Wild Garlic Saganaki with Morel Mushrooms, Honey, and Ouzo

Ingredients

• ▸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

Instructions

1. 1

   Rehydrate the morels in 120 ml warm water for 15 minutes. Lift them out, squeeze gently, and roughly chop any large ones. Reserve 60 ml of the soaking liquid, pouring carefully to leave any grit behind.

2. 2

   Pat the halloumi slices completely dry with paper towels. Moisture is the enemy of a good crust here.

3. 3

   Heat a wide heavy skillet, ideally cast iron, over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and let it shimmer for about 30 seconds.

4. 4

   Lay the halloumi slices in a single layer. Fry undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes until a deep golden crust forms, then flip and fry the other side for another 2 minutes. Transfer to a warm plate.

5. 5

   Lower the heat to medium. Add the chopped morels to the same pan and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they start to color slightly.

6. 6

   Add the wild garlic leaves and toss them with the morels for about 45 seconds, just until wilted. They'll smell intensely of garlic and faintly of spring onion.

7. 7

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

8. 8

   Remove the pan from heat, pour in the ouzo, then return to medium heat. Tilt the pan carefully to ignite the ouzo if you have a gas flame, or let it cook off for 90 seconds on induction. The anise will mellow significantly once the alcohol burns away.

9. 9

   Return the halloumi to the pan. Drizzle the thyme honey over the cheese and mushrooms, add the lemon zest and lemon juice, and toss gently for 30 seconds to coat everything.

10. 10

    Plate immediately with cracked black pepper and crusty bread to catch the pan sauce.

Variations

• ◆Swap halloumi for a thick slab of graviera and reduce frying time by 1 minute per side since graviera melts faster and you want it just softened, not collapsed.
• ◆If wild garlic is out of season, use 25 g baby spinach plus 2 thinly sliced garlic cloves, added at the same stage. The sulfur chemistry shifts slightly but the dish still works.
• ◆For a smokier version, add half a teaspoon of smoked paprika to the oil before frying the halloumi, and replace thyme honey with a darker buckwheat honey.