Halloumi, a big thick slab of it, along with harissa (a hot chili paste used in North African cuisine), lemon zest, oregano and black pepper.
I’ve blogged about halloumi before. It’s a Cypriot cheese that can stand high heat without melting, making it perfect for grilling and frying. In the past, we’ve just topped salads with the warm, salty cheese. But this week we gave it a ruby embellishment, inspired by a recipe from the BBC’s Olive magazine. We wrapped the halloumi in red peppers and gave them a quick grill.
For the job, I bought four beautiful, colossal red bell peppers and tossed them in the fridge. Or so I thought. Really, I had dumped them in the freezer. And had I needed these peppers for a salad or raw dish, it would have been a disaster—but not so for halloumi-stuffed peppers.
Apparently, when you freeze peppers, the water in their cell walls expands, causing the tiny structures to burst. As the peppers defrost, they ooze water and lose their crunch. The peppers’ flavor, however, stays pretty much intact.
For this quick dinner, freezing took the place of pre-cooking the peppers to get them pliable. The fruit was soft enough to fold and lay flat on the grill. I’m not so fussy that I needed to remove the peppers’ thin, charred skins. But if skins aren’t for you, you may want to pre-cook the peppers for a few minutes on the grill instead of freezing them. That way, you can slip off the skins before the real grill action gets started.
As for the extras I layered onto the cheese, any flavorful combination will work. You could use a tapenade, maybe anchovy paste, capers, pesto … whatever you have on hand. And don’t worry if your cheese pokes its head out of the peppers. Halloumi is well behaved and won’t make mess of your grill.
As pictured, I plopped the stuffed peppers onto a bed of arugula, dressed in a vinaigrette of lemon, olive oil and more harissa. William and I adored this. If only halloumi were a smidge less expensive (nearly the price of grass-fed steaks for two), this would certainly make into our regular rotation. But for the love cheese and salt and the flavors of summer, add this dish to your next cookout or intimate weeknight meal for two.
Red Pepper-Wrapped Halloumi
4 large red bell peppers
2 8-ounce packages halloumi
Harissa (or another flavorful spread/paste, such as tapendade)
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (or other herb)
Black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
Trim the tops and bottoms of the peppers, and reserve for another use. Pull out the seeds and ribs, and discard. Put peppers in a large plastic freezer bag, and freeze overnight. The next morning, put the frozen peppers into the refrigerator to defrost.
As you prep the peppers, heat a grill pan or grill on medium heat.
Split each block of halloumi into two thin sheets. Spread harissa (or other paste) onto the cheese. Top with lemon zest, oregano (or other herb), and black pepper.
Insert the halloumi into the pepper, trimming excess cheese, if desired. Brush the peppers with olive oil, and grill 5 to 7 minutes on each side.
Serves 4
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