A little bit outside the box

I think I may have done it again. This is just another crazy food adventure that V got a hold of and look what happened.

Seriously though, these recipes that I have been coming up with lately are game-changers. Super yummy, packed with nutrients, and SO MUCH COLOUR! This one is no different.

So I have a brick of halloumi cheese that I picked up at my deli (Romano’s Meats in the Hamilton Farmer’s Market, seriously check them out! Incredibly friendly and helpful staff serving up all of the delicious sandwich stuff). I have never actually cooked with halloumi before, and all that I knew about it was that it has to be cooked. So that required a but of research. Here are some interesting things that I learned:

· You can cook halloumi in a griddle pan, rather than a flat frying pan, to get perfect grill marks across the cheese. Or, if you don't have a griddle pan, you can cheat by using a crinkle cutter to cut the cheese instead

· You need to use a much lower heat when you're cooking the halloumi in stainless steel, and a dash of oil was helpful to stop the cheese from sticking. But even so, the cheese did cook (and burn!) a lot more quickly in the stainless steel pan, so bear that in mind if you don't have a non-stick pan

· If you're using a non-stick pan, you don't need to add any oil. Since the halloumi releases some liquid as it cooks anyway, it doesn't tend to stick (I still use a good quality non-stick pan anyway, just in case). Turn the heat up to medium, and let it do its thing

To me, that sounds easy. And delicious. A cheese that resembles feta in all of its characteristics? Yes please! Feta just might be my favourite cheese.

So my plan with this dish is to create random bites of perfectly melty on the inside but crispy on the outside cheese, mixed with crunchy homegrown teff sprouts and roasted peppers. This is all served over a bed of mixed greens, of course. I have a roasted pepper-balsamic dressing that I have been working on that I think will go quite nicely with this.

(I know, I know… I come up with the weirdest recipes. Just ask my boyfriend! But they are usually pretty darn yummy AND super healthy, so there’s that…)

Whatever you think of my weird and wonderful food, I hope that you enjoy whatever you are cooking this evening!

Halloumi Pizzettes with Chili Capers:

For the dough:

· 1¾ cups bread flour (248 grams)

· ¾ cup fed sourdough starter (179 grams)

· ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon water (70 grams)

· 1 tsp. salt (table salt is 5.7 grams)

· 1 tbsp. honey (19 grams)

· 1 tbsp. oil (I am using avocado oil - 12 grams)

For the pizzettes:

· 250g block halloumi, very thinly sliced

· ½ red onion, very thinly sliced

For the toppings:

· Extra-virgin olive oil

· 2 tbsp capers, drained

· 1 red chilli, finely chopped

· ½ small clove garlic, crushed

· Small handful of parsley, chopped (to serve)

1) Heat your oven to 200 C/400 F

2) Mix the olive oil and chopped garlic so the flavours have a chance to mix. Set aside for now

3) Make the dough: place all dough ingredients into a mixing bowl with the flour on top. Knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes, then form into a ball. Pour ½ tsp. of olive oil on the ball of dough and flip it around in the bowl a couple of times to cover it in oil. Put the dough in the greased bowl, cover with a towel and allow to sit somewhere warm to rise for 4 hours (it’s even better if you can make it up to this point a day or two beforehand! That gives the flour a chance to fully hydrate, which completely changes the character of the dough)

4) When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 425 F. Divide the dough into 8 equal-sized pieces. Roll out the dough into ovals about ½” thick and put them on a large baking sheet

5) Prepare the toppings: chop the halloumi and red onion into small pieces. Divide the halloumi and red onion between the ovals of dough, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with the garlic-infused olive oil

6) Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until puffed up

7) Mix the rest of the ingredients with 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon this mixture over the hot pizzettes before serving