I love halloumi. I love it so much in fact, that quite often, I like nothing better than slicing it up, frying it, and simply eating it as it is, enjoying its salty, cheesy loveliness completely untainted. Sadly, fried cheese, a meal does not make, so I came up with this roasted vegetable and couscous dish, which is considerably more balanced than simple fromage, but doesn’t overpower and spoil the halloumi’s chewy, cheesy deliciousness.
To complement halloumi’s salty flavour, I use sweet butternut squash, red onions and plenty of red pepper in the roasted vegetable mix. I also add in juicy chunks of aubergine and some pine nuts for extra flavour.
Ingredients (serves 4)
½ butternut squash, peeled and deseeded
½ aubergine
½ courgette
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 red onion
1 large handful of pine nuts
2-3 cloves garlic
150g couscous
250mls veg stock
1 block halloumi
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 lemon
1 handful of fresh coriander, chopped
olive oil
Directions
Finely chop onion and pepper and scatter between two roasting tins. The vegetables roast better if they’re not too crammed together so the dish works better if you use two roasting tins.
Chop squash, courgette and aubergine into small cubes and divide between the two tins also. Add cumin, garlic, pine nuts and a generous amount of oil and roast at gas mark 5/200C for 30mins.
Meanwhile, add cous cous to a large lidded pan and pour over boiling vegetable stock. Stock must be boiling. Place lid on pan and set aside for at least 10mins.
Chop halloumi into chunks, and after veg has been roasting for 30 mins, add into the tins. Roast for a further 10 mins until halloumi is browned.
Fluff up cous cous with a fork and add juice of the lemon and the fresh coriander. Tip all the vegetables and halloumi into the cous cous, including the oil and stir to combine.
Serve hot or cold with some green salad and a dollop of tzatziki.
Image via My Recipes.