Prawns baked with haloumi in a claypot

By: Greg Malouf, Lucy Malouf
From: Turquoise
Serves: 4
Photographer: Lisa Cohen and William Meppem

Traditionally güveç dishes are cooked in little earthenware pots buried in the ashes of an open fire or barbecue. Different herbs are used depending on the region, and along the shores of the Mediterranean the wild basil that grows in profusion adds a lovely spicy note. You could also use dill, parsley or oregano with success. The combination of prawns and melted cheese makes this dish rather rich. It would make a light supper or lunch for four people, with a salad of bitter green leaves and plenty of crusty bread to mop up the sauce and melted cheese. You could also serve it as part of a mezze selection for eight people.

Pekmez, or grape molasses, is available from Turkish food stores.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
8	raw king prawns, peeled (heads and tails removed)
40g	unsalted butter
1	small purple onion, diced
1	garlic clove, finely chopped
1	long red pepper, seeded and cut into 1 cm dice
1	long red chilli, seeded and shredded
1 teaspoon	coriander seeds, roasted and lightly crushed
1 teaspoon	caraway seeds, roasted and lightly crushed
pinch	saffron strands
1/4 teaspoon	freshly ground black pepper
few strips	lemon peel
	sea salt
2 teaspoons	pekmez
2	large vine-ripened tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup	basil leaves, roughly torn
	extra-virgin olive oil
40g	haloumi, washed and finely grated

Method

Preheat the oven to its highest setting. Use a sharp knife to butterfly the prawns and carefully pull away the intestines.
Melt the butter gently in a heavy-based frying pan. Add the onion, garlic, pepper, chilli, spices and peel and season lightly with salt. Sauté over a low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft. Add the pekmez and cook for 5 minutes, then stir in the tomatoes and bring to a gentle boil. Gently add the prawns and basil to the sauce, then tip it all into a heavy-based casserole dish – or an earthenware pot if you have one. Sprinkle with extra-virgin olive oil, then scatter on the haloumi and bake in the oven for 3–5 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and brown.

Tags:: Turquoise; Malouf; Greg; Lucy; Turkish; Turkey; Mediterranean; European; Middle Eastern

Prawns baked with haloumi in a claypot

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