Pan Fried Spicy Halloumi Cheese and Couscous Salad

Again, I am coming to the end of another rather expensive month! And to compensate I’m making do with bits of things we have left from the weekly shop and whatever was reduced in the supermarket. This dish makes me think of my undergraduate days, when I would often eat this to increase my vegetable intake, while decreasing my financial outgoings. Usually salad is not regarded as a main meal in a Yorkshire household (especially mine) but I think the halloumi offers something substantial to the dish, making it worthy to be called a filling main!

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  What you need:

  • A block of halloumi cheese
  • Two handfuls of couscous
  • ½ a pack of fresh mushrooms (I’ve used chestnut)
  • ½ an aubergine
  • A head of broccoli
  • Rocket leaves of any salad leaves you have available (watercress would be nice) 
  • Cayenne pepper
  • A lemon 
  • Small tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp of honey 
  • A good knob of butter
  • 2 tbsp of plain flour
  • -optional parsley-

  
  

  How to make it:
  
  

  1. Start by prepping your aubergine by dicing it into small cubes, placing them into a sieve and sprinkling over a very big pinch of salt and leave them over a bowl for half an hour. -The salt will draw out the water from the aubergine; this is necessary to break down the plant cells in the aubergine by drawing water across the cell’s membrane. Salting this speeds up the frying process later.
  2. Meanwhile quarter your mushrooms and fry until golden using some butter. While the mushrooms are in the pan season them.
  3. Cut your florets of broccoli lightly, oil and season. Now griddle the broccoli, squeezing over lemon juice once it’s starting to take on colour. Once the broccoli stem has softened (your still want some bite though) take it off the heat and set aside.
  4. Slice the cheese into 0.5 -1 cm slices (2-3 per person).
  5. Pour out the couscous into a bowl and season, then add in a big knob of butter. To cook the couscous pour over enough boing water to cover the couscous 1cm in depth, put a large plate over your bowl of couscous once the water is added and set aside for at least 5 minutes.
  6. Quickly rinse the salt off your aubergine and in a small amount of oil fry it until golden. – If you hadn't salted the aubergine previously lots of water would have to be driven off preventing fast colourisation- Once golden take off the heat and set aside.
  7. Finally, back to the cheese, mix the cayenne with the flour on a plate; now roll the cheese slices in it. Pat off the excess flour and fry in some olive oil until golden on both sides (2-3 mins each side in a hot pan). Take a teaspoon and drizzle a small amount of honey over each cheese, and fry for a further 30 seconds then take off the heat.
  8. Time to combine your bits and bats, in a large bowl pour in your cooked couscous (fluffing it up with a fork), mushroom, aubergine, broccoli, some chopped parsley and salad leaves.  Season and squeeze over lemon juice to your own taste. Combine everything together using your hands plate up then place your hot cheeses on top.

  
  

  -By flouring the cheese you create a crisp coating when fried, giving you a textual difference to the gooey cheese. Meanwhile the honey gives you a nice contrast to the salty-ness of the cheese and lemon in the rest of the salad.-