Cooksister | Food, Travel, Photography

Food, photos & faraway places

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • About me
    • Contact me
    • Work with me
    • Legal
      • Copyright notice & Disclaimer
      • Disclosure
      • Cookies and Privacy Policy
    • Press and media
    • Cooksister FAQs
  • RECIPES
    • Recipe Index – by course
    • Baking (savoury)
    • Braai/Barbecue
    • Breakfast & brunch
    • Christmas
    • Dessert
    • Drinks
    • Eggs
    • Fish
    • Gluten-free
    • Leftovers
    • Pasta & rice
    • Poultry
    • Pulses
    • Salads
    • Soup
    • South African
    • Starters & light meals
    • Vegan
    • Vegetables
    • Vegetarian
  • RESTAURANTS
    • British Isles restaurants
    • Dubai restaurants
    • France restaurants
    • London restaurants
    • Montenegro restaurants
    • New York restaurants
    • Pop-ups and supperclubs
    • Serbia restaurants
    • Singapore restaurants
    • South Africa restaurants
    • Sweden restaurants
    • Switzerland restaurants
    • USA restaurants
  • TRAVEL
    • All my travel posts
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Canada
      • Dubai
      • Cruise ships
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Grenada
      • Hong Kong
      • Hotel reviews
      • Italy
      • Israel
      • Jersey
      • Mexico
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Portugal
      • Singapore
      • Ski & snow
      • South Africa
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • UK
      • USA
      • Wales
  • PORTFOLIO
    • Freelance writing portfolio
    • Speaking and teaching
    • Photography portfolio
    • Buy my photos
You are here: Home / Recipes / Gluten-free / Griddled haloumi cheese with caramelised fennel, shallots & flat leaf parsley

Griddled haloumi cheese with caramelised fennel, shallots & flat leaf parsley

by Jeanne Horak on January 8, 2009 21 Comments in Gluten-free, Memes, Starters & light meals, Vegetarian

Griddled-halloumi-fennel-parsley-salad

Isn’t it funny how we can flick through a magazine, but that certain types of articles will catch our eye time after time?  For some, it might be any article about fashion.  For others, it might be anything to do with celebrities.  For me, it’s lists.  Oh yes, put it in bullet-point format or number it and I’m there.

So as you can imagine, this is a good time of year for me – lists abound! Best of 2008 lists.  Predictions and trends for 2009 lists.  Celebs most likely to split up/get together/suffer wardrobe malfunction/cheat/get arrested lists.  Where-are-they-now lists – you name it! 

I’m still toying with doing a “Cooksister best of 2008 list”, but in the meantime, Alex of Eating Leeds  has tagged me (again!) for the seven random things meme.  So, because you’ve probably heard enough random things about me to last a lifetime and in the spirit of festive season reflection, I’ve gone for something slightly different – a Cooksister Then and Now list.

And while you’re being amused by that, I thought you might also like to know that nominations for the 2008 Food Blog Awards are open (until tomorrow 23h59 EST) – so hurry over and nominate me… ummm, your favourites! 😉

COOKSISTER THEN AND NOW (a.k.a “What a difference ten years make!”)

1999 – living in Port Elizabeth, South Africa
2009 – living in London, UK

1999 – driving my beloved VW Golf Mk III, Gomez, every day.
2009 – driving a Volvo S40 at weekends only.  It was the heated seats that did it for me.

1999 – still “living in sin” with Nick (oh those heady, breathless days…)
2009 – very married to Nick – three ceremonies so far and counting…!

1999 – movie star crush on Brendan Fraser, circa George of the Jungle.  Hubba hubba.
2009 – movie star crush on Daniel Craig, circa Casino Royale.  A full house indeed.

1999 – taking pictures with my beloved little Pentax Espio 90.
2009 – taking pictures with my beloved Canon EOS 20D

1999 – favourite bands: Pet Shop Boys, Faithless, The Specials
2009 – favourite bands:  The Killers, My Chemical Romance, Coldplay

1999 – getting most of my recipes from my mom or the back of packets/boxes
2009 – getting most of my recipes from my wonderful fellow-bloggers!

And when I needed a starter for our pre-Christmas lunch at home recently, it was indeed to recipes bookmarked from fellow-food bloggers that I turned.  We were having 3 courses, with a roast gammon as the main, so I didn’t want to overwhelm people with a heavy starter.  And the first thing that caught my eye in the bookmarks folder was the haloumi cheese with caramelised fennel from Peter’s beautiful blog Souvlaki for the Soul.  Do yourself a favour and browse the site – the photographs are gorgeous and the recipes delicious.  As a starter, this dish is perfect – quick and easy to prepare and beautifully balanced in terms of the sweetish and mildly aniseed-like flavour of the vegetables, the freshness of the parsley and the saltiness of the cheese.  Thanks Peter!

