This is a beautiful and very simple vegetable dish for any season, but when the garden or the market has tender fresh zucchini, bell peppers, big ripe tomatoes, and fresh basil and oregano, it’s everything a lover of Mediterranean food could desire.
Halloumi cheese is a traditional sheep’s milk cheese from Cyprus that looks like mozzarella but comes packaged in salty brine. The fascinating thing about halloumi is that when it is grilled or pan-fried, it immediately turns a gorgeous golden brown while staying chewy on the inside without melting in a messy way. Halloumi has a meaty texture and its flavor is rich, heady, a little reminiscent of some sheep’s milk feta but not crumbly. If you can’t find halloumi, substitute little balls of fresh mozzarella stirred into the hot vegetables, or for the more ambitious, breaded and fried mozzarella sticks.
Serves 4 to 6
Time: 30 minutes
1 large onion
3 garlic cloves
2 medium zucchini
2 bell peppers, red and yellow
1 large fresh tomato
4 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon salt, plus more as needed
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh basil, or more if desired
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, or 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano
4 ounces halloumi cheese
2 teaspoons vegetarian Worcestershire Sauce
Your favorite pitted black olives, for garnish (optional)
Prepare the vegetables: Chop the onion (you will need about 2 cups chopped), mince or press the garlic, cut the zucchini and the bell peppers into pieces about ½ x 2 inches, and cut the tomato into 12 wedges. Chop the herbs and cut the cheese into ¼-inch-thick pieces about ½ x 1 inch. Have all the ingredients near the stove before you start to cook.
In a large skillet or a wok, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil. Stir-fry the onions for 2 minutes and add the garlic. When the onions are translucent, add the zucchini and bell peppers and stir-fry until just barely tender. Stir in the tomato wedges, red pepper flakes to taste, salt, black pepper, and half the fresh herbs. Cover and cook for a minute or two until the tomatoes have softened.
In a separate small skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add the halloumi and fry on medium-high heat until golden brown on all sides.
Stir the fried halloumi and the Worcestershire sauce into the hot vegetables. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
Serve garnished with the remaining fresh herbs and with black olives, if you like.
Serve with Orzo Risotto, a simple rice pilaf, or Focaccia Pugliese or similar bread to soak up some of the stir-fry juices.