Haloumi Chickpea Salad
This was my go-to salad at the time of writing this book. It’s hearty and filling and so, so moreish, and the leftovers keep well in the fridge for days – so well, in fact, that I made three notes in this recipe draft about how good the leftovers are! That being said, no matter how much salad is left over, there is never any left over haloumi, because no matter how full we are, we always manage to finish it all. If this is you too, be sure to cook extra, especially if feeding a crowd.
Ingredients 19
Salad
olive oil, for cooking
1⁄2 tsp cumin seeds
1⁄2 tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed
1 cup medium-grain rice
2 cups water
1 tsp salt
2 cups kale, stems removed, finely chopped
200 g haloumi, cut into 5 mm–1 cm (1⁄4–1 in) wide slabs
1 Lebanese cucumber, short, seeds removed, diced
400 g chickpeas, tin, drained and rinsed
1⁄3 cup almonds, flaked or slivered
3 ‒ 4 tbsp dried cherries
Handful flat-leaf parsley and dill, each
lemon juice, to serve
Goat Dressing
80 g soft goat’s cheese
100 g Greek yoghurt
3 tbsp olive oil
Pinch salt
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp dill, heaped, chopped
1⁄2 garlic clove, finely grated
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Method 8
To Cook The Rice
To cook the rice, place a lick of olive oil in the bottom of a saucepan set over a medium heat. Add the and and cook for a couple of minutes, until fragrant. Add the , and , then cover with a lid. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low heat and cook for 15 minutes.
Remove from the heat and leave to sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Add the , stir, and sit for another 5 minutes so the kale can wilt a little before spreading onto a baking tray and allowing to cool. You can also do this ahead of time.
To Make The Dressing
Put the and in a small mixing bowl and use a fork to break down the cheese and slowly work it into the yoghurt.
Once combined, add the , a little at a time, stirring well after each addition to ensure the dressing doesn’t split. Add the , , and , and stir to combine.
To Make The Salad
To cook the , heat a small amount of olive oil in a large, flat-bottomed frying pan over a medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the haloumi and cook for approximately 3 minutes until golden brown on the underside.
Flip, and cook for a further 3 or so minutes, then transfer to a chopping board and allow to sit for a minute before cutting into squares, approximately 1 cm in size. (You can go bigger if you like, but the smaller they are, the more mouthfuls of glorious you get.)
When ready to serve, transfer the cooled and to a large mixing bowl. Add the , , , , most of the and most of the dressing and stir until well combined.
Transfer half the salad to a serving dish and top with half the . Repeat with remaining salad and haloumi, then drizzle with the remaining dressing. Garnish with remaining and a generous squeeze of lemon.
Jessica Prescott's tips
If you’re not a fan of kale, try rocket (arugula) or spinach, which also work well in this salad. Add these greens at the same time as the chickpeas, cucumber, etc., after the rice has cooled.
Olives, capers, pickles and tomatoes all make excellent additions, as does coriander (cilantro) instead of dill, roasted pumpkin (squash) instead of haloumi, or toasted pine nuts instead of almonds.
