This is a Greek-inspired recipes combining gently charred melting cubes of halloumi with tender juicy pieces of lamb fillet with the added slight crunch of onion. The marinade adds some sweetness with a gentle murmur of lime coming through.
Halloumi is a semi-hard, unripened, Cypriot cheese made from a mixture of goat’s and sheep’s milk, and sometimes also cow’s milk. It has a high melting point and so can easily be fried or grilled and it is a popular meat substitute.
It has a slightly salty taste so it’s advisable to leave salt out when cooking it in some dishes and this is why honey or fruits compliment it as they balance the flavours. When grilled it becomes crispy on the outside and meltingly soft on the inside.
On a lovely summers day this is a perfect dish to have on the barbecue and can be made ahead and kept in the fridge until you are ready to ‘fire-up’!
Lamb and halloumi kebabs
Ingredients
- 150 g lamb fillet, cut into 1cm slices
- 100 g halloumi, cut into 3 x 3 to make 9 cubes
- 1 onion, cut into large cubes
- 4 wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes
- Marinade
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 juice of lime juice
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried mint
- Pinch coarse ground black pepper
Instructions
- Trim and cut the lamb fillet into 1cm slice.
- Place the marinade ingredients in a shallow bowl and mix together.
- Add the lamb, halloumi and onion, stir gently to cover, taking care not to break the halloumi.
- Leave for 30 minutes.
- Thread the onion, lamb and halloumi onto the skewers in turn.
- Place on a baking tray and spoon over any remaining marinade left in the dish.
- Heat a frying pan or grill to high and cook on each side for 4-5 minutes until cooked through and lightly charred.
- Serve with a tossed salad or on a bed of steamed kale.
- For a vegetarian option replace the lamb with red pepper.
