Grilled Halloumi Watertmelon Mint Salad
2014
You’re probably thinking I gave up on this blogging thing by now. I promise, I haven’t! I know its been a while – forgive me, life has a way of keeping me busy. But don’t worry, I’ve been cooking and gathering blog ideas all along, especially during my two weeks in Italy in May 🙂
Today though, I wanted to share one of my favorite summer salads. Its simple yet perfect! Satisfying the salty sweet cravings we all have while being super light and flavorful.
I can’t say the salad has a star ingredient – they all play together nicely. But it does have one you may not have heard of – halloumi! Halloumi is a type of sheep’s milk cheese made most commonly in Cyprus. I first tried halloumi while visiting family in Israel. It is also commonly known as “grilling cheese”. It is made from a firm curd and is meant to be fried or grilled. Its deliciously salty and has a firm chewy texture – but really you just have to try it. Most specialty grocery stores, Whole Foods, and I think even Trader Joes carries it.
Ingredients:
Baby Arugula
Watermelon
Fresh mint
Halloumi cheese
Salt
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Prepare a bed of arugula. Chiffonade 5-10 leaves of mint (or more if this is for more than 2 people), and toss with arugula. Cube some freshly cut watermelon and place on top of greens.
Now slice your halloumi into medium thickness slices (less than 1/4 inch). Heat a non-stick skillet to medium high. Place your slices of halloumi on the hot skillet. After a minute or so, flip your halloumi to the other side if it already has a golden brown crust on one side (see photo below). Cook until golden on both sides then promptly take of the heat and set aside.
Dress your salad with a light sprinkle of salt, some high quality extra virgin olive oil, and aged balsamic vinegar. Toss and top with grilled halloumi.
The olive oil pictured below we actually bought on a vineyard in Tuscany during our trip. The Losi family has a small production of olive oil in addition to their amazing Chianti Classico and Vin Santo (both of which we also brought home a bottle of). The olive oil is like nothing I had ever tasted in the states – so extremely fruity and aromatic – I could eat it by the spoonful. I am pretty bummed our bottle is half gone already. If you ever find yourself near Siena, Italy – I highly recommend you give Losi a visit! The balsamic we use is also Italian but I bought it at our local Italian grocer. Its a bit pricey for vinegar ($25 for the bottle), but very worth it. Its thick and syrupy and deliciously concentrated.
