Goodbye Summer, hello Autumn! Let’s make the best of the season with my beautiful and elegant salad. Figs and grapes are available in the UK and they are in abundance; red, green, purple, yellow or black. You could replace Halloumi with Feta, Manouri, Myzithra, Goat’s Cheese, Gorgonzola or any other cheese you like.
Ingredients (serves 2):
Cos, Romaine or Gem lettuce, shredded
Rocket leaves
A few parsley leaves
4 thick slices Halloumi
2-3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp balsamic syrup/glaze for drizzling
Ground pepper
A pinch of oregano
A small bunch of seedless grapes – red, purple, green or black
2 large black fresh figs
A small handful of walnut halves (optional)
Method:
Preheat oven to 180c / 350f / gas mark 4.
Spread walnuts into a single layer on a small baking sheet. Roast for 5-10 minutes until fragrant and toasted, stirring halfway through. You can also roast them in a frying pan. Keep a close eye on them because they can easily burn.
Grill or shallow fry the Halloumi slices and cut into cubes.
Cut stems from figs and slice into quarters.
Place all the salad ingredients (except the figs, grapes, walnuts and cheese) in a nice, deep platter.
Whisk the olive oil, white vinegar and season lightly with freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of oregano. Pour over the salad and toss together.
Arrange Halloumi, figs and grapes on top, add the walnuts if using, then drizzle with balsamic syrup and serve with some crunchy bread!