Prettaly – Pretty Italy

Have you ever tried halloumi cheese? It origins from Greece and has a fairly hard substance and is slightly squeaky when you eat it. It really tastes great on the BBQ too, by the way, keeping that in mind for summer time! But it is also great year around, combined with zucchini today!

Find the recipe here:

Ingredients for hungry 2 as a main course
Olive oil
2 medium sized zucchini (sliced); alternatively use aubergines/eggplants
12 fresh mint leaves
8 fresh basil leaves
1-2 garlic cloves (optional)
1 heaped teaspoon capers (rinsed)
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1-2 teaspoons white balsamic vinegar
1 pack of halloumi cheese (sliced)
1-2 tablespoons flour to coat the halloumi slices
Salt & pepper
Fresh mint & basil leaves for garnish

Directions
Heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan, then add the sliced zucchini and sauté, flipping them every few minutes. Do this bit by bit in batches (don’t salt yet!). Once ready, remove from the saucepan and add the next zucchini batch with some additional olive oil. This takes approx. 10 minutes.

Alternative: Just prepare in the oven, if you want to save time. Pre-heat oven to 200°C air circulation. Place the slices on a (lined) baking tray and drizzle with oil, flip the vegetables over and drizzle with oil again. Cook for approx. 15-20 minutes!

While the zucchini is cooking, chop together mint, basil and capers to a knife-like pesto. You can also add garlic to the mix – just as you prefer.

In another pan (without any oil), heat the pine nuts until golden brown – be careful to stir continuously, as they like to burn really quickly. Then set aside to cool.

Cut halloumi into 8 slices, carefully toss them in flour so both sides are covered. In a separate saucepan with olive oil, sauté halloumi until golden brown on both sides.

Once the zucchini slices are ready, add all of them into the pan again together with the pesto-mix and pine nuts and stir until warm. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with remaining fresh herbs and serve warm!