Halloumi and Green Pepper Pilaf
Plus strawberries sweeter than any I've seen
They say the weather is about to get warm again, so it seems like the right time to share this easy rice recipe that can fulfil many a need. It’s a good dish to take to a picnic, serve as a BBQ side or make when you want a summer lunch that’s satisfying but simple. I’m sharing some new strawberry and cherry recipes I worked on for Borough Market too, including a real look-at-me number: a Strawberry and Chocolate Cream Pie.
When is a pilaf a pilaf? And should it be called a pilav, pilau or plov, depending on who is reading? Or maybe a rice salad? All good questions that I can't answer right now because I’ve been sick for three days, and my brain can't handle anything more than making sure my son doesn’t eat every blade of grass or elastic band he picks up off the floor!
I am going to brave it and call this a pilaf. The rice is steamed in a pan that’s also got fat in it, and it’s adorned with lovely things, so I think it deserves this title. But I'm very prepared to be told I’m wrong. The important thing is this: it’s an easy (basically) 5-ingredient recipe that combines a few of the best and most delicious ingredients to enjoy in the summertime: slowly caramelised onions, hot cheese, and roasted peppers. I add sultanas for a sweet note because I think they go great with the halloumi and peppers but you can leave them out if you don't like dried fruit in savoury dishes.
When I’m cooking onions as you do for a dish like this, I like to up the quantity (cook 2-3 onions at a time, say) and store the remaining in a tub in the fridge. I like doing that at this time of year for two reasons. The first is that they cook up best when you make a large quantity in the pan because then there's enough moisture for them not to burn too quickly before they’re truly soft. It’s more hands-off cooking them this way because the other onions act as a buffer. The second reason I like having these in the fridge is that they go well with so many summery dishes, be that in a tart or galette for a picnic, on a hot dog or burger or as here, tumbled through a rice or potato salad.
This Halloumi and Green Pepper Pilaf is a lovely accompaniment to fish or meat but it can also be a meal in its own right especially if you add a little tomato and herb salad and maybe a yogurty sauce (eg. a cacik). You can also spice it up with a little Aleppo pepper or some urfa chilli flakes before serving if you like!
Hope you enjoy it! See you soon.
Halloumi and Green Pepper Pilaf
4 tbsp olive oil
5 green Turkish peppers
1 brown onion, thinly sliced (you'll only need 1 here but see above and cook 2-3 at a time for the best results, if you can)
1 cup basmati or long grain rice (about 190g)
1 tsp cumin
1 block halloumi, cut into cubes
Handful sultanas (optional)
1 lemon (optional)
Turn your oven on to 180°c. In an oven dish, douse the peppers in 1 tbsp olive oil then season with salt and pepper and roast for 30-35 minutes.
Meanwhile, caramelise your onion: place a couple of tablespoons of olive oil (or a mix of olive oil and butter) in a pan for which you have a lid, add the onion and a pinch of salt, and sweat it over a low heat for 20-25 minutes. Stir it every 5 minutes or so. It’s nice if the onion gets well coloured in places.
When your peppers are cooked through, slice half of them into 1 inch rounds and leave a couple of them whole to garnish. Reserve all of the olive oil they cooked in to dress your rice.
Remove the cooked onions from their pan then add the rice and the cumin as well as plenty of black pepper. Stir well so the grains get covered in the oil that was left behind by the onions. Add the sultanas and briefly toast for a minute then cover with 500ml of water or stock, and place the lid on your pan. Cook for 15 minutes on your most gentle heat.
In a frying pan, fry the halloumi cubes in olive oil and turn using tongs or two forks so that it becomes golden on all sides. When your rice is cooked, stir most of the onion [or a third of it if you have cooked 3 as above], halloumi cubes, and chopped peppers through (and pour in that reserved pepper roasting oil). Place everything in a serving dish before topping with the whole peppers and a little more onion, and dressing everything with a good squeeze of lemon juice.
Strawberry Recipes
You'll probably know, if you're in the UK, that strawberries are tasting ridiculously sweet this year. Thanks to a hot spring, they're deeply red and intense, so it's a great time to put them in a dessert. I think they’re almost too delicious to cook right now, and so in my my top 3 strawberry suggestions for the season, the berries are in their perfect raw state.
I worked on this new Strawberry and Chocolate Cream Pie recipe for Borough Market, and it’s a really fun and impressive dessert that makes the most of the classic combination of strawberries, chocolate and cream. It is ready in just over an hour, and there’s no baking required. (I also worked on two cherry recipes for Borough Market: some Pork Chops with a Cherry Sauce and a Cherry and Ricotta Galette – find them all here!)
My Strawberry Chiffon Cake will never lose its allure to me. It’s the fluffiest, funnest and sweetest use of summer’s biggest berry. Well worth your time.
Finally, these Strawberry and Tahini Mille Feuille are such a treat and very fun to smash into with a dessert fork, I must say. The combination of strawberrries and tahini is fantastic: the sweet and tart berries cut through the rich nuttiness beautifully. I love them!
If you do want to cook with your berries, I wholeheartedly recommend Claire Saffitz’s Strawberry Ricotta Scones. They are simply sublime, and I say that as someone who is by no means a scone person.
1 year ago… Peanut Butter and Coffee Buns
2 years ago… Chaja Cake (and an interview with Juan Wauters)
3 years ago… Pizza-Topped Cannelloni