Zingy Grilled Halloumi & Onion

Sometimes, a vegetarian diet might seem dautning, but then... just remind yourself of deliciously cheesy and fancy sarnies, and all of a sudden you find yourself breathing relieved again instantly - I promise! A couple of extra ingredients and you have yourself a deli-style sandwich at home!

You can grill the onion and halloumi on skewers over an open fire now that it is getting warmer outside *early-barbecue-enthusiasm!!* OR you can grill them in the oven, easy oozey!
I didn't have skewers, nor a barbecue at the time, and thus settled for using the grill on the oven, but it worked a treat!

Now, we have talked about the main part, now for ways of serving it!
The original recipe suggested to serve it in pitta with rocket and a dressing with Greek yogurt combined with crushed garlic.

I however, was feeling a little studenty, and had also bought a bottle of tamarind sauce (the sweet kind) and decided to build myself a fancy-pants "sammich" as I like to call it. Either way, you wont be disappointed - the secret is in the marinade!

Zingy Grilled Halloumi & Onion
(Serves 2)

200g halloumi, diced
2 small onions (red if you've got them), peeled and sliced across so you have pretty rounds

Marinade:
Juice of 1 lime
2 bay leaves, crushed
1/4 tsp allspice
A good pinch of black pepper
1 tbsp oil

To serve:
A) Pita or flatbreads with rocket on the side, and a Greek yogurt + crushed garlic
B) Four sliced of toast (two each), mayonnaise and sweet tamarind or chutney

- Start by combining all five ingredients ifor the marinate in a bowl and have the diced halloumi in, toss gently to coat and let it sit for at least a few minutes (the recipe said at least half an hour, but I am impatient and it ended up tasting delicious anyway *smiles*).

- Now, turn your grill on high, decide whether you wanna put the halloumi and onion rings on skewers or simply on a baking tray. Pour the rest of the marinade over the onions before you pop them in the oven. Grill for 5-10 minutes until the halloumi has a pleasant slightly brown colour.

Q: What did the cheese say when it looked in the mirror ?
A: Halloumi! (these jokes are so bad that they are good....)

Serve up with whatever you fancy, and tuck in! I love the zingyness of the halloumi and onion, will definitely be making it again! You can also use it in Caribbean salads for a bit of extra flavour instead of meat!

What is your favourite way of serving up halloumi?

I hope y'all have had a lovely weekend! I myself celebrated a belated St. Patrick's Day yesterday at a friend's after having walked for hours in the park, down by the Kelvin River - zenned out! What did you get up to?


Original source:
Spice it Up! p. 116

- Jules