Halloumi and Harissa Salad

I treated myself to a subscription to the BBC Good Food magazine at Christmas and have loved discovering new recipes. This recipe was in the August 2013 issue and was really tasty. A very different way to serve broccoli and an opportunity to enjoy Halloumi, a more recently acquired taste thanks to my friend Hazel. The recipe was for four but I halved it, and ate it over two days. (I cooked the Halloumi fresh on the second day). The version below is the two servings version.

Halloumi with broccoli tabbouleh & honey-harissa dressing

140g couscous
150g broccoli florets
6 spring onions, finely sliced
80g cherry tomatoes, quartered (I used baby plum tomatoes)
Small bunch parsley, finely chopped (I didn't have any so didn't use this)
Small bunch mint, finely chopped
Juice of 1 1/2 lemons, zest of 1/2 lemon
11/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp harissa
1/2 tbsp clear honey
250g pack of halloumi, cut into 1cm thick slices (I used Tesco's reduced fat halloumi)
15g toasted flaked almonds (I just used plain flaked almonds)

1. Put the couscous into a bowl and cover with boiling water. Cover with cling film and set aside for 5 minutes. If the water has not all been absorbed at this point, taste to check the couscous is soft, and drain through a sieve. If not cooked leave a little longer.

2. Blanch the broccoli for 2 minutes, then drain well. Cut into small pieces or blitz in a food processor.
(I used my mini chopper which I love for little jobs like this - http://amzn.to/13bD82I).

3. Fork the broccoli, spring onions, tomatoes, herbs, 1 tbsp of oil, lemon zest and juice of 1 lemon through the couscous.

4. Combine the harissa, honey, juice of half a lemon and 1/2 tbsp olive oil and juice of half a lemon  with some salt and pepper for the dressing.

5. Heat a non-stick frying pan and cook the halloumi for 1-2 minutes on each side until golden. Divide the couscous between two plates, top with the halloumi slices and drizzle with the dressing, then scatter over the almonds.

This made a fantastic lunchtime meal which I will definitely make again. The harissa paste is quite hot so watch out if you're not a fan of spice. If you want to try this without the spiciness just miss out the harissa and add some more lemon juice instead.