As this was a sunny Greek inspired dish I thought it only natural to try and capture some sunlight for the picture. As I have a normal nine-to-five job I only get time to do my blog outside office hours, so I have a very small window of opportunity to capture the light. So, I waited and I waited and I waited. By the time a few watery rays of sunshine appeared, I was almost falling down with hunger. When the photos were finally taken, I grabbed the closest available prop and tucked in with gleeful abandon. The evening sun was now warm and bright and had illuminated the entire balcony as I savoured this sweet and salty summer salad. This is my favourite kind of summer snack – light, fruity and fresh with a bite of salty olives and crispy pistachio nuts. Haloumi and Watermelon are a match made in heaven and the honey and lemon dressing really brings out all the flavours. This salad takes only minutes to make and is a perfect after work snack.
Here’s how:
– 1 large slice of Watermelon – mine luckily had very few seeds
– Handful of green olives sliced into discs.
– Handful of shelled pistachios, mine were roasted and salted
– 6 generous slices of Haloumi
– Small bag of baby spinach/ mixed summer leaves.
Honey and lemon dressing
– 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
– 3 tablespoons of olive oil
– Some runny honey – enough to sweeten to your own taste – about half a tablespoon
– Salt and pepper to taste
For the dressing, whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and season to taste. The salad is equally easy. Wash and dry the baby spinach and arrange on a plate. In a small grill pan, fry the haloumi on both sides until golden brown and crispy. You can also grill haloumi which is equally nice. Allow the cheese to cool on a plate covered with kitchen paper to absorb excess oil. Once cooled roughly chop the cheese into bite size pieces. Slice the green olives into small discs. You could also use black kalamata olives which would add a nice colour contrast. I sliced the watermelon into large triangles but you could slice them any way you like. Place the sliced watermelon on the salad plate along with the pistachios, olives and haloumi cheese. Dress with the lemon and honey dressing and mix well. This salad is best eaten soon after making. So simple and so delicious.
