Eggplant Tomato & Haloumi SaladMediterranean flavours work well in this main course summer salad – I am loving the new Whitestone Haloumi!
Ingredients1 eggplant
2 wholegrain pita breads 5 Tbsp olive oil 200g haloumi cheese, cut into 5mm slices 130g baby spinach leaves 8 vine-ripe tomatoes, halved 300g can chickpeas, drained 1 red onion, finely diced ¼ cup basil leaves, torn 3 tsp sumac 2 small juicy lemons extra virgin olive oil, to serve MethodStep 1
1 Cut the eggplant into large rounds. Cut each round in half, then quarters, then each quarter in half. Place the wedges on an oven tray. Cut the pita rounds in the same way and add them to the oven tray. Sprinkle about 3 Tbsp olive oil over the eggplant, toss to coat. Fan bake for 10 minutes at 175°C. Step 2 Remove the pita croutons and continue to bake the eggplant until golden, for about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Step 3 Heat a frying pan and add the remaining oil. Pan-fry the haloumi over a medium heat and cook until golden on both sides. Place cheese on a plate until cool, handling carefully. Step 4 Scatter the spinach leaves across a shallow platter. Layer the salad ingredients on top, alternating with the baked eggplant and pita croutons. Sprinkle with diced onion and scatter with torn basil leaves. Top with pan-fried haloumi. Step 5 Sprinkle with the sumac and season to taste. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the top, drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil and serve. |
Hands-on Time: 10 minutes | Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4 Credit: Taste Magazine Photograpy: Aaron Mclean Tip: Sumac is a traditional Turkish spice made from smoked peppers |