Vine & cheese…
December 4, 2013
On the weekend, along with another crack at the char-grilled octopus (a big hit with the punters, it turns out, specially served with aioli) I revisited this old Karen Martini recipe for haloumi and roasted garlic wrapped in a vine leaf and served with peach.
I just put a slice of peach on each piece, stuck a toothpick through each one and then handed a platter around at an afternoon of drinks and snacks in the back yard. It was another hit, so keep it in mind if you need a slightly unusual plate of morsels some time. I did everything but the cooking ahead of time and then it was just a matter of slinging them in the frypan for a few minutes. Worth it, I reckon.
How to shuck an oyster 
But what sort of vine leaf, Charlotte?
Um … grape? If you click on the link for the recipe it’ll take you back to my original posting of it with a picture of the leaves. Not sure to be honest if it is an ornamental grape or the real thing – but I used leaves from the same friend’s vine this time…
Delicious!
A Greek friend of mine swears (infrequently) when cooking haloumi the key thing is to squirt the lemon juice just before you turn off the heat and take the cheese out of the pan – claims it stops it getting tough.
And ( looking over his shoulder) confided he thinks Cypriot Haloumi is the best.
I follow his advice, but is this wise? If an English person told me to read Jane Austen with a feather in my ear would I do it? Should I? Do you?