Salad on the plate in under 30 minutes is what we all desire on a warm summer’s evening, and this halloumi and bean salad is that. It is quick, easy, nutritious, and one of my all-time favourites and in this house, we eat it year-round.
Here in Yorkshire, we have excellent halloumi made by the inspirational Syrian refugee Razan Alsous. Razan. With her husband and three children, she made the brave journey from war-torn Syria to settle in West Yorkshire. Having lost almost everything in the war and unable to find any great ‘Squeaky Cheese”, as she calls Halloumi, set about making it herself with the help of a £2500 start-up grant. That was back in 2014, and the cheese is now known all over the UK, not just in Yorkshire.
serves 2 as a main course, 4 as a starter
Ingredients:
200 g new potatoes, sliced ½ cm thick
pinch of salt
200 g green beans, top and tailed
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
55 g baby capers, washed
2 tablespoons mint leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons dill leaves, chopped
100 g cherry tomatoes, halved
12 black olives, stoned
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons plain flour
200 g Halloumi cheese, sliced around 1 cm thick
Method:
- Put the sliced potatoes into a large saucepan, and cover with cold water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a rapid boil, lower the heat and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked but not falling apart. Drain through a colander and keep to one side.
- In another saucepan, bring another pan of salted water to a boil. Add the beans, and cook for 2 minutes. Drain and keep to one side.
- Mix 4 tablespoons of the oil and the vinegar in a medium-sized bowl, and add the capers, mint and dill. Stir. Add the potatoes, beans, cherry tomatoes and olives. Stir to coat the vegetables and season with salt and pepper.
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil to hot in a medium non-stick frying pan. Put the flour onto a plate and season the flour with salt and pepper. Dip the Halloumi into the flour on both sides, and tap to remove any surplus flour. Cook the Halloumi on each side until golden brown.
- Divide the salad between the plates with the Halloumi slices on top. Serve immediately.
If you have an air fryer with a skewer attachment, cut the halloumi into chunks and air fry at 180C for about 6 minutes. The outside will go crisp, and the middle stays soft, making a lovely alternative.
If you enjoyed the halloumi and bean salad, find more recipes from Elaine, here on the website.