20081221 GrlddledHaloumiStarter2Web

GRIDDLED HALOUMI WITH CARAMELISED FENNEL, SHALLOTS & FLAT LEAF PARSLEY (serves 6 as a starter)

Ingredients:

400-500g haloumi cheese
2 large bulbs of fennel
5 shallots
olive oil
lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper
a bunch of flat-leaf parsley

Method:

Slice the shallots and the fennel bulb fairly thinly.  Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan and sautee over medium heat.  A little bit of browning is fine, but don’t let them burn.  Once all the liquid is absorbed, add a splash of white wine to the pan and continue to cook over medium heat until they are soft and pliable. Allow to cool

Wash and roughly chop the parsley, then toss together with the vegetables in a mixture of about 3/4 olive oil and 1/4 lemon juice.  Divide between 6 serving plates.

Slice the cheese into fairly thick slices so that there are at least 12 slices.  Heat an oiled griddle pan (or indoor grill) until very hot, then fry/grill the haloumi slices.  Lift carefully with a spatula and be warned that they may stick!  Turn when you have good grill marks on the bottom and repeat the process with the other side of each slice.

Top each serving of caramelised vegetables with 2 haloumi slices, garnish with more flat-leaf parsley and serve.

 

More deliciousness for you!

  • Caramelised blood orange, halloumi and pistachio saladCaramelised blood orange, halloumi and pistachio salad
  • Spicy harissa coleslaw with pomegranateSpicy harissa coleslaw with pomegranate
  • Creamy broccoli, semi-dried tomato and chicken pastaCreamy broccoli, semi-dried tomato and chicken pasta
  • Halloumi, roasted grape & pecan saladHalloumi, roasted grape & pecan salad

Never miss a Cooksister post

If you enjoyed this post, enter your e-mail address here to receive a FREE e-mail update when a new post appears on Cooksister

I love comments almost as much as I love cheese - so if you can't leave me any cheese, please leave me a comment instead!

« December roundup
Cooksister’s 2008 Top Ten »

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. elra says

    January 8, 2009 at 4:36 pm

    Sounds great, fennel bulb is a must have veggy in my house. Though I must admit I only use it in my salad, but cook fennel sound delicious too.
    Cheers,
    Elra

    Reply
  2. nina says

    January 8, 2009 at 5:12 pm

    I LOVE grilled Haloumi and make it often, but the addition of the fennel is new to me and sounds really delicious….thanks for sharing…I am to frightened to do the now and then thing…..

    Reply
  3. Ivy says

    January 8, 2009 at 7:10 pm

    I love halloumi and I think it’s the best cheese in the world but yes I am from Cyprus and I am biased. I’ve never had it with fennel bulb before but it sounds delicious.

    Reply
  4. Chocolate Shavings says

    January 8, 2009 at 7:56 pm

    That dish looks superb!

    Reply
  5. Dragon says

    January 8, 2009 at 9:53 pm

    You never cease to amuse me, my dear. As always, lovely, lovely dish.

    Reply
  6. Peter G says

    January 8, 2009 at 10:40 pm

    Thanks for the shout out and your lovely comments! Glad to see you enjoyed this dish…I love the flavour combinations in this. Beautifully done!

    Reply
  7. Cynthia says

    January 9, 2009 at 12:19 am

    I’ve never had haloumi before. Is it a mild cheese?

    Reply
  8. shibani says

    January 9, 2009 at 1:38 am

    U have got a lovely blog and amazing pictures. This recipes sounds fantastic.
    By the way the those dolls are from South Africa and I picked it up from Jo burg.

    Reply
  9. Johanna says

    January 9, 2009 at 2:49 am

    I am with you on lists – bullet points are what I look for in a glossy mag! and I love making lists – the highlight was in a share house was when we got so into our lists that we started a list of lists 🙂 Would love to see a best of cooksister 2008 list if you do one! Meanwhile that recipe looks good – am sure the strong flavours of haloumi and fennel would work well together

    Reply
  10. Kevin says

    January 9, 2009 at 4:19 am

    That fried halloumi looks so good!

    Reply
  11. Helen says

    January 9, 2009 at 8:26 am

    1. The idea of sweet, caramelised fennel with halloumi is brilliant!
    2. I can’t get enough halloumi and I like the way you have really given it a good griddling – I agree, the outside needs to be really crispy.
    3. I would love to see a cooksister 2008 best-of list!

