Warm Puy Lentil, Cherry Tomato and Haloumi Salad

 

I think that my favorite food discovery of the decade could be Haloumi Cheese.  The warm, salty chew satisfies on many levels.  Haloumi has a high melting point so it can be grilled or pan fried without falling apart or turning to goo.  It helps to turn a few vegetables into a complete, hot meal.  This recipe was a cinch to make, perfect for a busy evening.  The delicate Puy lentils take some time to cook, but you just put them on, and forget about them until they are ready.  This is a great use for those gorgeous rainbow cherry tomatoes that are at every farm stand these days.  The finished product is fresh and delish.   

Warm Puy Lentil, Cherry Tomato and Haloumi Salad
From BBCGoodFood

Notes:  The BBC GoodFood Magazine and Website are great resources.  I buy the magazines whenever I see them close to home and they have always been a highlight of train rides through Europe over the years.  I always find recipes I love so for me they are worth the extra cost and worth the real estate in my travel bag.  The recipes are given by weights and there are minor terminology differences.  I just used the recipe as a guideline, I've given my notes in brackets.

Ingredients:

250g cherry tomatoes, halved (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 red onion, finely sliced
1/2 garlic clove, crushed (minced)
1/2 lemon, juiced (or more to taste)
1 tbs olive oil
150g Puy lentils (1 cup dried)
250g pack Haloumi Cheese, cut into chunks (1/2 pack - slice at least 1/2 inch thick and then into rectangles)
a small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped (cilantro, 1/4 cup chopped)
(salt and ground pepper)

Toss the tomatoes, red onion, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil in a bowl. Cook the Puy lentils until just tender (I boiled the lentils in 3 cups of liquid - half water/half vegetable stock), drain and add to the bowl. Season well and toss.

Grill the haloumi until golden (I put my Haloumi into a dry non-stick pan, preheated on medium-high and fried for about 2 minutes on each side). Stir the coriander through the lentils and serve with the haloumi.