Halloumi Salad

Halloumi is the lovely cheese from Cyprus which is beautiful if squeaky in a salad.  Don't be put off by it's squeakiness, it's delicious and the kind of ingredient which makes meat eaters love vegetarian food.

This is early summer on a plate.


Halloumi Salad - Serves 1

Ingredients

100g, 4oz Halloumi
1/2 a medium sized courgette (zucchini)
1 medium to large tomato
40-50g, 1.5oz Asparagus, try to use local asparagus when in season (weight after snapping off the woodier ends)
Juice of half a lemon
1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil plus further oil for frying
1 tbsp Fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp Fresh thyme, chopped

Method

Use a vegetable peeler to peel very thin ribbons of courgette.  Put these ribbons on a plate.  Boil the asparagus for 2 minutes.

While the asparagus is cooking, preheat a ridged frying (grill) pan.  Chop the tomato into a large dice and top the courgette on the plate.

When the asparagus time is cooked, drain and toss in about a tsp of olive oil.  Put into the grill pan and fry for a few minutes or until marked with brown patches and lovely.

While the asparagus is colouring up, heat up a non stick flat frying pan.  Put in a tsp of olive oil and slice up the halloumi.

Fry the halloumi for a minute or so each side until browned.  While the halloumi is browning, plate up the asparagus and mix the herbs, lemon juice and tbsp olive oil.

Serve the salad topped with the halloumi and the dressing.

Believe it or not if you're organised you can make this in 10 minutes, I promise!  How good is that?

I've linked this up to recipe of the week.

I've linked up to weekend bites.

I've linked this up to the cooking with herbs challenge for July.