Cheese! I am probably the worlds biggest cheese fiend I love the stuff with a passion - in fact the only one that I've tried so far that I don't like is Camembert which to me smells like cat wee - baarf! The post though isn't just about my general cheese love it is in fact about one specific fromage - Halloumi!
As you know I'm a huge fan of Cyprus and it just so happens that one of it's national cheeses is the wonder that it Halloumi. Whilst it's available in pretty much every supermarket, they make the best in my opinion and I normally come back with a few packets in my suitcase, it freezes really well so I currently have about 4 packs in my freezer.
It is a semi soft layered cheese, and it's usually made from sheeps, goat, or cows milk or a combination of the three. Traditionally it contains animal rennet but now its pretty easy to buy vegetarian versions both here and abroad. Normally packaged in a sort of brine it often contains bits of mint leaves which you can just about see in my pictures.
It's famous for its salty flavour and it's squeaky non melting texture. You can obviously eat it as it is, I love it in sandwiches with chilli and tomato pickle but the fact that it doesn't melt means its fab for cooking with. I often use it when I make Nigellas Double Potato And Halloumi Bake and it's also great for kebabs and you can also use it as a replacement for paneer in curries.
Perhaps my favourite way to eat Halloumi though is to fry it. Fry it? I hear you say, well because of it's great texture and salty taste it makes a really nice vegetarian alternative to meat and in particular bacon. All you do is slice, pat it dry and put it in a dry hot pan or on a hot griddle.
After a couple of minutes the cheese will start to soften slightly so just keep turning it and eventually it will turn a lovely golden brown. A little bit of liquid will come out but don't worry it will cook off pretty quickly.
I'm serving mine with a nice mixed leaf salad here, but it would also work equally will with tinned tomatoes and a fried or scrambled egg for a nice English breakfast.
I think Halloumi is amazing, yes the salt content probably isn't that great but it's really versatile and it's texture means that it's a great meat alternative. There are lots of Halloumi recipes out there that I still need to try - I know Nigella has a few more, and my Cyprus purchases came with a recipe card so I'm definitely going to have no problem using my stash up. Are you a Halloumi fan? leave me your mutterings x I love reading what you have to say x
I absolutely love Halloumi! I always order it as a side at Nandos... delicious! x
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I love Halloumi, we like it on kebabs or in with a bacon roll(sorry i know you're veggie!). I have to be careful with the boys not having too much though because of the salt. x
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