Ask a chef: Ombrellos' haloumi and beetroot salad with spiced seeds

Ask a Chef reveals the secrets of those superb dishes you ate in cafes and restaurants and wanted to try making yourself.

Ombrellos' haloumi and beetroot salad with spiced seeds
Serves 4

Ingredients

4-6 beetroot
2 red onions
½  cucumber
1 red pepper
250g haloumi cut into eight slices (they use Zany Zeus)
¼ cup capers, drained
4 large handfuls mesclun salad leaves
olive oil
red wine vinegar
balsamic vinegar
flour for dusting

Spiced seeds

¼ cup each of sesame, pumpkin and sunflower seeds
1 tsp each paprika, cumin powder and cayenne pepper (or to taste)
½ tsp each of salt and cracked pepper

Dressing

½ cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
1 cup olive oil
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp cracked pepper

Method

Heat oven to 180degC

Peel beetroot, cut off tops and ends and cut into cubes. Place on a roasting dish with a splash of olive oil and red wine vinegar and roast in the oven until soft (about 30min).

Peel onions, cut tops and ends off and cut into wedges. Roast in the oven with olive oil and balsamic vinegar until caramelised. Season well.

Split cucumber in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Run a peeler from top to bottom to create ribbons.

Remove seeds from red pepper and slice.

Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan. Lightly coat the haloumi slices in flour, dusting off excess. Fry haloumi for about 1min each side until lightly browned. Remove haloumi and fry the capers in the same pan for about 2min.

To assemble:

Mix beetroot, onions, cucumber, pepper and mesclun together and divide between four bowls. Lay slices of haloumi over, sprinkle over capers and spiced seeds.

Dress well.

To make the spiced seeds, mix all ingredients together and toast in the oven for 10min to 15min.

To make the dressing, process all ingredients until combined.

 


Requested by Wallis Dixon, of Abbotsford.

Recipe supplied by Katie Elwood, of Ombrellos Kitchen and Bar in Clarendon St, North Dunedin.

If you have enjoyed a dish in an Otago cafe or restaurant and would like the recipe, write to Ask a Chef, Features, Otago Daily Times, PO Box 181, Dunedin, fax 474-7422, or email odt.features@odt.co.nz, including your name, address and a daytime telephone number, and we will request it.


 

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