Halloumi and Tomato Stew

I love halloumi, the squeaky, Cypriot grillable cheese but I find all I do with it is grill it.  Great as it is on a barbecue, I had some in my fridge and, as the weather is currently more like autumn than summer in the UK (welcome to June folks!)  I thought "there must be other ways to eat it".

Which is when I thought about paneer.  Although they are made in quite different ways, paneer and halloumi share a similar texture and ability to be cooked without melting, which got me thinking about curries.  Obviously a curry didn't feel right with halloumi but what about a rich tomato sauce with chunks of halloumi waiting to be discovered in the garlicky sweetness?

So this dish was born.  I have no idea if it's a traditional treatment of halloumi, probably not, but it is blooming delicious and a great, quick meat free dish.


Halloumi and tomato stew - Serves 1

Ingredients

100g, 3-4oz Halloumi
1 large clove garlic
1 tsp Olive oil
400g, 14oz Tin / can (or carton) of chopped tomatoes
1/2 tsp Sugar
1/4 tsp Black pepper
1/4 tsp Salt
A few sprigs fresh thyme
Rice to serve

Method

Warm the oil in a sauce pan and add in the chopped garlic.  Fry until fragrant but not browning.  Add in the tomatoes, sugar and pepper then simmer over a medium heat, stirring so it doesn't stick or burn while you cook the rice.

When the tomato sauce is pretty thick and the rice is nearly cooked, add in the salt and chopped thyme.  Cut up the halloumi into bite sized pieces then brown in a non stick frying pan.  When brown, add to the sauce and warm through.

Serve!

Linked to pick and mix Fridays