this is a play on the classic italian caprese salad and is perfect as a first course, salad or snack. instead of the traditional buffala mozzarella, tomato and basil combo, i gave this version a little bit of a mediteranean/middle eastern twist by using grilled haloumi cheese, tomatoes, mint instead of basil and topped it off with a very simple balsamic glaze. i'm really psyched about this dish and its a pretty cool way to have grilled haloumi. if you're not familiar with haloumi, it is a firm greek cheese that is very popular all over the middle east made with either sheeps milk, cows milk or a combination of the two. haloumi does'nt melt, so you can fry it, pan sear it or in this case, grill it. the grill gives the haloumi a really nice smokiness that contrasts the freshness of the cold tomatoes and mint; the balsamic provides a welcome sweetness that you will be mopping off the plate. theres a lot of stuff happening in this very simple dish - hot, cold, sweet, salty, savory, smoky & fresh all in one bite. its pretty impressive considering its simplicity. awesome.
ingredients:
3 slices of haloumi, cut into 1/2" slices
3 slices of tomato cut into 1/4" slices
few leaves of torn mint
canola oil to brush the cheese
1/2 cup balsamic vinager
1/4 cup sugar
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
- in a small saucepan, bring the balsamic and sugar to a boil, whisking to combine. reduce to a syrupy glaze. keep in mind, it will get even thicker as it cools.
- brush the cheese slices with canola oil and season with salt and pepper. grill for about 30-45 seconds on each side on a grill or grill pan. just enough to get grill marks.
- season the tomatoes with salt and pepper, arrange on the plate, alternating tomato and cheese.
- drizzle the balsamic glaze and olive oil around the plate and top with the torn mint leaves.
No comments:
Post a Comment