Smoky spiced haloumi

SERVES 2 AS A STARTER

Haloumi is quite a salty cheese so you shouldn’t need to season the flour with any salt, however, taste the cheese first to see if it is salty enough for you but remember that cooking the cheese tends to accentuate the saltiness even more.

1 handful plain (all-purpose) flour

about 1 tablespoon smoky tomatina spice mix (see note)

250 g (9 oz) haloumi cheese

olive oil

lemon wedges, to serve

mixed salad leaves, to serve

Throw the flour into a resealable plastic bag, add the spice mix and give it a good shake to mix the flour and the spices together.

Cut the haloumi into 3–5 mm (¹/₈ –¼ inch) thick pieces (or to your liking) then toss into the flour. Give the bag a good shake making sure the haloumi is well coated — the cheese should come out orange from the spice mix.

Heat a splash of olive oil in a frying pan or put some oil on your barbecue hotplate. Give the haloumi a bit of a shake to get rid of the excess flour and then put it into the frying pan or on the barbecue and cook. Turn when the haloumi is nicely coloured and cook the other side until coloured and crisp, all up about 2–3 minutes depending on how hot your cooker is.

Serve on a plate with a wedge of lemon and a green salad.

The smoky tomatina is made by a company called Screaming Seeds and is a wonderful mix of spice, smoke, salt and sweetness; in fact all of the blends from the Screaming Seeds Company are terrific so give them a try. You can order off their website if you can’t find them at your local gourmet deli: www.screamingseeds.com.au, or you could just use some smoked paprika and garlic powder instead.