Eggplant Halloumi Salad
October 13, 2015
October 13, 2015
Eggplant, or aubergines, are not yet in season and I confess to breaking one of my personal rules of only purchasing produce that is in season locally. Maybe they were locally grown in a tunnel house but when I saw the glossy purple fruit at my local fruit store this week I couldn’t resist buying one.
I have just planted my eggplant seedlings in the garden and despite last year’s avalanche of eggplant that we harvested I am ready for the mega production of the summer vegetable garden and I am looking forward to it. At the beginning of last year I was convinced that I would be happy to never see another eggplant again. Needless to say we have planted fewer plants this year. Those super powered plants of last year were cut back and left in the garden, as with the capsicum, to see if they would re-emerge in Spring with a burst of new life. That didn’t eventuate. I ended up removing the plants as they turned into dead sticks! The capsicum on the other hand are just beginning to spring back to life and are sprouting new leaves. You can’t win them all…..
As always spring has days that are summery and warm and those that are damp and cool. The warm ones move me forward towards lighter summer meals and flavors. This dish was an experiment that went very right. It will certainly feature across our summer meals and is simple to prepare when entertaining. The fresh flavor of mint and lemon combined with the tropical coconut flavor make this dish as gloriously tasty as it is simple.
I read many cook books and magazines, in fact I would say that it is akin to a hobby. I love to flick through the pages of beautifully presented food and read recipes for ideas about food combinations. I have no idea what I was reading and where this one cam from but the blackboard in my office had two words scrawled on it recently – eggplant and halloumi. That was the inspiration for this recipe and I thank who ever, or which ever publication I saw it in as it is truly a glorious combination.
If halloumi is haloumi to you I do apologise. Please don’t be annoyed by the spelling. I pondered which spelling to use and ended up going with the one that was written on the package of the cheese I purchased.
This is my recipe for eggplant halloumi salad:
I grated a large block of halloumi cheese but did not use more than a small amount of it as it is finely grated. I am sure that a block of halloumi cheese will not go astray after used for this recipe! find another recipe to add it to or simply slice it into chip size pieces, fry until browned on all sides and warm and serve with a squeeze of lemon juice and pinch of chilli flakes
My yearning for summer and all that is brings is getting stronger as the days pass and as I plan and plant my vegetable garden with the things that we will be eating from Christmas and into the new year.
Are you eagerly anticipating summer? Tell me you favorite summer produce item.
Oooh yum, that sounds wonderful! How lucky you are to have fresh eggplants. I love how simple this is – I can’t wait to give it a try.
Love the simplicity of this recipe! We love salads, and all the ingredients are easily accessible… got to try it sometime. 🙂
Hmm I make my own haloumi and have always sauteed it in a little oil until brown – I never thought of grating it. This sounds lovely – will have to try it. thank you for all the gardening info you share and your lovely recipes. I really do enjoy your blog, but don’t often comment.
Hi Gillian, lovely to have you drop by. I’m glad you like the sound of this recipe. I’m looking forward to having eggplant on the menu again in the coming months.