A Life (Time) of Cooking

I have only ever had halloumi cooked. You know - grilled in a pan until the outer layer is melty and crisp, yet the inside still maintains its texture. Then eat it quick, otherwise it becomes rubbery. Squeeze some lime over it. Eat it warm and enjoy the wonderful, squeaky-between-your-teeth texture. It is so yummy.

I didn’t know that you could eat it raw. In all my years of eating, I have never come across it raw.

So it was quite a surprise to find that raw halloumi partners well with watermelon. Very. Well.

Notes on Halloumi

Halloumi was originally a Middle Eastern Bedouin cheese made from ewes’ and sometimes goats’ milk. It is long-keeping, tough and salty which made it ideal for the Bedouin way of life. It became very popular and spread to the Middle East, to Greece and Cyprus and throughout the world.

The cheese is creamy white with a fibrous texture, and is firmer, less brittle and generally less salty than Feta. It can be sliced but not crumbled. Did you know that halloumi gains its special properties during the making when the moulded curds are dipped in hot water, kneaded (often with chopped mint), and then rolled out like pastry and cut into bars? It is either eaten soon after making or can be ripened for a month.

Although enjoyed in the Middle East when uncooked, Halloumi is fundamentally known as a cooking cheese. If fact I have never known it to be used otherwise. Its has an amazing character that is revealed when it is heated.

Real Halloumi is made from ewes’ or goats’ milk but increasingly cows’ milk is being used, particularly with large scale production. This is done for financial reasons and they say that the resulting cheeses are inferior.

One of the places renown for Halloumi is Cyprus. For centuries Halloumi has been prepared there according to traditional recipes that are passed on from generation to generation. I read that Halloumi is a registered trademark certified by the European Union and no other country can produce this cheese, although it is made in Australia and the UK. I guess the trademark does not extend here.

Different halloumi’s taste quite different, and in fact cook up quite differently. Some are very salty and need to be washed before using to remove some of the salt. If the cheese is too salty then soak it in luke-warm water or milk before using to remove the excess salt.

Notes on Using Halloumi

• Halloumi can be served fresh, fried, baked, marinated, BBQ’d or grilled. Its unique property is that it does not melt in frying or grilling, but the outside becomes soft and crisp.
• In the Lebanon it is known as kebab cheese, being cubed, skewered and grilled over charcoal on street stalls.
• If thin slices of the cheese are placed in a hot non-stick pan, the outside will rapidly become crisp and golden brown, while the centre melts.
• The cheese is excellent when served with salad, hummus and pitta bread.
• Try a slice on a grilled mushroom sandwich, cubed on top of a salad, or sliced and grilled and served for breakfast.
• Also experiment with it raw with fruit, as in this recipe. It can even be eaten for breakfast this way.
• Grate it raw on top of pasta or rice.
• An unopened packaged will keep refrigerated for a year and also can be frozen.

Halloumi and Watermelon Salad

Source : traditional recipe
Cuisine: Cypriot
Prep time: 5 - 10 mins
Cooking time: 0 mins
Serves: 4 - 6 people, depending how you use it

ingredients
1 small watermelon
1 packet Halloumi cheese
55g pine nuts
4 - 6 mint leaves, torn into pieces or chopped semi finely.

method
Cube the watermelon into 2.5cm (1″) cubes.

Cut halloumi into 2.5cm slices, and then into cubes.

Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan for 1 - 2 minutes, watching them carefully, and shaking the pan periodically. Don’t allow them to burn.

Arrange the watermelon on a plate or in a bowl. Scatter the halloumi over the top, then the mint leaves and then the pine nuts.

Serve.

You can also put this salad on a bed of salad greens.

Read some more

• Meditaerranean Cooking in Alaska has a really terrific salad of feta, watermelon and rocket.
• Peter from Kalofagas has a great post on Grilling Halloumi to squeaky perfection, and a Grilled Halloumi Salad. This is REAL Greek stuff.
• Domestic Kitchen Goddess has a simple recipe for halloumi with herbs. Perfect for a Sunday lunch or dinner on the go.
• Cyprus Halloumi
• 101 Cookbooks cooks halloumi with green beans
• delia online presents halloumi with lime and caper dressing
• Mango and Lime talks about getting to know halloumi
• Maninas was inspired by halloumi and tomatoes
• Bread and Butter has an old post on Halloumi, Pinenuts and Grapes. Very yummy.

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