This hot halloumi platter is such a crowdpleaser that it’s worth making with two blocks of halloumi, even for a smaller group. I like to include this as part of a spread of mixed hot and cold dishes – a jolly, festive update on cheese and pineapple on a stick (which is admittedly hard to improve on). Then, a high-impact, low-effort dish: za’atar roast carrots with labneh and pistachio. On a whim, I hung a carton’s worth of plain yoghurt in muslin for labneh the other week, and now I can’t stop – it takes just 30 minutes for a soft-set, which is what you want here (for a firmer set, leave it to hang for an hour).
Hot halloumi platter with pineapple salsa (pictured top)
To get ahead, keep the cut pineapple in a large bowl in the fridge, the chopped mint and chilli in a small bowl, and the red onion and lime juice in another small bowl. Mix just before serving.
Prep 20 min
Cook 15 min
Serves 6, as a snack or side
1 small ripe pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into small chunks
1 small red onion, peeled and very finely chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
15g mint, leaves picked and finely chopped
Finely grated zest and juice of 1-2 limes
A pinch of sea salt flakes
½ tbsp olive oil
2 225g halloumi, patted dry and cut into ½cm-thick slices
In a bowl, mix the pineapple, onion, chilli, chopped mint and lime zest, then add the lime juice and salt a little at the time, tasting as you go, until the flavours are nice and punchy (depending on how juicy they are, you may not need both limes).
Heat the oven to 70C (50C fan)/gas very low. Put your largest frying pan on a medium heat, add a little olive oil, then lay in a single layer of the sliced halloumi. Fry for two to three minutes on each side, until golden brown and crisp, then transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper and put in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining halloumi in batches.
To serve, arrange the hot halloumi on a platter, dress it with the pineapple salsa (you will not need it all) and serve immediately.
Za’atar roast carrots with labneh and pistachios
This is a lovely dish to serve as part of a meze spread, It can also all be prepared in advance, and put together at the last minute.
Prep 10 min
Cook 40 min
Serves 4
500g natural yoghurt
1kg carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 1cm slices
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely grated
2 tbsp za’atar
45ml olive oil
1 tsp flaky sea salt
2 tsp maple syrup
75g pistachios
Juice of ½ lemon
1 small handful fresh mint leaves (optional)
Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7. Tip the yoghurt into a muslin or clean cloth set over a sieve, bring the corners of the cloth together and gently twist so the yoghurt is completely encased in a ball. Fasten with string (or a rubber band) and tie to a cupboard handle with a bowl underneath to catch the liquid.
Meanwhile, tip the sliced carrots into a large roasting tin (they should almost sit in one layer), then toss through the garlic, za’atar, olive oil and salt. Cover tightly with tinfoil and roast for 20 minutes.
Remove the foil, drizzle over the maple syrup, then return to the oven for a final 10 minutes. At the same time, pop the pistachios on a baking tray, and put them on a lower shelf of the oven to toast (if your oven is fierce, rescue them after six to eight minutes). Roughly chop the toasted pistachios into chunky pieces.
When you want to serve, warm through the carrots for 10 minutes in the oven, if need be. Untwist the cloth, spread the labneh over a platter and arrange the carrots on top. Squeeze over the lemon juice, scatter over the pistachios and mint leaves, if using, and serve warm or at room temperature.
