One of my favorite cheeses is halloumi. It is salty and lends itself to so many ways of cooking. Here I fry the cubes of cheese and put them in the salad just before I serve it. The saltiness and crisp crust of the halloumi goes so well with the sweet grapes, salty olives and the bite of the herbs. The pomegranate dressing pulls it all together.
SERVINGS: 4
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 large handfuls of green and red lettuce leaves
- 1 handful of purslane leaves (watercress or arugula are good substitutes)
- 1 handful of fresh wild thyme (or fresh oregano)
- ½ cup green seedless grapes (cut in half)
- ½ cup red seedless grapes (cut in half)
- ½ cup pitted green olives
- 1 lb halloumi cheese
- Flour
- 2 Tbsp clarified butter
- ½ cup fresh pomegranate seeds
- Fresh mint
DRESSING
- 3 cloves garlic, mashed
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon
- Juice and zest of ½ orange
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp pomegranate molasses
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS:
- In a small bowl, prepare the dressing by combining mashed garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, orange juice, orange zest, sugar, and pomegranate molasses. Whisk in the extra virgin olive oil until well combined. Set aside.
- On a nice serving plate, arrange the green and red lettuce leaves, purslane leaves, and fresh thyme.
- Scatter the halved green and red grapes as well as the pitted green olives over the salad.
- Cut the halloumi cheese into bite-sized cubes and blot them with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
- Dredge the halloumi cheese cubes in flour, shaking off any excess.
- In a large frying pan, heat the clarified butter over medium heat. Add the coated halloumi cheese cubes and fry them until golden and crispy on all sides.
- Remove the fried halloumi cubes from the pan and place them on top of the salad.
- Drizzle the prepared dressing over the salad and gently toss everything together.
- Garnish the salad with fresh pomegranate seeds and mint leaves.
- Serve the halloumi cheese salad immediately to enjoy its flavors and textures.
