We made the initial version of this sandwich on a rush a few weeks ago before going off to the Dublin Mountains. We ended up getting lost and this sandwich was a great treat and way of cheering us up a bit. The recipe I post here is a revisited version which I think works out even better for lunch or a weekend breakfast. The chewiness of the halloumi, the crunchy softness of the toasted sourdough, the smooth avocados, the sweetness of the shallots or crunchiness of the sprouts… It’s a delicious explosion of flavour in your mouth and it really feeds both your body and your soul. Real comfort food.

Halloumi is a salty cheese, originally from Cyprus. It is typically grilled or fried (because of its high melting point) and is most popular in the Middle East: Lebanon, Turkey, Syria, Palestine… Traditional halloumi is made with a mix of goat and sheep milk, although nowadays many producers will use the cheaper more accessible cow milk. It has been around since the Medieval Byzantine period, 395AD and it was a common protein source for people (approx 20% protein).

 

In this recipe I’ve used avocado as a base, mixing it with some leftover tomatoes I had in the fridge. I try not to consume too much tomato during the winter though, since it’s not in season and probably comes from a tomato greenhouse. In the summer, I would recommend mixing halloumi and tomatoes, they go very well together.

You can eat this as a sandwich or a toast, depending on how hungry you are. You can also decide to not eat it with bread at all and make some scrambled eggs or omelette instead. This would go really well with the saltiness of the cheese.

 

If you try this recipe or have any suggestions, please leave a comment below or message me directly.

I hope you enjoy 🙂

Silvia

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Recipe:  Halloumi, avocado & honey-glazed shallots sandwich

Total time: 15 mins

Notes: Sandwich for 1!

Ingredients

• 1 or 2 slices of bread, I used sourdough
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1 avocado
• 1/2 lime, juice
• 1/2 half medium tomato, finely chopped
• 1 shallot/onion  + 1 tsp olive oil + honey to glaze (optional)
• 120g halloumi, sliced + 1 tsp olive oil too cook

Garnish: sprouts, chopped chives, sunflower seeds…

If making a sandwich, you can spread the second slices with green or red pesto.

Instructions

1. Set oven to 180º, grill mode.
2. Set a pan to medium heat, pour olive oil. Chop the shallot and when pan is hot, add shallots to the pan and stir well. Cook until softened, add honey and stir. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, mash the avocado in a bowl, pour some lime juice. Then chop the tomato in small pieces and mix well.
4. In the same hot pan, pour a tsp of olive oil then add 3 halloumi slices. Cook on both sides, about 1 minute each or until each side is slightly golden/toasted.
5. Cook the bread in the toaster for 2 minutes.
6. Build your sandwich: spread the avocado on the bread slice, ad some baby spinach, the halloumi, glazed shallots and then cover with the other bread slice if you want.
7. Place in the oven for 3-5 minutes.
8. Remove from oven, sprinkle with some sprouts and chives. Enjoy!