Chefs Binge · Cypriot · Serves 4 people

Halloumi Souvlaki

Golden grilled halloumi with roasted aubergine, sun-dried tomato and caper tapenade, red onion and tzatziki, wrapped in warm Greek flatbread.

Prep

15 min

Cook

25 min

Total

1 hr 10 min

Serves

4 people

Per serving

644 kcal

Ingredients

4 Greek flatbreads

220 g Halloumi - sliced into 1cm pieces

1/2 Lemon - juice, for the cooked halloumi

1 Aubergine - medium-sized, cut into four lengthways and sliced

1 tbsp Balsamic Glaze - (if not available dissolve 2tsp of brown sugar in 2tbsp of balsamic vinegar)

2 tbsp Olive oil - divided

1/4 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Black pepper

1 tsp Oregano

120 g Sun-dried tomatoes - in oil, drained

2 tsp Capers

1/2 Red onion - sliced into rings

150-200 g Tzatziki

Equipment

Food processor · Baking Tray · Mixing Bowl · Hybrid Non Stick Frying Pan · Wooden or metal skewers · Air Fryer

Method

Soak the halloumi (optional). If your halloumi is very salty, slice it into 1 cm pieces and soak in cold water for 20-30 minutes, then drain and pat it thoroughly dry.

Roast the aubergine. Heat the oven to 240°C (465°F). Toss the sliced aubergine with 1 tbsp of the olive oil, the balsamic glaze, salt, pepper and oregano. Spread on a tray and roast for 15-20 minutes, until soft and golden.

Grill the halloumi. Brush the halloumi with the remaining 1 tbsp oil and cook it until golden with dark, charred edges. In the oven at 240C for 8-10 minutes, in an air fryer at 200C (400F) for 8-10 minutes, or 2-3 minutes a side in a hot dry frying pan, which gives the best crust. Go by colour rather than the clock and pull it as soon as it is deep golden, because overcooked halloumi turns tough. For the barbecue, cut 2cm chunks rather than slices, soak wooden skewers for 30 minutes first and thread two skewers through each piece so they cannot spin. Squeeze over the lemon juice and serve straight away.

Make the sun-dried tomato and caper tapenade. Blitz the drained sun-dried tomatoes and capers into a rough, spreadable paste and set aside.

Assemble the souvlaki. Warm the flatbreads on both sides in a dry pan. Spread each with the sun-dried tomato and caper tapenade, then layer with the roasted aubergine, grilled halloumi, red onion rings and a generous spoon of tzatziki. Wrap and enjoy!

Chef’s notes

Soaking is a dial, not a rule: five to ten minutes softens the cheese without doing much to the salt, twenty to thirty (as in the recipe) gives a noticeably milder slice, and a few hours with the water changed once genuinely de-salts a very salty block. Whichever you choose, drain and pat it thoroughly dry, because wet halloumi steams instead of browning.

Eat it straight away. Halloumi is soft and squeaky hot and turns rubbery as it cools, and reheating does not bring it back. Have the flatbread warm and everything else laid out before the cheese goes near the heat.

Per serving Calories 644 kcal · Protein 22 g · Carbs 56 g · Fat 35 g · Saturates 12 g · Fibre 6 g · Sugar 16 g · Sodium 1620 mg

chefsbinge.com/halloumi-souvlaki

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