I rarely serve entrees when I’m cooking for friends, but just occasionally it’s really nice to have a little something up your sleeve for a special occasion, and this simple but lovely dish is it for me. (Although having suggested it as an entree, I must admit that I have often made this as a lunch for two. ). The combination of gooey, molten cheese with the crunchy salad of celery, parsley and apples is truly wonderful.  I only serve small quantities of salad so it acts more like a salsa, however if you would like more, just double the salad and dressing recipes.

SAUTEED HALOUMI  WITH CELERY, APPLE, LEMON & PINE NUT SALAD

Serves 4

Lemon dressing:

45 ml olive oil

3 teaspoons lemon juice

3 teaspoons pure cream

1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or more to taste

Pinch of caster sugar

Salad:

1/4 cup (about 6g) loosely-packed, flat-leaf parsley leaves

Iced water, to soak parsley leaves

1 cup (100 g) very finely sliced celery stalks

1/3 cup small, tender, pale green celery leaves (from the heart)

1/2 medium-sized pink lady, gala or Fuji apple, sliced very finely 1/2 medium-sized pink lady, gala or Fuji apple, sliced very finely

1 1/2 tablespoons roasted pine nuts

2 teaspoons very finely slivered preserved lemon skin

Approximately 1/2 cup (120 ml) olive oil, for cooking

1/3 cup  cornflour

180g  haloumi cheese, cut into slices about 5mm thick

Lemon wedges, to serve

Thoroughly whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Taste it, and adjust the lemon/salt/oil balance to suit you, then cover it tightly and refrigerate it until you need it.

Sit the parsley leaves in a small bowl and cover them with iced water (if you’re wondering why you do this, it’s because the water crisps the parsley and also causes it to curl which looks great). Cover the bowl and pop it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Toss together the celery stalks and leaves in a medium-sized bowl, cover it, and refrigerate it too. Just before cooking the cheese, thoroughly drain the parsley leaves and gently pat them dry, then add them to the celery along with the apples slices, pine nuts and preserved lemon. Give the dressing a whisk and pour it over the top, then mix everything lightly but thoroughly together and return the salad to the fridge.

To cook the cheese, heat the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan (or well-seasoned cast iron frying pan) over medium heat. Tip the cornflour into a shallow bowl. Dip the cheese slices into it so they’re coated all over (if the cornflour doesn’t stick, lightly moisten the slices with water), then gently shake off any excess cornflour. Fry the slices in a single layer in the oil for approximately 1 minute or so per side, or until the cheese is golden brown (you may have to adjust the heat a little as you go). Repeat this with any remaining slices. As the slices are ready, scoop them out of the pan onto paper towel to drain, then sit a few slices on each plate. Divide the salad evenly between the plates, and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

To find out more about Belinda Jeffery go to: belindajeffery

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Belinda Jeffery keeps it simple over summer, using seasonal tomatoes and capsicums to whip up a salad that is delicious on its own or as accompaniment to a meal.

This lovely, simple salad features heavily on our menu over summer as it’s really simple to make, tastes so very good, and looks so inviting. I do a number of variations on it – sometimes adding up to a dozen anchovies and a handful of sharp little nicoise olives; or using red capsicums and red tomatoes instead.

5-6 medium-sized yellow capsicums (peppers)

1/3 cup capers*

1 clove garlic (or more to taste), very finely sliced

Extra virgin olive oil, to taste

Balsamic or good wine vinegar, to taste

Sea salt, to taste

5 medium-size golden tomatoes, cored and each sliced into 6 wedges

handful of basil leaves, torn into small pieces

9 bocconcini (or use 4-5 balls of buffalo mozzarella), torn into bite-size pieces

Small basil leaves, to garnish

*If you’re using salted capers, soak them briefly in water to remove any excess salt, then drain them.

Line a baking sheet with foil. Slice the capsicums along their natural contour lines into large, flattish pieces. Remove any pieces of core, along with the seeds and white ribs. Sit them (or as many pieces as you can fit), skin-side up, on the prepared sheet, then run them under a hot grill until the skins blister and blacken. Transfer them to a plate and cover them with a clean tea towel or plastic film – this helps them sweat so the skins loosen. Grill any remaining pieces of capsicum the same way.

It’s best to peel the capsicum pieces while they are still quite hot. I know this is a bit hard on your fingers, but the blackened skin tends to stain the capsicum flesh brown, rather than the beautiful bright yellow you are after, if it is in contact with the flesh for too long. (More often than not I wear prep gloves to do this, to provide some protection from the heat of the capsicums.) Slice the peeled capsicums into nice wide strips – I usually make mine about 2cm wide as the bigger they are, they more luscious they tend to look and taste (don’t ask me why!)

Put the capsicum strips in a serving bowl that will off-set the lovely gold, deep-green and creamy white tones of the salad, and sprinkle the capers and garlic slivers over the top. Add rather a lot of olive oil and a good splash of vinegar then gently mix everything together. Cover the bowl and set it aside in a cool spot for an hour or two. A little while (half an hour is a good bet) before you want to eat the salad, gently mix in the sea salt, tomato and basil. Cover it again.

Just before serving, add the bocconcini and mix everything gently one last time. Taste the juices that have accumulated in the bowl and add more oil, vinegar or salt to suit your taste (the capsicum strips should be lush with oil.) Wipe the sides of the bowl free of any splotches of oil and scatter a few small basil leaves on top.

Serves 6-8

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