    Reply
  12. The Bread Baker says

    January 9, 2009 at 8:53 am

    I’m a new, aspiring cook and have never really thought about cooking a chunk of cheese like that. It looks fantastic and I will definitely give it a try. I suppose you could take almost any cheese that doesn’t melt too easily and cook it with any number of spices and such. The possibilities really are endless.

    Reply
  13. Peter says

    January 9, 2009 at 11:10 am

    Jeanne, love the “then & now”…kudos to being with your one love.
    Speaking of love, nice to see we share our affinity of Halloumi. You got some beautiful grill marks on them!

    Reply
  14. grace says

    January 9, 2009 at 12:06 pm

    in my eyes, the best way to improve upon any cheese is to consume it while it’s melty. this is lovely.
    and i’d be remiss if i didn’t confess my love for brendan fraser (before the hair-thinning and string of bad movies…). 🙂

    Reply
  15. Kalyn says

    January 9, 2009 at 1:51 pm

    Gorgeous recipe, and fun reading your ten years of progress!

    Reply
  16. Bellini Valli says

    January 9, 2009 at 8:46 pm

    Grilled halloumi is my new favourite from 2008. I expect to see it often in 2009

    Reply
  17. Gemma says

    January 10, 2009 at 11:26 am

    Any recipe that starts with griddled halloumi sounds good to me. Looking forward to checking out this site.

    Reply
  18. Browniegirl says

    January 10, 2009 at 11:33 pm

    LOL!! Interesting then and now list :o) This recipe looks divine. I am making this my year of making things in the kitchen that I havent tried before so this will be one of them. Thanx Jeanne xxx

    Reply
  19. courtney says

    January 11, 2009 at 7:59 pm

    Great phot. Isnt Halloumi a great cheese to grill up? I dont even think I could recall my past 10 years with such detail.

    Reply
  20. Michelle says

    January 19, 2009 at 10:04 pm

    Caramelised anything always tastes delicious. With Haloumi cheese? Can’t beat that!

    Reply
  21. Sharon says

    February 1, 2009 at 7:18 pm

    That’s awesome. I just had some grilled halloumi with tomatoes in pita bread. I live in Canada now, but I was immediately transported (in my mind) back to Ocean Basket, sitting at a table with halloumi being served to me in a pan.
    Nice blog btw! 🙂

    Reply
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Never miss a Cooksister post!

Get my latest recipes delivered by e-mail!

Search over 500 recipes

Recently on Cooksister

  • Perfect broccoli and Stilton soup [keto, low carb, GF]
  • Masalchi by Atul Kochhar – Indian street food in Wembley
  • Barbecued salmon with blood oranges and capers
  • Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta, pomegranate and pine nuts [GF, V]
  • Love Yourself healthy meal delivery [Review]
  • Antillean
  • Festive roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
  • Rustic blood orange and pistachio galettes

Archives by month

Archives by category

Popular posts

Peppermint Crisp fridge tart - a South African treat
Nigella's Bakewell slices & the Big Bakewell Taste-off
Oxtail and red wine potjie
My big, fat South African potato bake
Gem squash 101: how to find them, how to grow them, how to eat them!
Cranberry pistachio Bircher muesli - a Pret-a-Manger fakeaway

Featured on

Also available on

The wonderful Museum of the Moon installation - a The wonderful Museum of the Moon installation - a 7 metre diameter scale model of the moon suspended in the Painted Hall at the  @oldroyalnavalcollege in Greenwich this week, by @lukejerramartist. A surreal and fabulous sight!
Do you enjoy free art installations? Then you need Do you enjoy free art installations? Then you need to get down to @canarywharflondon between now and Saturday 28 Jan to catch the free Winter Lights 2023 event, back for the seventh year.

My favourites include @lukejerramartist ‘s Floating Earth; Tom Lambert’s Out of the Dark; Fluorescent Firs; Toroid by This is Loop; and the surreal and mesmerising Anima by MEATS - a tunnel filled with hundreds of thin optical fibre lights that change colour and move in the breeze 😍 

Have you been to Winter Lights? What was your favourite?
“When we look down at the Earth from space, we s “When we look down at the Earth from space, we see this amazing, indescribably beautiful planet. It looks like a living, breathing organism. But it also, at the same time, looks extremely fragile.” - International Space Station astronaut Ron Garamond

To experience the “overview effect” (a phenomenon experienced by astronauts viewing the earth from space), head down to Canary Wharf in the London docklands this week where you can see @lukejerramartist ‘s beautiful Floating Earth installation as part of the Winter Lights event. 

