CHEESE - Fried Halloumi Cheese

By Unblond1

Ingredients

• 7 - 8 ounces halloumi
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil for frying, plus 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil for dressing the fried cheese
• a few generous grinds of black pepper
• big pinch of red pepper flakes
• lemon wedges, to serve (optional)
• sprigs of fresh thyme

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

Drain the halloumi and cut it into cubes; pat the cubes very dry with paper towels.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the cubes of halloumi and cook for a few minutes without stirring, until the bottoms are well-browned.

Turn the halloumi cubes with a spatula, and brown them on the other sides. They don’t need to be perfectly browned on all sides, but they should be a nice golden brown color for best flavor.

Transfer the fried halloumi cubes to a bowl along with any oil in the pan. Grind black pepper over the cheese, add the red pepper flakes and the remaining 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Stir well, and serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with lemon wedges and the thyme.

Note: Any leftover oil can be reused for another cooking project, such as salad dressing or marinating.