Читать книгу The Halloumi Cookbook - Heather Thomas - Страница 23

GRIDDLED HALLOUMI WITH WATERMELON SALSA

In mainland Greece and on the islands, grilled (broiled) halloumi is often eaten for breakfast with some fresh fruit, especially juicy figs or a slice of chilled watermelon. It’s refreshing and cooling in the intense heat of a Greek summer. The sweetness and crunchiness of the melon complements the appetizingly charred cheese. We’ve taken this one step further and added the watermelon to a lightly spiced salsa and served it with griddled bread.

SERVES 4

PREP 10 MINUTES

COOK 10–12 MINUTES

1 tbsp green fruity olive oil, e.g. Kalamata

4 thick slices crusty bread or ciabatta

400g (14oz) halloumi, cut into 4 thick slices

WATERMELON SALSA

500g (18oz) peeled watermelon, cubed

¼ cucumber, diced

250g (9oz) multicoloured tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1 small bunch of spring onions (scallions), chopped

1 red chilli, diced

a handful of mint or basil, chopped

1 tbsp green fruity olive oil, e.g. Kalamata

juice of 1 lime or ½ lemon

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Make the watermelon salsa at least 1 hour in advance so you can serve it well chilled. Mix the watermelon, cucumber, tomatoes, spring onions (scallions), chilli, herbs, olive oil and lime or lemon juice together in a bowl. Season to taste but go easy on the salt as halloumi can be quite salty. Cover and chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

Just before serving, brush a ridged griddle pan with the olive oil and set over a medium heat. When the pan is really hot, add the bread and cook for about 1 minute each side – just long enough to toast it. Remove and keep warm.

Add the halloumi to the pan and cook for 2–3 minutes each side until golden brown and attractively striped on the outside and starting to soften inside.

Serve the hot halloumi and griddled bread immediately with the chilled watermelon salsa.

VARIATIONS

• Serve the watermelon salsa with feta or a creamy goat’s cheese.

• Use Cantaloupe or Charantais melon instead of watermelon.

• For a hotter, more spicy salsa add another chilli and some coriander (cilantro).