Halloumi: the dream cheese that never melts
Meatless Monday, or simply really craving cheese for dinner? Next time, take a piece of halloumi with you when you go grocery shopping.
Most cheese melts when you heat it, which is perfect in the case of a panini. But sometimes you want a deliciously warm grilled piece of cheese, and that’s where halloumi comes in. This Cypriot cheese is made from a blend of sheep’s and goat’s milk. Thanks to its protein structure, you can grill, fry or deep-fry it without it melting. The flavor is quite salty and savory, like feta. I’d happily eat endless amounts of halloumi, but it’s also incredibly filling. So don’t make the portions too large.
Steak
Because halloumi doesn’t melt, you can treat the cheese like a steak. Fry it on both sides and serve with a fresh salad or chimichurri sauce.
Pita or flatbread
Fancier than a grilled cheese sandwich and insanely delicious: a pita with halloumi and honey. Or how about flatbreads with halloumi and harissa? The halloumi has the perfect texture in this dish: lightly charred on the outside and wonderfully soft on the inside. Here, the halloumi is dipped in a marinade of rose harissa and lime and served with a relish of smoky, charred red onions, spicy pomegranate molasses, sweet red peppers and a salty accent of olives. DRIVE.ME.CRAZY.
Favorite salad
Ottolenghi proves once again that he is a master of flavor combinations by pairing halloumi with chicory, pomegranate and walnut in this salad. The high acidity of the (here we go again) pomegranate molasses goes perfectly with the savory, fatty cheese.
By Donna Hay
Halloumi is wonderfully delicious combined with chicken, as in this recipe with halloumi by Donna Hay.
Into the oven
If anything screams comfort food, it’s a baked dish—especially one with a crispy cheese crust. This dish with lamb sausages and tomato sauce is ready in half an hour. Make sure you have enough bread to wipe the dish clean.
Read also:
- Parmesan or Grana Padano; these are the differences
- This surprising cheese saw the biggest rise in popularity in France in 2020 (and it isn’t French)
- Recipe: the most delicious cheese sauce for fries (or anything else!)
