Warm Halloumi Salad Recipe – Persian Style

Try this warm halloumi salad recipe for a lunch both complex in flavour and light on the stomach. 

Halloumi is also known as hellim and comes from Cyprus. It is an ancient type of cheese, unripened and brined. It is made from a mixture of goat’s and sheep’s milk. This makes it a real shepherd’s delight. Its high melting point sets it apart from other cheeses.  You can grill or fry it and it’s a great meat replacer. Its salty chewiness leaves you fully satisfied. Read on for my take on a middle eastern halloumi salad classic. 

I’ve been trying to reduce my meat intake and that doesn’t come easily to me. I get bored very quickly and my food must be varied in order to stop me from munching a cheeky salami. This warm halloumi salad really does the trick for me. The dressing is interesting enough that it keeps me wanting to come back to it again and again. This would work very well with steak instead of halloumi but that’s for really special occasions. 

Ingredients 

• One packet of halloumi cheese
• Half a bag of peppery rocket leaves
• Half a pomegranate
• Half a red onion or two banana shallots 
• 3 table spoons of good quality extra virgin olive oil 
• 2 large table spoons of pomegranate molasses
• 1 large table spoon of thick, good quality balsamic vinega
• 1 heaped tea spoon of dijon mustard
• 1 pinch of sea salt flakes
• 1 heaped tea spoon of freshly cracked black pepper.

Method

• Start with the dressing. Prepare it about an hour before serving to let the flavours mingle and the onion cook in the vinegar. 
• In a bowl add your mustard, vinegar, pomegranate molasses and olive oil. Mix it until you have a thick dressing.
• Season with the salt and pepper.
• Add your shredded onion or shallots and reserve.
• Brush a griddle pan with a bit of oil and heat it up to a medium heat.
• Add your sliced halloumi and cook it for 3 to 4 min on each side or until it’s beautifully golden. Do keep an eye on it as it can burn quite fast. If it does get a bit burned simply scrape off the black bits. It’s a sturdy cheese. 
• Plate your salad leaves and spoon some dressing on top. Top it with the cheese and drop a handfull of pomegranate seeds on top for that fresh crunch. 

If the above is not enough for your greedy chops, here are some more gorgeous halloumi recipe from my fellow Irish food bloggers. 

Beet, Blood and Halloumi

Smoked Halloumi and roasted Brussels Sprouts

http://acookbookcollection.com/2017/02/28/halloumi-fries/