I am writing this post on a proper Norwegian summer day; it’s raining outside and 15 degrees Celcius, though I promise, the weather was much nicer when I came up with the idea for this salad. Here in Norway, in-season, Norwegian strawberries are very much the summer staple, so they’re a must, even in salads. Generally, I’m not that big of a strawberry-fan, but the Norwegian ones in the summer? Now they are something else. Anyways, the salad base consists of whole grain couscous, romaine lettuce, mint, basil, avocado, tomatoes and strawberries, and then on thop there is the most epic pan-fried-in-lots-and-lots-of-garlic halloumi cheese and a lovely vinaigrette. This salad is the perfect summer meal – delicious, light and packed with a variety of flavours and textures. Serve it on its own or with some garlic bread/focaccia/etc. on the side.
Ingredients:
1 dL whole grain couscous + 1,2 dL water
One small head of romaine lettuce or your salad of choice
1 pack (250g) halloumi cheese (omit for vegan version)
5 cloves of garlic
300g strawberries
1 large avocado or go crazy like me and use 150g frozen (thawed) sliced avocado
250g your favourite cherry tomatoes
1 large handful of each: mint and basil stalks
Dressing:
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (basil infused (if you have) works wonderfully)
2 tbsp balsamico
just a tiny squeeze of lime or lemon juice
1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
1-2 tsp maple syrup
a crackle of fresh pepper
1/2 minced garlic (optional)
Method:
- Start by cooking the couscous. In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil (with the lid on), add a sprinkle of salt if you want and then add the couscous. It rarely takes more than five minutes for it to absorb all the water, and you might want to add a little bit more if it looks dry before putting the lid on and leaving it. Now mix all the ingredients for the dressing in a small jar or cup and let it sit. Meanwhile, start to chop stuff.
- Wash and chop the lettuce, tomatoes (in half) and strawberries (in eighths). Remember to also wash the herbs and add to the salad. You might want to tear the largest leaves in two. Add everything to a large bowl and mix (you might want to spare some strawberry pieces to but on top later). Now slice the garlic cloves thinly (do not chop into fine pieces, just into thin slices). Slice the halloumi into seven or eight slices. Heat up a pan at medium/high heat, add a teaspoon of olive oil (or other preferred oil), add the garlic and stir around, make sure they’re evenly spread across the pan before adding the halloumi slices. The garlic and halloumi take approximately the same time to cook, so don’t leave the garlic alone very long. Flip the cheese slices every so often to make sure they’re not burned. Once nice and golden on both sides, transfer to a plate and chop each piece into either four or six pieces.
- Chop the avocado the way you’d like and add to the salad bowl. Mix. Sprinkle the halloumi pieces on top and your saved up pieces of strawberry and then the dressing on top of that. Alternatively, serve the dressing on the side if preferred. Now serve your epic summer salad immediately and enjoy! FYI: it really does go well with garlic bread or a freshly baked focaccia. Here’s my recipe for a healthier, yet delicious spelt focaccia: https://greenwolff.com/index.php/2020/11/22/spelt-focaccia-with-fresh-rosemary-and-sundried-tomatoes-with-homemade-vegan-aioli/
