Modern
Good Food Everyday
From
Good Food Everyday
season
1
episode
8
Grilled Haloumi & Red Pepper Skewers, Muhammara Sauce
With
Gary Mehigan
Charred halloumi and capsicum skewers over walnut muhammara, finished with pomegranate.
SERVES
4
About this recipe
Halloumi cubes threaded with red capsicum and red onion squares, charred over high heat until the cheese blisters and the peppers soften and char. Spooned over muhammara, the walnut and pomegranate sauce doing the heavy lifting. Pomegranate seeds for a final cold crunch.
The halloumi-on-skewers approach gets around the main problem with grilled cheese: keeping the squeaky texture intact while still getting the surface to char and caramelise. The skewer keeps the pieces stable on the grill (so they don't fall through the bars) and forces them to cook hot and fast rather than long and slow.
Muhammara (the Aleppo-Syrian capsicum and walnut dip that travelled into Lebanese and Turkish kitchens) is the right sauce here because the smoky, slightly sweet base echoes the char on the skewers without competing with the halloumi's salt. The pomegranate molasses in the sauce ties together the fresh pomegranate seeds scattered over the top.
Cut the halloumi, capsicum and onion into 2.5cm squares so each cube of cheese sits between two pieces of vegetable and cooks at the same rate. Brush with olive oil, salt lightly (the halloumi is already salty), grill over the hottest part of the BBQ for two minutes a side. Plate over a generous smear of muhammara, scatter pomegranate seeds and chopped walnuts over the top, drizzle olive oil. Warm pita bread on the side.
Ingredients
- Serves 4
- 1 x 900g, Riverina Dairy Cyprus Style Haloumi
- 1 Red Capsicum, seeds removed,
- 1 Red Onion, peeled
- ¼ cup Walnuts, toasted, roughly chopped
- 1 Pomegranate, seeds removed
- 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive oil
- Fresh Black Pepper
- Pinch Aleppo Chilli flakes
- 1 tbsp Honey
- 1 recipe Muhammara (see separate recipe)
- 4 wedges fresh Lemon
- couple of radish
- half cucumber
Method
1. Cut the Riverina Dairy Cyprus Style Haloumi into neat cubes and cut the Onion and Green Capsicum into 2 ½ cm squares.
2. Thread a piece of red Capsicum and Onion onto a skewer followed by a cube of Haloumi. Repeat this process so each skewer has two pieces of Haloumi and 4 pieces of Capsicum and 4 pieces of Onion.
3. Preheat the Braun MultiFry 5 Air Fryer (HF5073BK) to 180. Brush the skewers with a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
4. Leave in the airfryer for approximately 8 minutes or until the haloumi is golden brown and the Onion and Capsicum begin to soften and colour.
5. Place a spoonful of Muhammara onto each plate and spread out a little. Place the skewers on top. Scatter with chopped Walnuts and a drizzle of hot honey mixed with a Pinch Aleppo Chilli flakes, and a drizzle of pomegranate molasses. Serve with something crunchy and fresh
Gary Mehigan
Gary Mehigan spent eleven seasons as a judge on MasterChef Australia before turning his attention to the road. He hosts Around the World on Two Plates and Good Food Everyday, cooking through markets and family kitchens from Spain to Sri Lanka. His own kitchen instinct sits in classical French technique with a forensic eye for produce.
Inspiration Starts Here
Join the Savour & Wander Club for recipes, travel notes and first access to future member content.
