Weekly Recipe: Grilled Halloumi Tacos by K Pasa

Tacos are a crowd favorite, but you've likely never had tacos like this. Instead of the usual chicken, pork or fish, Chef David Hart of Sag Harbor's famed Mexican restaurant K Pasa makes beautiful, flavorful vegetarian tacos with coconut black beans and grilled halloumi cheese.

Never heard of halloumi? It's a semi-hard, unripened cheese made from a mixture of goat's and sheep's milk popular in the Mediterranean.

"Halloumi is normally something that you wouldn't traditionally see grilled, for sure," Hart says. "Halloumi has a high melting point, and it is ideal for hitting the grill. The grill adds an extra layer of texture and robust flavor. We use Halloumi for our Grilled Halloumi Taco—featuring coconut black beans, salsa roja, all piled high on our homemade tortillas."

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Want to give this crowd favorite a try? Hart shared the recipe with us step by step, from the coconut black bean base to the salsa rosa and everything between. Please note that this recipe does require some overnight prepataion and about two hours of prep time. It'll be a journey, for sure, but the final plate is well worth the wait!

K Pasa's Grilled Halloumi Taco

Coconut Black Bean Base

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of black beans
• 1 onion, cut in half
• 1 carrot
• Half of a bunch of Epazote
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 garlic cloves
• ½ a teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon of oregano
• 1 tablespoon of avocado oil
• 2 cans of coconut milk
• 1 dried guajillo chile pepper
• 2 tablespoons of sherry vinegar
• Pinches of salt and pepper

Process:

1. Rinse the beans.
2. Soak the beans overnight in cold water.
3. Place your soaked beans in a pot and add every ingredient except for the sherry vinegar, salt and pepper. Simmer over low heat for 90 minutes.
4. While they cook, add a bit of water to make sure the beans stay covered.
5. Following the 90 minutes, taste and season to perfection, using salt, pepper and sherry vinegar.
6. When cool, remove the chili pepper and bay leaf.
7. Put the beans in a safe place.

Salsa Roja

Ingredients:

• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 dried guajillo chile peppers
• ½ of a dried ancho chile pepper
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of mexican oregano
• 1½ teaspoons of honey
• 1 cup of roasted, seeded and peeled tomatoes
• 1 cup of roasted, seeded and peeled red bell peppers
• 1½ cups of pomegranate molasses

Process:

1. Soak the guajillo and ancho chile peppers in warm water for 15 minutes.
2. Remove all the stems and seeds from the peppers.
3. Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl, and blend using a hand blender. You can also use a food processor or blender to mix.
4. Season with salt and pepper, and taste.
5. Set aside with the beans, and begin preparing the final step.

Halloumi Base

Ingredients:

• 1 packet of halloumi
• 6 to 8 corn or flour tortillas
• 1 cup of the black beans
• 1 cup of the salsa roja
• 1 bunch of fresh cilantro

Process:

1. Warm the beans in a pan on the stove. You can also warm them up in a bowl in the microwave.
2. Slice the Halloumi cheese into sticks, about a ¼-inch long each.
3. Warm a frying pan on the stove, and warm each tortilla up to your liking. Stick the tortillas in a rag to keep them warm.
4. In the frying pan, turn up the heat and stick the cheese sticks inside. Fry until they’re golden brown on each side.

Building the Tacos:

1. Take a warm tortilla.
2. Add black beans as the base.
3. Top with the salsa roja and warm cheese.
4. Garnish with cilantro to your liking.
5. Enjoy!

Visit K Pasa online and at 2 Main St. in Sag Harbor, NY, for more delicious Mexican-inspired eats.