If you ask us, salads should have big, punchy flavours and a robust, satisfying bite; they should please your palate and your stomach in equal measure. This salad does both of those things perfectly. Rustle it up in warmer months, serve with a cold glass of good white wine, and you will not be disappointed.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
For the halloumi:
- 1 x 325g block firm tofu
- 3 lemons
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp nooch (nutritional yeast)
- 2 tsp dried mint
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- pinch of sea salt
For the salad:
- 2 red onions
- drizzle of olive oil
- 2 vegetable stock pots using 600ml boiling water
- 2 red peppers
- 250g cherry tomatoes
- 200g pearl barley
- handful of fresh mint leaves, 1 bag of mixed leaves
- (about 150g) 1 lemon
- sea salt
Method:
- Baking sheet lined with baking parchment
- Large saucepan
- Heatproof jug
- Griddle pan
Prepare the halloumi
- Press the tofu to drain off any liquid.
- Cut the lemons in half and squeeze the juice into a container, catching any pips in your free hand.
- Add the olive oil, nooch, dried mint, garlic powder and a pinch of salt and stir to form a smooth paste. Cut the tofu into 8 strips.
- Put the tofu strips in the container and coat in the marinade.
- Leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 180°C after 2 hours' marinating time.
Bake the halloumi
- Remove the halloumi from the marinade and bake it in the oven on the lined baking sheet for 25 minutes.
While the halloumi is baking, make the salad
- Peel the red onions and slice them thickly.
- Place a large saucepan over a medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil.
- Once warm, add the onion slices and a pinch of salt, mix well and cook for about 10 minutes until the onion softens.
- Mix the vegetable stock pots with the boiling water in a heatproof jug.
- Trim, halve and core the red peppers, cut into small cubes and halve the tomatoes.
- Add the peppers to the onions and cook for another 5 minutes before adding the pearl barley and hot vegetable stock.
- Cook the pearl barley according to the packet instructions until the barley has absorbed all the water and becomes soft.
- Griddle the halloumi
- Warm a griddle pan over a medium-high heat, lay the marinated tofu strips on the pan and sear for 2 minutes on each side to create lovely, dark griddle lines.
- Transfer the halloumi to a plate and season with a good pinch of salt.
Build the salad and serve
- Remove the pearl barley from the heat, slice the mint leaves and mix through the pearl barley, along with the mixed leaves and tomatoes.
- Halve the lemon and squeeze in the juice from both halves, catching any pips in your free hand.
- Spoon the salad onto the bottom of a large serving plate and top with the halloumi slices.
Credit:
BOSH! Meat: Over 100 Outrageously tasty recipes by Henry Firth and Ian Theasby (HQ, HarperCollins). RRP £22.00.
Food photography: Lizzie Mayson