium heat. On a gas flame, tilt the pan toward the burner to ignite it. On induction, let the alcohol cook off for 90 seconds. Either way, the anise sharpness will mellow considerably once the alcohol is gone.

9. 9

   Nestle the halloumi back into the pan. Drizzle the thyme honey over the cheese and mushrooms, add the lemon zest and juice, and toss gently for 30 seconds until everything is coated and glossy.

10. 10

    Serve immediately with cracked black pepper and crusty bread. The pan sauce is the point — don't leave it behind.

Nutrition (estimated per serving)

Calories

520

Fat

34g

Carbs

22g

Protein

24g

Fiber

2g

Sodium

980mg

Variations

• ◆Swap halloumi for a thick slab of graviera and cut frying time to 90 seconds per side — graviera softens fast and you want it yielding, not pooling in the pan.
• ◆If wild garlic has finished for the year, use 25 g baby spinach plus 2 thinly sliced garlic cloves added at the same stage. The sulfur chemistry shifts slightly but the dish holds together.
• ◆For a smokier version, stir half a teaspoon of smoked paprika into the oil before the halloumi goes in, and replace thyme honey with buckwheat honey, which is darker and bitter enough to stand up to the paprika.

Storage & Make-Ahead

Halloumi loses its crust quickly, so this dish is best eaten straight from the pan. If you have leftovers, store them in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days, then reheat in a dry cast iron skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side to revive some of the char. You can get ahead by rehydrating the morels up to 24 hours in advance and keeping them with the reserved soaking liquid in the fridge, but wait to sear the halloumi and finish with the ouzo and honey until just before serving. Freezing isn't worth it here since the halloumi turns rubbery and the wild garlic goes limp.