Hot Halloumi with Roasted Peppers

Hot Halloumi with Roasted Peppers

(Halloumi could be replaced with other available cheese)
Halloumi is a hard and salty cheese. It is a Greek cheese. Halloumi is delicious served simply sliced or cubed. It also takes on a wonderful texture when grilled or fried.

Ingredients:
300g halloumi cheese, thickly sliced
6 pcs red, green or yellow peppers olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic or red wine vinegar
small handful of raisins (optional)
freshly ground black pepper
flat leaf parsley, to garnish
olive and oregano bread (optional)

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 220C. Cut the peppers into quarters. Discard the cores and seeds. Place cut side down on a baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes until the skins start to blacken and blister.

2. Remove and keep warm with several layers of kitchen paper. Set aside for 30minutes. Peel off the skins. Slice the flesh into a bowl. Mix roasting juices with the peppers.

3. Pour a little olive oil over the roasted pepper. Add the vinegar and raisins. Salt and pepper to taste. Toss the salad lightly and leave to cool.

4. When serving, divide the pepper salad among four plates. Heat olive oil to a depth of about 1/4 inch in a large heavy-based frying pan. Fry the halloumi slice (or your preferred cheese) over a medium high heat for about 2-3 minutes, turning them halfway through cooking until golden brown on both sides.

5. Drain the fried halloumi (or your preffered cheese) thoroughly on kitchen paper and serve with the roasted pepper salad and a parsley garnish. Enjoy with chunks of olive and oregano bread to soak up the juices.

Serves 4

Cook’s Tips: For a crisp coating on the cheese, toss the slices in plain flour before frying them. Plain cheese can be grilled instead of fried. Simply preheat a grill or ridged grilling pan, add the cheese slices and cook until golden brown turning once. Also good grilled on a barbecue.