When we think snacking cheese, we think about this major player in our repertoire: halloumi. This extra salty sheep/goat milk blend brings an element of surprise to a snack board set and acts as a perfect vehicle for a raw honey drizzle. We also whipped up a simple harissa with Ghost Chili Salt to serve alongside those cheesy skewers. The harissa recipe makes way more than you'll need to dip your halloumi in, but its leftovers are the perfect addition to a grilled cheese sandwich, morning eggs, a quesadilla, and several other snacks that are in our craving catalog.
Recipe by Kourtney Paranteau
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
For the harissa:
- 4 small red bell peppers, halved and cored
- 1½ tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 tsp Jacobsen Salt Co. Infused Ghost Chili Salt
- 1 tsp white pepper
- ½ tsp coriander
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp paprika
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, roughly chopped
PROCESS
Preheat the over to 375º. Place and evenly space your halved red bell peppers into a glass baking dish. Rub the centers with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Roast peppers for 30 minutes or until the skin starts to blacken. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Next, saute your onions in the remaining olive oil. Once the onions are translucent (about four minutes), mix in the tomato paste and garlic, cook for one minute. While cooking for an additional two minutes season with ghost chili salt, white pepper, coriander, cumin, and paprika. After the red peppers have cooled, remove their skins (they should just slip off), and place their flesh into a food processor. Pulse on low along with your onion mixture and parsley until the harissa comes together into a thick sauce.
For the halloumi:
- 1 12oz package of halloumi cheese (we love to shop our at World Foods in Portland)
- Oven safe skewers
- 1 tbsp Jacobsen Co. Raw Alfalfa Honey
PROCESS
Preheat the oven to broil and generously grease a grill pan with cooking spray or oil. Place your grill pan in the oven and let it get sizzlingly hot. Meanwhile, slice your cheese into roughly ½" cubes. Halloumi has a tendency to crumble, so slowly skewer to avoid breakage. Once all of your cheese has been kabobb-ed set them gently on your grill pan, making sure they don't overlap. After about three minutes the halloumi will turn a golden brown. Using kitchen tongs, flip each skewer over and cook for another three minutes on the other side. Remove from the oven, immediately transfer to a serving plate and drizzle with honey. When hot, the halloumi boasts a soft, ooey, mozzarella-like texture, so be sure to enjoy soon after removing from the oven. Serve with your harissa, castelvetrano olives, sliced Persian cucumbers (sprinkled with flaky sea salt), and orange wine.