I’ve been really diggin’ Halloumi cheese of late. It’s a semi-firm, slighty salty cheese that’s popular in Cyprus and much of the Middle East.
One of the characteristics about this cheese is that when you’re chewing it in your mouth, you hear this squeaking noise. Personally, I amused by it and besides, it tastes great!
Today I’m showing you a Greek pasta dish using Χυλοπίτες or egg noodles. For as long as I can remember, I’ve enjoyed a quick supper of egg noodles that were tossed in brown butter and crumbled feta. It was a simple weeknight or lazy person’s pleasure.
Here, I’m taking that same egg noodle and cheese dish and jazzing it up. I’m a grown boy, I now have culinary “baggage”!
This is my first time including mint with pasta but I convinced myself to try it because Halloumi comes in a brine with mint so…the two should remain together right?
Chalk this pasta as one that’s ready by the time your noodles are ready. The ingredients fresh, limited complexity, boundless flavour.
Hilopites With Halloumi and Mint (Χυλοπίτες Με χαλουμι και δυόσμο )
(for four)
1 package (500 gr) of egg noodles 1/2 stick of butter
3 Tbsp. olive oil
approx. 1 cup of cubed Halloumi cheese
some all purpose flour
1/2 cup cubed Manouri cheese
4 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint (half if dry)
8 bunches of green onions, chopped splash of Tawny Port wine
Salt and Pepper to taste
- Get a large pot of water boiling. Add a generous amount of salt when the water comes to a boil. Add your egg noodles and cook according to package’s instructions.
- Cube your Halloumi and Manouri. Dredge your Halloumi in flour and shake off the excess flour. Reserve your Manouri.
- In a large skillet, add your olive oil and a couple of pads of butter on medium-high heat. Brown your cubes of Halloumi and reserve.
- Add the remaining butter, your green onions and mint and saute on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add your Port wine and reduce for a minute. Take off the heat and reserve.
- When your noodles are cooked, save some pasta water, strain and then add the noodles to the skillet and add your Halloumi and Manouri cheeses and toss to coat.
- Add some pasta water if needed.
- Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
18 Responses
This pasta sounds really tasty! I have enjoyed experimenting with adding mint to savoury dishes. It seems to work well. So far I have only used Halloumi cheese in Saganaki. I have been thinking that it would be nice to use it in other dishes.
As usual, you continue to provide mouthwatering dishes for vegetarians. If I ate meat, I am sure I’d be eager to try your carnivorous creations too. I will seek out some squeaky cheese. No shortage of culinary ideas in the foodosphere.
Great photo and I have never heard of Manouri cheese. Is it hard to find? I work in Seatlle and have a cheese store that I frequent but I do not recall ever seeing this type of cheese there. Great looking recipe =D
Shandy
A dish that looks so simple & so delicious.
Can someone please help me up from the floor? I think I’ve fainted. A plate of this deliciousness is what the doctor is ordering to combat any further episodes! ;)
Thanks for posting new ideas for the use of halloumi. I can imagine the taste of this and especially as you have fried it. I shall definitely recreate this one (and your saganaki) and post it as I have a lot of Cypriot readers who would be glad to see a Greek in Canada creating with Cypriot cheese (lol). I’ve got lots of halloumi waiting in my refrigerator to be used.
Peter… you convinced me… We are having noodles for lunch today!!!
wonderful pasta dish. you’re right about the squeaky haloumi, it’s that texture that i love.
I haven’t come across haloumi here living in the “boonies” as I do. We do have lots of other Greek cheeses sometimes just labelled Saganaki cheese generically. I have had it Greece though.It would be excellent in the pasta.
Wow, that looks fabulous. I love the combination of cheese and mint! I keep meaning to try some haloumi – one of these days I will. Although I’m toying with the idea of giving up cheese for lent. I dunno though, that would be awfully tough. Awfully tough. And you’re not helping.
Halloumi, such a wondeful cheese. Though, I love every cheese out there! Great looking dish.
Do you race home after work every day and start cooking, or do you ever take breaks and eat out? :P
Also, TAG you’re it.
http://voodoolily.blogspot.com/2008/01/tag-im-it.html
Kevin, Halloumi is underated in my books.
Lisa, isn’t cheese ‘kosher’ for you?
Shandy, a Greek deli/market should have it. I think the ricotta silata (firm) would fill in for manouri.
Nikki, hold my hand and git up!
Ivy, Halloumi is my of my favourite cheeses.
Nuria, c’mon have some cheese witht he noodles.
Val, in Vancouver there’s a Minerva foods/deli…they should have some.
Ferdzy, pick some up the next time you’re in the Big Smoke (TO).
Heather, actaully I race home to view your blog and learn new cussin’ words! lol
This noodle dish looks and sounds great Peter. I love Halloumi, and when you mentioned the part about “lazy person”, I instantly knew that this is the dish for me. Bookmarked for next week! (Already done this week’s grocery shopping.)
I wish I could get my hands on some of that Greek cheese.
I tried Greek yogurt for the first time today, and was amazed. So creamy! I’m in love with it.
Cakelaw, you’re gonna love it!
Emiline, look for Halloumi at a Greek or, a middle eastern deli/market and yes…Greek yogurt rules.
I absolutely love Halloumi Peter! I always have a packet in the fridge and just now I have two, I must have been panic buying. I like it in a toastie, panini, on a salad yum and it is good baked on top of all sorts of dishes, especially when it goes lovely and brown, but chewy.
Still having trouble on the Manouri front though!
Peter
I love halloumi but good (i.e. imported) halloumi is very expensive here in NZ. However, it is a regular treat I savour – I have even created my own open sandwich in which it features –
http://tinyurl.com/34sjgy
Keep up the great work!
Buzz