Crispy Halloumi & Olive Pappardelle with Lemon-Caper Brown Butter

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Slice 200g halloumi cheese into 1cm thick slabs and pat completely dry with paper towels. Pit and roughly chop 80g kalamata olives. Drain and roughly chop 30g capers. Zest and juice 1 lemon (about 45ml juice). Thinly slice 3 garlic cloves. Roughly chop 20g fresh parsley. Halve 200g cherry tomatoes.

Add 250g dried pappardelle to the boiling water and cook according to package directions until al dente, about 8-10 minutes. Reserve 240ml pasta cooking water before draining. Drain pasta and set aside.

While pasta cooks, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the halloumi slabs in a single layer and sear undisturbed for 3-4 minutes until a deep golden crust forms. Flip and cook another 2-3 minutes until golden on the second side. Remove to a plate and cut into bite-sized pieces when cool enough to handle.

In the same skillet over medium heat, add the halved cherry tomatoes cut-side down. Cook undisturbed for 4-5 minutes until they begin to blister and caramelize. Flip and cook another 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Add 60g unsalted butter to the empty skillet. Let it melt and foam, swirling constantly for 3-4 minutes until it turns golden brown with nutty brown specks and smells like toasted hazelnuts. Watch carefully to prevent burning.

Immediately add the sliced garlic to the brown butter and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant but not browned. Add 1 tsp dried oregano and 1/4 tsp red chili flakes, stirring for 10 seconds.

Add the chopped olives and capers to the butter, stirring for 1 minute to warm through and release their briny flavors.

Pour in 120ml of the reserved pasta water and the lemon juice, whisking to create an emulsified sauce. Let it bubble for 1-2 minutes until slightly reduced.

Add the drained pappardelle to the skillet and toss vigorously for 2 minutes, adding more pasta water as needed (up to 120ml more) to create a silky sauce that coats the noodles.

Add 100g baby spinach and toss for 1 minute until just wilted. Fold in the caramelized cherry tomatoes and crispy halloumi pieces gently.

Remove from heat and stir in half the chopped parsley and the lemon zest. Taste and adjust seasoning with black pepper (the halloumi, olives, and capers provide plenty of salt).

Divide between two bowls. Grate 30g Parmesan-style vegetarian hard cheese over the top and garnish with remaining parsley. Serve immediately with extra chili flakes on the side for those who want more heat.