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Prepared
from sheep's milk or a mixture of sheep and goat's milk with the addition of
a little mint, Halloumi is a cheese that adapts well to many uses. The
traditional method of making the cheese is by submerging fresh curd in hot
whey to soften and stretch it, similar to mozzarella making. It is placed in
baskets and then hand-folded into a wallet-shaped piece.
Halloumi is available in individual packages, with a little brine
surrounding the cheese. It is usually sold in weights of approximately half
a pound. The cheese is very mild, springy in texture and extremely
versatile. Like so many other cheeses, much of it is now produced by large
dairies and machine made. However, there is still some Halloumi being
hand-made using traditional methods.
Tony Karellis, a famous chef explains, "Cyprus Halloumi is mostly
hand-made according to traditional methods. The secret is to know how to
cook the cheese and for how long. Undercooking or overcooking produces an
inferior product." Halloumi is a fresh cheese and is packaged shortly
after preparation. "Basically there is no aging," states Karellis.
He describes the cheese as being similar to a mozzarella or a string cheese.
"The flavor of Halloumi is very appealing and, unlike most other
cheeses, is mellow and tangy, but not too strong."
Halloumi has many uses. According to Karellis it can be used in any way you
like. "In Cyprus it is very popular with bacon and eggs. It is perfect
with melon and in salads with tomatoes, radicchio and a Greek
dressing." It also is used as a stuffing for ravioli and pastries and
as a sandwich ingredient. It can be grated.
Perhaps one of its most popular uses is grilled. Due to its unique
qualities, the cheese softens when grilled, but does not melt. There is no
other cheese that grills up so nicely. When grilled, the outside takes on a
light, golden color and the inside becomes soft instead of runny. A few
grilled slices on top of arugula or mixed greens with a drizzling of olive
oil is superb. For an appetizer, think mozzarella sticks and substitute
Halloumi. According to Droushiotis of the Cyprus Board, this is the best way
to sample the cheese. In fact, he says they will provide demo people for
in-store tasting. "The best way to introduce people to Halloumi is to
have someone grill it in the store and hand it out to people. Since it is
relatively new to the American palate, this is an excellent way to introduce
people to it," he says.
Halloumi's fame has spread far from the Island of Cyprus, and it has become
another choice of fine cheese for aficianados.
Truth be told, up until a few months ago I'd hardly even heard of Halloumi
(pronounced "ha-loo-mee"). I knew the name but not much else. The
few times I tried it, all I had was some unimpressive industrial version,
and I'd paid it little mind. What turned me around, and then on, was
passionate pursuit by some very vociferous Cypriots living in Ann Arbor.
Their enthusiasm for their native cheese caught my attention. Passion for
great food is something I like to be around. So I took them up on their
offer to try some of their traditional cheese. Two months later I've become
a champion for this special Cypriot cheese.
So what exactly is Halloumi? It's a mix of sheep's and goat's milk, made for
centuries on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. Fresh curd is submerged in
hot whey to soften and stretch it, along the lines of mozzarella making. The
young cheese is then aged in baskets and folded into wedges about the size
of a large wallet. On Cyprus, Halloumi is an assumed part of daily eating;
it appears at breakfast, lunch and dinner. For many Cypriots, a meal would
be incomplete without it.
What's so special about it? For openers, it's unique to Cyprus. More
importantly, it has a very appealing flavor that's unlike any other cheese:
mellow, but not in the least boring, mildly sheepy, notably tangy, never too
strong. Halloumi can be enjoyed almost any of the ways you'd eat other
cheeses: sliced up as is for a simple snack, cubed onto salads like you
would feta or melted on casseroles.
The Great Grilled Cheese of Cyprus
To me though, the number one, tip-top tastiest way to eat Halloumi is to fry
it or grill it, just enough to get its exterior a good golden brown. There's
no other cheese that I've seen that grills up as nicely as Halloumi. A
light, golden-brown crust bubbles up on the outside of the cheese; the
interior gets soft, not quite runny, but very delicious. Grilling Halloumi
is hardly difficult. Simply slice some of the cheese into half-inch thick
pieces, then lay them into a hot skillet that's been brushed with just a
hint of olive oil. You don't need much oil--in fact you can even go without
any at all if that's your preference. Leave the cheese in the pan 'til it's
lightly browned on its down side, about two to three minutes. Carefully flip
the slices and fry them on the other side. When the cheese is golden brown
on both sides, it's ready to eat.
You can serve slices of lightly-fried Halloumi on their own as an appetizer,
with or without a light drizzle of additional olive oil and a grind of fresh
black pepper. It makes an excellent appetizer, offered up next to wedges of
ripe melon. Try it topped with a homemade caper sauce: salted capers, soaked
for a few minutes to remove the salt, then drained and mixed with extra
virgin olive oil, vinegar, a bit of lemon, some crushed coriander seeds,
chopped fresh cilantro leaves, chopped garlic, some sea salt and freshly
ground black pepper.
Best of all are slices of grilled Halloumi laid atop a summer green salad.
On Cyprus, the salad green of choice is arugula. Apparently it's eaten all
the time. And slices of Halloumi perched atop a salad of fresh arugula
leaves is absolutely lovely. If you like, add a few grilled ripe fig halves
for good luck. Then dress it all down with a good extra virgin olive oil and
some aged wine vinegar. I can tell already this dish is going to be the hit
of my summer menu.
Halloumi is also eaten a lot for breakfast. Cypriots swear that the best way
to eat it at that time of day is to serve it with wedges of ripe watermelon.
And you know, it's darned good. For a more familiar morning format, serve
grilled Halloumi alongside a few slices of toast, wedges of tomato, a couple
of eggs over easy (cooked in olive oil, of course, which makes for an
outstanding fried egg, though that's a story for another day), and a good
cup of coffee.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I know I mentioned the Cypriot passion for
Halloumi. But what I nearly neglected to report was that back in the 19th
century, a famous European doctor wrote a cooking manual in which he says of
Cyprus Halloumi: "This is good food which enhances sex . . ." What
else can I say? Why mess around? Have some Halloumi Today.
"Detroit News August 12, 1999"
The incredible Cypriot cheese, has been around for hundreds of years but is
just now catching on in the United States. Halloumi is made by hand from a
mix of sheep's and goat's milk that comes from the Paphos region of Cyprus.
The soft, springy, oval-shaped curd resembles a fresh mozzarella and has a
mild yet tangy flavor. The best part is that it's so versatile. It can be
grilled, grated, marinated, fried or eaten plain. Try a slice on a grilled
mushroom sandwich, cubed on top of a salad, or sliced and grilled and served
for breakfast with your eggs. It's not only delicious, but an unopened
packaged will keep refrigerated for a year and also can be frozen.
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