Haloumi Cheese – A Continuation of My Assignment

 

As some of you may recall, months and months ago, I gave my students an assignment to visit grocery stores they do not normally visit and look for cheeses they would not normally look for.  My goal was to get them out of their comfort zone. An education should move one to a higher level of thinking on a variety of subjects – food included.   

To say that I am behind schedule on my assignment is an understatement.  But, I am not getting a grade.  However, I am bound and determined to complete my assignment.  Never let it be said that I left a job undone. 

For my fourth assignment, I picked a Middle Eastern cheese, haloumi.  I learned about this cheese from reading Greek recipes.  I have never tried it, so this is a new experience for me too. 

Haloumi (Halloumi) originated in Cyprus and is also popular in the rest of the Middle East and Greece.  Traditionally, it is made from a mixture of goat and sheep’s milk.  Haloumi is a white cheese, similar to mozzarella.  It has a salty taste.  It is unusual in that it can be fried or grilled until brown without melting due to its higher than normal melting point.  Its resistance to melting comes from the fresh curd being heated before being shaped and brined.  Haloumi can be used to make saganaki, a fried cheese appetizer often found on Greek menus. 

Although some of my sources state that haloumi is similar to mozzarella, I’m not sure that I agree.  First of all, I did not find it to be as tough as mozzarella.  The texture was more grainy and fell apart easier than mozzarella.  It has a stronger flavor than mozzarella.

I decided to make saganaki with my haloumi.  Saganaki is often served in Greek restaurants as an appetizer.  Saganaki gets its name from the pan in which the cheese is cooked.  However, I made mine in a small cast iron skillet.   I have never made this before and was a little intimidated.  As I was making this dish, I thought of fried mozzarella.  I now wonder if this is how fried mozzarella got started.  If anyone in the blogosphere knows, please let me know.

Classic Saganaki with Olives and Lemon

Serves 4 to 6.

Ingredients:

1 package (8 ounce) haloumi

All purpose flour

2 Tablespoon olive oil

½ lemon

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

Tomato wedges

Pita wedges

Kalamata olives

Directions:

1.      Rinse cheese under cold water.  Do not pat dry.  Coat with flour.  Heat oil in heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add cheese and cook until beginning to brown, about 1 minute per slide.  Transfer to plates and serve.

2.       Squeeze lemon over cheese; sprinkle with oregano.  Serve with tomato, pita and olives.



Knackle or Knuckle?

I was fortunate to travel around Greece for a few weeks and I promised that I would give you a few updates on the food. Well, I must confess that my goal of blogging while traveling just did not work out. I guess I just cannot travel and blog at the same time. However, I would still like to share some of my thoughts on Greek cuisine.

One of the most interesting things that I ate was pork knackle or knuckle – I am not sure which is correct. The menu said knackle and the waiter said knuckle. It was some part of the pork leg. It was basically braised pork with rosemary and roasted potatoes. It was good, but needless to say, I did not finish it. If only I had a refrigerator and a microwave.

I did try grilled sardines, just as I promised a friend of mine. They were okay, but would have been better with a starch of some kind. But with a few roasted potatoes, I would try them again. I was surprised that Greek food is not overly spicy. However, they do make good use of oregano, rosemary, garlic, onions, and a few other spices. It just goes to prove that good food does not need to be overly seasoned.

Since Greek food is based on local foods and emphasizes a plant-based diet, I thought I would tie Greek cuisine to our farmers market. Throughout the course of this summer, I will be featuring Greek dishes made with local ingredients. Some local ingredients I plan to feature include eggplants, zucchini, tomatoes and maybe okra. If you have a favorite Greek dish, please tell me about it. I love to hear about what other people cook.