Marinated Halloumi Cheese with Tang! Tang! Dressing

Halloumi is a waxy Cypriot cheese that will not melt during cooking, which makes it perfect for slapping on the barbecue. It lacks flavour so it needs to be marinated first and then served with a fresh tangy dressing and lots of crunchy bread to mop up all the juices. 750 g (1½ lb) of cheese might seem like a lot but it is quite a dense, heavy cheese and it will give everyone three thin slices, which is just about right for a main course.

Serves 4 as a main course or 8 as a starter

750 g (1½ lb) Halloumi, cut into 12 x 1 cm (½ in) thick slices

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Tang! Tang! dressing

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 plum tomatoes, skinned, seeded and diced

4 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced

½ small red onion, very finely chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flatleaf parsley

1½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar

½ teaspoon crushed black peppercorns

50 g (2 oz) Calamata or other black olives to garnish

For the marinade, mix the oil, vinegar, lemon juice, thyme and some salt and pepper together in a large shallow dish. Add the slices of cheese, turn once or twice in the mixture and leave to marinate at room temperature for 1 hour.

Just before you are ready to cook the cheese, mix together all the ingredients for the dressing.

Lift the slices of cheese out of the marinade and barbecue in batches over medium-hot coals for 3 minutes or until they are golden, flipping them over with a fish slice halfway through. Stir any leftover marinade into the dressing.

Place 3 slices of cheese on to each plate, spoon over the dressing and garnish with a few black olives. Serve with plenty of crusty fresh bread.