Off the Menu

Halloumi Cheese with Tomato Jam

BY LINDA GARSON I PHOTO BY DONG KIM

Last summer we ran two delicious pairing dinners at the newly opened Artist Lounge. The Halloumi cheese with Tomato Jam was so popular that we kept it on the menu for both dinners!

Many thanks to Judy for requesting the recipe (and for the very kind words) and thanks very much to The Artist Lounge Head Chef Trent Bochek for generously sharing his recipe! We couldn’t resist asking once we saw Judy’s email!

“Hi, Linda.

We enjoyed last night. My favourite was the halloumi with tomato jam and fresh basil. Could I make a request for the recipe for this dish – especially the tomato jam which was simply delicious? Thanks again for contributing so much to the food and wine scene in Calgary. You do a great job!

Cheers,

Judy H, Calgary.” The Artist Lounge Halloumi Cheese with Tomato Jam

Serves 5-6

2 320g packs halloumi cheese Olive Oil Fresh basil, chiffonade

Tomato Jam

½ cup white onion, diced 1½ tsp (8 mL) olive oil 1½ tsp roasted garlic 300 g fresh roma tomatoes, deseeded and diced ½ cups white sugar 2 Tbs (30 mL) white vinegar ¼ tsp salt 1/8 tsp black pepper 1½ tsp (8 mL) lime juice 1½ tsp chipotle peppers puréed (1 pepper)

1. For the tomato jam, in a pot sauté the white onions in olive oil until translucent (roughly 3 minutes) and after 2 minutes add the garlic for last minute. 2. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot and cook until almost all the liquid is gone (roughly 20 minutes). 3. Cut each block of halloumi cheese into 6 pieces. 4. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a frying pan. Grill halloumi on medium heat for roughly 1½ minutes per side or until golden brown. Do not overcrowd pan. Alternatively, as the cheese doesn’t melt you could cook it on a grill. 5. Spoon enough cold tomato jam on top to cover the cheese and finish with fresh chiffonade basil.

If there’s a dish in a restaurant in Alberta that you’d love to make at home, let us know at info@culinairemagazine.ca, and we’ll do our very best to track down the recipe for you!