Beet and Halloumi Salad

Halloumi cheese is very popular in Turkey, Greece and the Middle East. I buy halloumi cheese from Middle Eastern stores where they keep the cheese submerged in its brine but most large grocery stores sell pre-packaged ones in the deli section. It looks similar to mozzarella cheese but has a much harder texture with a pungent taste and tends to be fairly salty. Since it has a very high melting point, it is perfect for cooking without using any breading like commonly used for frying mozzarella or goat cheese. The salty chewy halloumi goes really well with sweet and tender beets.

Oh and don’t throw away your beet greens! While most of my beet recipes require just the beet roots, my super health conscious grandmother always preferred using the dark green leaves over the beet roots. She used to make salads, frittatas, quiches and soups but that will be a completely different post.

The beets can be prepared ahead of time but I think halloumi is best when served as soon as it is fried. That way, the cheese is still hot, chewy and oozes ever so slightly.

• 4-5 medium beets
• Olive oil
• Salt
• 8- 10 oz. halloumi cheese, cut into about ¼ inch thick

Preheat the oven temperature to 375°F. Wash the beet roots scrubbing to make sure that all dirt has been removed, place each one in a piece of aluminum foil and wrap tightly. Bake until the beets are cooked through but not overcooked, this should take about an hour or so. Once the beets are cooked, remove the foil and let them cool, peel and trim the beets, cut into medium dice, toss in a bowl with a few tablespoons of olive oil, season with a little salt and transfer to a serving dish.

To prepare the cheese, heat a large skillet over high heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil and place the cheese slices on the skillet, cook on both sides until golden. Transfer the cheese slices to the serving dish and serve immediately.

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