Zucchini and Haloumi Fritters

Ingredients

6 medium zucchini

1/4 tsp salt flakes, plus extra for salting the zucchini

200g plain flour

50g cornflour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground cumin

2 large eggs

2 spring onions, sliced

1 clove garlic, very finely chopped or grated on a Microplane

250g haloumi cheese, chopped into 1cm dice

1/2 bunch mint, half chopped, half whole

300ml vegetable oil or olive oil

tzatziki, to serve (see tip)

1 lemon, quartered

Method

1. Coarsely grate the zucchini, sprinkle with salt and let sit for five minutes before squeezing out excess moisture. You will need about three cups of zucchini after salting.

2. Sift the flour, cornflour, baking powder and cumin into a large bowl. Add the salt and combine. Make a well in the centre.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, then mix in the zucchini. Gradually add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until you have a smooth, lump-free, but quite stiff, batter.

4. Fold in the spring onions, garlic, haloumi and chopped mint.

5. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan on medium heat then drop in two tablespoons of batter for each fritter. Cook about four fritters at a time, depending on the size of your pan, but don't overcrowd them.

6. Cook fritters for two minutes or until the underside of each one is golden. Cook the other side for two minutes then drain on crumpled paper towel.

7. Serve with tzatziki, mint leaves and a squeeze of lemon.

Tip To make your own tzatziki, grate some cucumber, vigorously squeeze out the water with your hands, and mix through thick plain yoghurt with a pinch of salt and a bit of finely grated garlic.

Tarragon asparagus and haloumi salad

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup tarragon leaves, coarsley chopped
3 bunches asparagus, trimmed
200g haloumi, cut into 1cm thick slices
2 witlof heads, leaves separated
extra virgin olive oil, to serve

1. Put oil and tarragon in a small jug and whick with a fork until well combined. Coat asparagus in oil mixture.
2. Heat bbq grill to medium, put asparagus spears on grill and cook for 2 minutes until tender. Put haloumi slices on grill and cook for 1 min on each side or until golden on both sides.
3. Arrange witlof on a serving platter and top with asparagus. Break up haloumi into large pieces and sprinkle over asparagus. Drizzle with oil and serve immediately.

Haloumi and chargrilled vegies on vienna

1/2 cup of mint leaves, finely chopped
1 long red chilli, finely chopped
1 tsp sumac
1 tbsp olive oil
200g haloumi
1 medium eggplant, thinly sliced lengthways
2 red capsicums, deseeded and quartered.
1/4 cup olive oil
vienna loaf sliced and toasted

1. Preheat oven to 200C. Put mint, chilli, sumac and olive oil in a bowl and stir until well combined. Add haloumi and gently stir until well coated with marinade. Set aside.
2. Line 2 oven trays with baking paper. Arrange eggplant and capsicum slices, brush with olive oil and bake for 20-25 minutes until cooked through.
3. Heat a chargrill pan. Add marinated haloumi slices and cook for 1 minute on each side or until charred. Put a slice of toast on a plate and top with roasted eggplant and capsicum and finish with haloumi slices.

Haloumi and Chickpea salad

250g of dried chicpeas, soaked overnight in cold water and drained
2 cinnamon sticks
100mL of extra virgin olive oil
1 small brown oinon, finely sliced
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
salt and pepper
1 bunch of silverbeet or swiss chard trimmed and finely shredded
180g of haloumi
1 tbsp of dukkah
3 sprigs of dill, chopped
1 lemon juiced, plus 1/2 a lemon thinly sliced and cut into triangles
lemon wedges to serve

1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil, and chickpeas and cinnamon sticks and cook over medium heat for 1-1 1/2 hours or until chickpeas are tender. Drain and discard chickpeas.
2. Heat 80mL of oil in a deep frypan over a low heat and cook oinon and garlic for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, add silverbeet and cook for a further 20 minutes. Add chickpeas and cook for a further 5 minutes.
3. Heat remaining oil in a non-stick frypan over a medium heat and cook pieces of haloumi for 2-3 minutes, turning often until golden.
4. Sprinkle with dukkah, add haloumi to chickpea mixture with dill, lemon juice, lemon triangles. Stir to combine. Serve with lemon wedges.