Griddled Halloumi Cheese with Minted Chick Pea Salad

For a long time I couldn't get halloumi cheese here and then when I did eventually find it I couldn't make up my mind what to make with it, d'oh! Nigella has a few recipes but they didn't really appeal and so as I'd got two packs sitting in the fridge I thought to go on a recipe hunt and see if I could get inspired. One of the places I looked was the Waitrose site and happily found a couple of ideas I liked, this is what I made for us today.

The chick peas mashed up with lemon, garlic, tahini and mint give this salad a very Middle Eastern feel ... which as you all know by now is one of my favourite cuisines. Whether serving it with grilled halloumi would be very typical or not I can't say but I came across this little snippet on the web which I found interesting.

"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. The popularity of the cheese led to its production spreading throughout the Middle East, to Greece and Cyprus and throughout the world.

Although enjoyed in the Middle East when uncooked, Halloumi is fundamentally a cooking cheese. Its true character is only revealed when it is heated. 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, houmus and pitta bread."

I started off by frying the small cubes of aubergine a bit earlier in the day. I turned the heat under the pan to medium-low and found I didn't have to permanently stand there whilst they cooked through. A quick check and stir around every five minutes was enough. I turned the heat up once they were tender and let them colour. So totally stress free and they cooked themselves really whilst I was doing other things. When they had cooled I stirred them into the salad and let it sit covered with a cloth at room temperature to allow the flavours meld.

I was going to cook the halloumi on my iron griddle, to get lovely griddle marks, but when I opened the pack I discovered upon slicing it that the cheese had a "fracture" through the middle and so my slices came out finger-sized! .... therefore I decided to fry them in a non-stick pan instead.

Well this was really nice, we both enjoyed it very much. Definitely something to make again I think. The chick pea salad was gorgeous.

Griddled Halloumi Cheese with Minted Chick Pea Salad - Serves 4

2 aubergines, cut into 2cm cubes
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
400g jar chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 lemon, peel and pith removed, flesh roughly chopped (reserve the juice)
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp tahini
1 Tbsp shredded mint leaves, plus 4 extra sprigs to garnish
110g mixed salad leaves
250g halloumi cheese, cut into 8 slices

Toss the aubergine and olive oil together and fry in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat for 15-20 minutes until tender and light brown. If the aubergine starts to burn reduce the heat. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Lightly crush the chick peas in a bowl with a potato masher then mix in the lemon flesh and juice, garlic, tahini and mint. Add the aubergine to the mixture and stir well. Divide the salad leaves between 4 plates and top with the chick pea salad.

Heat a ridged griddle pan over a medium high heat and dry fry the halloumi for 1½-2 minutes on each side or until golden. Top the chick pea salad with the cooked halloumi and serve immediately, garnished with mint sprigs.

Cook's note: The chick pea salad can be made a few hours in advance and is best served at room temperature, not chilled. If you make the salad in advance, assemble it with the leaves just before serving.