The great thing about halloumi is that it stays firm when it’s cooked, making it perfect for grills and barbecues. I love to thread it onto kebabs with plenty of vegetables.
Ingredients
- 2 red or yellow (bell) peppers, deseeded and cut into chunks
- 1 large courgette (zucchini), cut into chunks
- 4 cherry tomatoes
- 4½ oz (125 g) halloumi, cubed
- olive oil spray
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp fresh green pesto
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Smashed Chickpeas
- 14 oz/1½ cups (400 g) canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
- 7 fl oz/scant 1 cup (210 ml) hot vegetable stock
- a pinch of ground turmeric
- a handful of parsley, mint or coriander (cilantro), chopped
- ½ grated lemon zest and juice
How to Make It
- Thread the vegetables, tomatoes and halloumi onto six small or four large skewers (if using wooden ones, soak them in water first to prevent them burning). Spray lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Preheat the grill (broiler) or prepare a barbecue.
- Cook the kebabs under the preheated grill or on the barbecue for 10–15 minutes, turning them occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and slightly charred around the edges and the halloumi is golden brown.
- Meanwhile, put the chickpeas (garbanzo beans), hot stock and turmeric in a pan and cook over a low–medium heat for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander, then blitz in a food processor or blender until coarse and grainy. Alternatively, mash roughly with a potato masher. Add the herbs, lemon zest and juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Sprinkle the kebabs with the sesame seeds. Drizzle with the pesto and serve immediately with the smashed chickpeas.
