Nigella's Halloumi Bites--Salty, Chewy, Cheesy Goodness

I know it was just Sunday, but it seems like forever since I have posted and since I have visited all my blogger friends too. I had a lovely Christmas week spent with family and friends enjoying the holiday. Coming back home from a vacation of course my fridge was pretty empty, but I had a package of halloumi that needed to be used, and everything else I needed to make this simple and delicious recipe for Halloumi Bites. (Well almost everything--if you look really closely you'll notice that I subbed cilantro for the parsley as it was what I had, and anyway it went nicely with the lime so I might actually leave it when making this again). Our I Heart Cooking Clubs theme this week is "Small Plates" and these little chunks of salty, garlicky cheese are the perfect appetizer, mezze, pupu or whatever you like to call it. They also work well on top of a green salad as a starter.

You can find the recipe in "Nigella Express" (Page 325) or online at her website (here).

Halloumi Bites

Nigella Lawson

(Serves 10-12 as part of supper, more of a canapé)

1/4 cup garlic oil
2 Tbsp lime juice
good grinding of pepper
3 Tbsp chopped parsley
3 (8-ounce) blocks halloumi cheese, drained

Combine the oil, lime juice, pepper and parsley in a large shallow dish. Slice the drained halloumi into 5mm-wide pieces, and then cut each slice in half again. Don’t worry if bits splinter as you cut. Heat a heavy-based frying pan and dry-fry the slices of cheese, in batches, until golden on both sides – this should take only a minute or so in a hot pan. Put the fried halloumi into the shallow dish containing the other ingredients as you go, and then turn the halloumi about to coat each piece before turning into a serving dish.

Notes/Results: Well really how can you go wrong with garlic, lime, pepper and salty chunks of cheese?! This is a quick and easy appetizer and tastes great. One caveat--serve this soon after making because halloumi is chewy to begin with and gets chewier as it gets cooler. I personally like the chewy texture but this is best served hot from the pan. I cut the recipe down to 1/3, ate some hot and used some on a salad--delicious. This one is a keeper.

You can check out the other "small plates" that the other I Heart Cooking Clubs selected to make by going to the IHCC site here and following the links.