Thursday, January 12, 2012

Pumpkin and Haloumi Salad with a Honey-Jalapeno Dressing







For some reason I can't get out of the groove of making pumpkin salads and adding haloumi to them. It's getting ridiculous, you'd think there was no other vegetable and cheese combination on earth. Way to be creative, Stacey.

Anyway, it's good stuff, and I'll keep making it until sweet potato gets an inferiority complex and shouts from the pantry "you don't love me any more! I always knew pumpkin was your favourite" and slams the door. Attitude.

This one was invented when Mrs Woog came to town and was having a barbecue with about nine million of her nearest and dearest. It was loud, chaotic, full of excited kids and a whole lot of fun. I was tasked with salads, and I wasn't about to pass up an excuse to use haloumi. Stuff is like crack.

It was the day of the hangover from hell, and once I imagined that oozy, salty gift from god frying and generally being delicious in the extreme, I had to have it. There was a good chance I was going to turn up, graciously offer the salad to the hungry masses, then surreptitiously and constantly pick the haloumi out of it when no-one was looking. 

Sometimes it's hard to share.

In a fit of extreme laziness, and a deep aversion to putting the oven on in stupidly hot weather, I fried the pumpkin. I'm reasonably certain nobody could tell the difference. Or they were too polite to tell me so.




Look at this adorable human.

This is Mrs Woog's mum. She liked me even though I have the longest fingers seen on any humanoid, and her daughter told me I swore too much. I also giggled inappropriately, drank too many martinis and lost several games of handball to her grandchildren. She liked me so much she adopted me, and I am now one about 17 girls she calls her own, including the impossibly fabulous Uberkate, shown above making me wet my pants.

My new mum said she liked my salad, and that's all that counts.

Ingredients:

3 cups roasted or gently fried cubed pumpkin
1 block cubed haloumi, fried
A mixture of spinach and rocket
handful of mint, torn
handful of pumpkin seeds (I'm not actually putting my grubby mitts all over these ingredients, it's just a good vague description of amounts...)

Dressing ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, minced
4-5 jalapenos, diced very, very small
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
a little more than 1 cup honey
1/4 cup Corona or other light Mexican beer

Directions:

1. Layer the spinach and rocket in a bowl or on a serving platter.

2. Add the pumpkin and haloumi and sprinkle the mint and pumpkin seeds over.

3. Drizzle with dressing and a little olive oil.

Dressing Directions:

1. Saute the garlic and jalapenos very gently in some olive oil until soft - 10 minutes.

2. Turn the heat down and add the red wine vinegar. Let steep for 10 minutes or so, until some of the vinegar cooks down.

3. Add the honey and stir. At this point I was worried the end result would be too thick, so I tried to figure out what might thin it a little. Just as I thought "I bet I randomly think of something that isn't immediately obvious and it works perfectly", I sipped my Corona. Bingo. I poured in about 1/4 cup or so (maybe a little more) and it was just the thing.



Would YOU like me even though my fingers are longer than a monkey's?

It's ok if you wouldn't.


really.


I probably wouldn't like me either.

35 comments:

  1. Oooh yummo! Gonna make this salad happen in my house......also may eat all the haloumi (shhh)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Well it all depends. Will those impossibly long fingers stroke my hair as we snuggle? And OMG beer in a salad dressing? Amazeballs.
    P.S. Never tried Haloumi... can we still be friends?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Go out today and buy it Glowy. Your life will change!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I can SO vouch for this salad's AMAZEBALL-NESS. 

    ReplyDelete
  5. I can see where I get my leopard print fetish from now. Welcome to the brood baby! xx

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yum! Am going to steal this one. What amazing abilities do those monkey fingers give you?

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm thinking of cutting them in half. Would you still like my stumps to caress your head?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Excellent recorder skills and the ability to wave really well.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'd answer this comment, but am currently out buying a leopard-print purse. Will you take a raincheck? Xx

    ReplyDelete
  10. It's okay, my butt is bigger than an elephants. So long as you can do tricks, it's all good!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh yum, I am def going to make this. I'm a little obsessed with haloumi at the moment. Have had salted and fried halmoumi with zucchini fritters for lunch the last 2 days.
    I love it so much I even added it to my final meal wishlist along with pork crackling (hold the pork) cookie dough, a baguette and cold butter. 

    ReplyDelete
  12. This looks so delicious, I don't even care how long your fingers are!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. that looks incredible! and it's detox friendly (minus the beer and honey!)

    ReplyDelete
  14. There is no other vegetable and cheese combination. Not that I'm aware of anyway! ;)
    This recipe had me at 'haloumi'. Yum!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I bought a block of Haloumi and had no idea what to do with it...I will be making this salad on the weekend!  Thanks for the inspiration...and long elegant fingers are better than my short, fat ones any day!

    ReplyDelete
  16. The best part is that any kind of fingers can make haloumi :-)

    ReplyDelete
  17. No need for any other combination :-)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Better than beet soup, yes? Xx

    Sent from my iPad

    ReplyDelete
  19. Haha I didn't even realize they were that long until the photo was taken, so apparently I haven't cared for 32 years... Not about to start now!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Ohhhh zucchini fritters! I think this salad would be part of my final meal wish list :-)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Yum! Haloumi is a staple in our house, love it. Great recipe. 

    ReplyDelete
  22. I love this recipe, if I leave off the dressing I can even eat it. I wouldn't get much of a look in though, the youngest would snaffle it all. She loves pumpkin and cheese and pumpkin seeds...

    I have short hands, I was once told I should be good at shorthand because I have short hands. If you cut your fingers off can I have them to make mine longer? 

    ReplyDelete
  23. Ok. I've never even heard of haloumi, much less eaten it! I guess me and Nick will be on a haloumi hunt now!! I hope I like the taste as much as I like saying haloumi! Oh heck.... I'm not even sure if I'm even pronouncing right in mind! Lol

    ReplyDelete
  24. aw it's so good! It's pronounced ha-loo-mee so you're probably doing it right :)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Excellent for hangovers, I'm told!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Thank you! It should be a staple everywhere :)

    ReplyDelete
  27. That's why I'm invited to parties :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. This salad sounds awesome.  I am always given the task of bringing the salad.  I am making this one next time.  Thanks for sharing.  Rachel xx

    www.redcliffestyle.com

    ReplyDelete
  29. Haloumi with the chilli in it is awesome in salads too. 

    ReplyDelete
  30. You are so welcome! I hope it's a hit :-)

    ReplyDelete