Ottolenghi’s braised halloumi with tomatoes and beans

This is either a simple speedy supper for two, with rice or bread, or part of a spread to serve more. It works really well with the green beans with miso and grapefruit, or any seasonal green veg. It’s also great as it is for a late breakfast, with a couple of fried eggs sitting on top.

Ingredients

• 350g cherry
  tomatoes (a mix of
  colours looks great),
  half cut in half and the
  remainder left whole

• 400g x tin of blackeyed
  beans (or butter
  beans), drained

• 5 garlic cloves, 4 thinly
  sliced, 1 crushed

• 5–6 thyme sprigs,
  plus 1 tsp finely
  chopped leaves

• 1 lemon, zest thinly
  shaved to get 4 strips,
  the remainder finely
  grated, 1 tbsp juice

• 90ml olive oil

• 250g halloumi, cut into
  6 slices

• 1 tsp za’atar

• fine sea salt and
  black pepper

Method

1. Step 1

   Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-forced (200°C conventional).

2. Step 2

   Put all the tomatoes into a 26cm round (or similar) shallow ovenproof dish along with the beans, sliced garlic, thyme sprigs, lemon zest strips, lemon juice and 75ml olive oil. Add ½ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Mix together and nestle the halloumi slices among the beans, making sure the cheese remains exposed. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of oil over the cheese and bake for 30–35 minutes, until the tomatoes have collapsed, released their juices and the halloumi is golden.

3. Step 3

   Mix together the crushed garlic, thyme leaves, grated lemon zest and za’atar. Once the dish is out of the oven, swirl this through and serve.