Fried pecorino with honey and summer herbs

Nigel makes the perfect crispy entrée with pecorino - a hard cheese made from sheep's milk.

Credit: Adam Liaw

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 litre vegetable oil, for deep - frying 
• 80 ml (⅓ cup) best quality honey (I like Sardinian Acacia honey)
• large pinch dried Greek oregano 
• 1 small dried red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 lemon
• 1 kg young sheep’s milk pecorino, Roman pecorino, or haloumi, cut into thick slices
• Salt and black pepper, to season 
• Summer herb salad, to serve (try a mixture of basil, tarragon, parsley, mint, chives and watercress)

Batter

• 1 egg  
• 50 g strong plain flour
• 125 ml (½ cup) sparkling water 
• a pinch of salt 

Instructions

1. Place the oil for deep – frying in a large saucepan and heat to about 180˚C. 

2. Meanwhile, for the batter, place all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth.

3. Place the honey in a bowl, add the chilli and oregano and a good squeeze of lemon juice to taste. Loosen with a drop of hot water if required.  

4. Cooking in batches, dip the pecorino pieces in the batter and carefully lower into the oil with tongs. Fry for about 5 minutes or until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towel and season with salt and pepper.

5. Divide the fried pecorino between serving plates, drizzle with honey and serve with the summer herb salad and lemon wedges on the side.

 

Photography by Adam Liaw.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.