Fried Halloumi and Bulgur Wheat Salad

I just returned from a trip overseas – first a close friend’s wedding in London, then a quick tour of Amsterdam. After reading countless reviews of Bakers & Roasters, I decided it would be a must-eat on the Dutch leg of the trip. The cafe itself is influenced by both New Zealand and Brazil – an odd combination in the Netherlands, though I must admit I was constantly surprised by the international restaurants throughout the small city.

I ordered a vegetable and egg breakfast bowl that came topped with grilled halloumi, a cheese I had not tasted since living in Israel. In fact, I had entirely forgotten about its existence until that first bite of the salty, chewy texture sent me right back to Tel Aviv. It’s heaven. I knew when I got home I would need to find it. On my first day back, I stumbled upon it at Whole Foods and decided to build my weekday lunches around halloumi.

With a combination of jet lag and impatience, I kept things simple: an Israeli salad, plain bulgur wheat, and pan fried halloumi with lemon juice. It made for three delicious and filling lunches and would work as a dinner, too. Proost!

Ingredients:

8 – 10 oz package of halloumi cheese, sliced in 1 – 2 inch slivers

1 medium cucumber, rinsed and chopped into small cubes

1 – 2 cups of rinsed, halved cherry tomatoes

1 cup of drained and rinsed chickpeas

1 cup of dry bulgur wheat

1 lemon

Olive oil, salt, pepper

Directions:

Slice the lemon in half. Combine the chickpeas, tomatoes and cucumber chunks in a bowl, squeezing half of the lemon over the mixture and adding a few shakes of salt and pepper before stirring thoroughly.

Meanwhile, combine the cup of bulgur wheat with two cups of water in a pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 or so minutes, stirring. Use a spoon to taste the grains to ensure they’re cooked, then drain off any remaining water. Stir in a tablespoon of olive oil and a few pinches of salt and pepper while warm.

Pour a few drops of olive oil onto a saute pan over medium to high heat. Lay the slivers of halloumi on the pan flat, and let sizzle. Use a fork to lift the bottom, checking for browning. When the halloumi as begun to show bits of golden brown on the bottom, flip it. Squeeze a bit of the other half of the lemon on top, as it sizzles.

Once golden brown on both sides, remove and set on a paper towel-lined plate. Drizzle with any remaining lemon juice.

Serve the warm bulgur topped with salad and halloumi, adding additional lemon or salt and pepper as desired!