HALLOUMI PASTA SALAD

Halloumi salad

We have been having fab weather in Ireland which means several things: holiday atmosphere prevails and eating salad is less of a chore. We're going on a picnic today with our County Offaly friends so I made a halloumi pasta salad to bring. I sampled it (natch) and it's delicious. And a really fast and simple make. I love the chargrilled halloumi in The Cedar Tree in Dublin (I dream about it) but I had a salad like this at a friend's house a couple of years ago and have been planning to make it since. At last I get around to it.

Salad ready to go to the picnic :)

If you haven't yet tried Aldi's Margaret's Loaf, please do
- award-winning, seeded, real brown bread

INGREDIENTS

300g fusilli (or whatever pasta you like)
120g halloumi
10 basil leaves, chopped
10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 garlic clove, chopped very small
olive oil (a glug for the pasta)
salt (to season pasta & finished salad)
pepper
veg oil (for frying the halloumi)

METHOD

- Cook the pasta for about 10 minutes (until it's al dente), adding the glug of olive oil and a pinch of salt at the start
- While the pasta is on, cut the halloumi into 1cm thick slices and fry on a medium heat for about 2 mins each side (it may go golden)
- Let the halloumi cool on two sheets of of kitchen roll, pat excess oil off
- Drain the pasta and leave to cool
- When the pasta is cold, mix through the quartered tomatoes, chopped basil and garlic
- Cut the halloumi pieces into quarters and mix though the pasta
- Season with salt and pepper and mix through
- Serve with green leaves, bean salad, buttered Margaret's Loaf, red wine or anything you fancy.

Summer on a plate :)

BALLINAHOWN TEA ROOMS

We were going to the Alice film on Saturday but first we decided to drop into the craft village at Ballinahown in Co. Offaly. The crafts area wasn't open but the tearoom was so, naturally, we had to sample their fare. I had a gorgeous berry scone, the husband had carrot cake and Junior enjoyed a blueberry muffin with ice cream. Everything very fresh and nicely presented on vintage-ish china. There's also a lovely woodland playground in the village, perfect for reading the morning papers.

Juno as Alice

Juno and Patch in the tea room

Berry scone

One of the Ballinahown craft shops