With recent news of Halloumi cheese earning PDO designation as a unique product (produced in Cyprus), I was looking through older notes and photos of Halloumi dishes I’ve created.
I stopped at this one – cubes of Halloumi cheese, wrapped in bacon and grilled or baked until the bacon is crisp. It’s as if the the Halloumi grew a bacon skin!
The two ingredients complement each other in this easy appetizer. No need for salt here, just some lemon juice to balance the richness and some mint to brighten it up.
Bacon Wrapped Halloumi
(serves 6)
2 x 250 gr. Halloumi Cheese
6 slices of bacon (regular supermarket bacon)
3 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil
juice of half a lemon
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint or lemon verbena
- Cut each Halloumi block into 6 cubes. Cut each slice of bacon into three. Lay the cut bacon on your work surface then place a cube of halloumi on top.
- Wrap each cube with bacon and arrange 3 bacon wrapped halloumi cubes in a line and thread with a wooden skewer.
- Pre-heat your gas grill to medium high or pre-heat your oven to 400F.
- If grilling, place the halloumi on a clean and oil-lubricated grill surface and grill for 2-3 minutes/side or until bacon is crisp on all sides. If baking in the oven, place on a baking sheet and place on a the lowest rack in your oven, bake for 10 minutes then flip the skewers, bake another 5 minutes or until bacon is crispy.
- Transfer to a platter. Drizzle honey, olive oil, squeeze lemon juice, sprinkle black pepper and chopped mint.
- Serve one skewer per person.