This giant 10m diameter installation is created using high resolution NASA images to create a floating scale model of the Earth, lit from within so that it glows from its current home on the Middle Dock, surrounded by the headquarters of international banking and finance corporations.

The artist hopes that viewed in this context, the installation will make visitors and the bankers working in surrounding buildings question how their money in savings and pensions is invested, and whether investments can be greener.

Aside from being a thought provoking piece, it is also mesmerising and surreally beautiful, so make sure you visit the free Winter Lights event before ends on Saturday 28 Jan.
Happy lunar new year! [Invited] To celebrate the Happy lunar new year! 

[Invited] To celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Rabbit, why not head over to @mamachensdumplings currently doing a residence at the @thegantrylondon in #stratford where you can feast on prawn & chive dumplings; pork, Chinese cabbage and shiitake mushroom dumplings; pork & prawn wontons with Mama Chen’s chilli oil; vegetable dumplings; smacked cucumber salad; and spicy noodles coated in garlic and Szechuan pepper oil.

And afterwards, make sure you head up to the @unionsocialoc bar for a cocktail - I loved the Moreish Fashion with bourbon, PX sherry, chestnuts and mandarin orange bitters!
Got leftover Stilton (or any blue cheese) from Chr Got leftover Stilton (or any blue cheese) from Christmas? Turn it into this super simple and super indulgent broccoli and Stilton soup! So easy to make and soooo delicious to eat - and it is low carb and GF. What more could you want?! Click the link in my bio for the full recipe. What’s your favourite soup?
CELEBRATE. So the fireworks are over, the champag CELEBRATE.

So the fireworks are over, the champagne is finished and the leftovers are all eaten. We are one week into 2023 and I have had some time to think about what my intent is for the year. 

In 2022 my brother had a life saving kidney transplant. Since the operation, he has had a Peanuts cartoon as his WhatsApp profile pic, where Charlie Brown and Snoopy are sitting on a pier talking. Charlie says “Some day, we all die Snoopy.” And Snoopy replies: “Yes - but every other day, we will live.”

Waking up in the morning is a gift, every day, and it is so easy to forget this. The last few years have been difficult for so many people and the coming year promises its own challenges. But every day that we don’t die is a day to live, to celebrate life in some small way.

So my intention in 2023 is to celebrate. Celebrate our achievements however small. Celebrate our friends and family. Celebrate small things. Celebrate life.

Did you make any resolutions or goals for 2023? I would love to hear them in the comments! Wishing you all the very best for 2023 🥂
Happy new year, everyone! Here are some scenes fro Happy new year, everyone! Here are some scenes from last night with friends in Deptford. My deconstructed avocado ritz; @twinkleparkstephen ‘s bobitie; Giles’ Ottolenghi tomato salad; and Jean’s clementine trifle - and the London night sky ablaze with fireworks!  How did you spend your evening? 🥂🎇🎆
Merry Christmas to all those celebrating - I hope Merry Christmas to all those celebrating - I hope your day was merry and bright, filled with family, friends and love 🎄🥂. Mine was spent alone at home - my choice and the result of a combination of Covid (not mine!) and rail strikes 🤦‍♀️ but very relaxing and indulgent!
Looking for a stylish and easy Christmas starter y Looking for a stylish and easy Christmas starter you can make ahead? Look no further than my individual smoked salmon terrine! Hot smoked salmon, cream cheese and chives wrapped in cold smoked salmon in a ramekin. Still one of the most popular Christmas recipes in my blog, it looks cheffy but is soooo simple to make - and will save you time and effort on the day! Get the recipe by clicking on the link in my bio.

How is your Christmas meal prep going? Are you entertaining at home or going to friends or family? 🎄🥂🎄🥂🎄
Load More... Follow me on Instagram

Follow Jeanne Horak-Druiff's board Recipes by Cooksister on Pinterest.

Cooksister

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

Latest Recipes

Bowls of broccoli and Stilton soup
Salmon with blood oranges dill and capers
Brussels sprouts with feta and pomegranate
Roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
Blood orange & pistachio galettes
Cauliflower topped steak with melted cheese
Plate of potted smoked salmon with slaw and a glass of champagne
bowls of pistachio pomegranate bircher muesli

SITEMAP

Home

Contact

About me

Recipe Index

Restaurant Index

Copyright & Disclaimer

Cookies & privacy policy




blog counter

© 2004 - 2023 · Jeanne Horak unless otherwise stated - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You may not reproduce any text, excerpts or images without my prior permission. Site by RTW Labs

Copyright © 2023 · Cooksister on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Cooksister cookie consent
We use cookies to ensure you receive the best experience on our site. If you continue to use this site, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions. Accept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT