Grilled Halloumi with Pepper and Hummus on Sourdough Toast

Just a quick post for a quick lunch this week as time seems to be flying at the moment! This is inspired by a couple of different lunches I had recently in Ali’s Kitchen and Zamora. It can be whipped up in a no time.

Halloumi or ‘squeaky cheese’ is one of those marmite ingredients: you either love it or hate it. I love it! I cooked it on a griddle pan to get nice bits of charring on the cheese but use a frying pan if you don’t have a griddle pan. It stands up well to cooking and doesn’t melt.  I have made this on toasted sourdough but you can serve it in a wrap or flatbread, or ditch the bread altogether and make it a salad. There are so many ways to change this to suit yourself, use tomatoes instead of peppers or add bacon or chorizo if you want a bit of meat!

I use homemade hummus and harissa but feel free to buy yours from a good deli.

Serves 1

Ingredients:

For the Hummus:

• 400g tin of chickpeas, drained
• 1 clove of garlic
• 3 tbsp. of lemon juice
• 1½ tbsp. of tahini
• 2 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling on top
• Salt and pepper
• A pinch of ground cumin (optional)
• Smoked paprika

• 2 slices of sourdough bread
• 1 roasted red pepper
• 100g of halloumi, sliced
• 1 tsp of harissa paste
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• Watercress or rocket leaves

Method:

• Start by making the hummus. Put the lemon juice, tahini and garlic into a food processor and blitz until smooth. Add the chickpeas and olive oil and blitz again until it is the consistency you like. Add a little water if you want it a bit thinner. Taste and add the cumin and salt and pepper as needed.
• When you are satisfied with the seasoning, scrape it into a bowl. Drizzle over a little extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle over the paprika. If you are not using this straight away it keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days. Allow it to come up to room temperature before using.
• Heat a dry griddle pan over a medium-high heat. Toast the bread on the griddle. Use a normal toaster if you like but charring it a bit this way gives the toast a lovely smokey flavour.
• Spread some hummus onto the toast and top with the red pepper.
• Brush a little olive oil onto the griddle pan or a frying pan and grill the halloumi until it is a nice golden brown.
• While the cheese is cooking mix the harissa paste with the olive oil and toss the leaves in this dressing.
• Put the halloumi on the toast and top with the dressed salad leaves. Serve immediately.