Halloumi & Fig Salad with Blueberry Dressing

LISA’S TIP

If you prefer you can roast the figs in the oven for about 20 minutes, drizzle with a touch of olive oil, sea salt and cracked black pepper. This salad will work equally well with feta, or goats’ cheese.

The dressing is so simple to make, 5 minutes that’s it, and if you don’t want to sieve out the skins it’s even quicker. This is one of those salad dressings you’ll want to make time and time again. It’s fruity, tangy and so simple to make.

The wonderous halloumi! I love how a firm cheese can be pan-fried with without melting. Nothing beats paring the saltiness of the halloumi with jammy figs and a touch of honey. The blueberry dressing adds another dimension to the salad with its vibrant colour and only takes a few minutes in the blender to come together.

The dressing will keep for 1 week in the refrigerator and can be used on any salad or if you’re a lover of artichokes its delicious for dipping in the leaves.

Ingredients

250g halloumi, cut into triangles

1/2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp. olive oil

4 figs, cut into quarters

20g toasted pine nuts

30g rocket sea salt cracked black pepper

Preparation time – 20 mins

Blueberry dressing

130g blueberries

1 tbsp. white wine vinegar

1/2 tbsp. lemon juice

3 tbsp. honey, agave or maple syrup

2 tbsp. olive oil, light & mild sea salt, pink Himalayan salt or herbamare

To make the dressing, tip the blueberries into the bowl of a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Add the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, olive oil and seasonings then blend again and check for seasoning. Strain the dressing through a fine mesh sieve to remove the blueberry skins then decant into a Kilner – or similar style – jar.

Cut the halloumi into 4 slices lengthways and each slice into 4 triangles you should have a total of 16 triangles, unless you prefer thicker slices cut into 3 slices and then you’ll get 12.

Place a non-stick frying pan over a medium/high heat add the halloumi (do not over crowd the pan) and cook for 1-2 minutes each side, until golden. Repeat with the remaining halloumi, as necessary. Transfer to a plate and drizzle over the honey, leave to cool.

To serve the salad: on a serving platter scatter some rocket, halloumi, figs and pinenuts and repeat layering twice more so that the salad ingredients are evenly distributed in the salad, drizzle the salad with 1 tbsp. olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt and cracked black pepper.

You can drizzle over some of the blueberry dressing or serve it on the side.

by Lisa Roukin Author of My Relationship with Food Cookbook