Nectarine, Basil, Balsamic & Halloumi Salad (With a side of hummus)

T

his dish started how many of my ‘simple’ dishes start. A long day at work and getting home later than planned leaves me wanting something easy and quick and halloumi is a great satisfying win that helps add to my increasingly vegetarian dishes.

Grabbing salad ingredients from the fridge to use up before a summer holiday, I was happy to see my favourite combination just waiting to be thrown together. Nectarine, basil, balsamic. If you haven’t tried these yet then I thoroughly recommend making this salad. Or is time is short, just try adding these 3 delights together in a bowl…and eating on some toasted buttered sourdough..and top with slow cooked scambeled eggs…OK you may need more time if you get carried away like me.

The salad is an excellent on its own, but talking of getting carried away, a side dish of warm floury flatbreads and lemony homemade hummus is never a bad idea. So while my halloumi fried, I made a quick humus. And if you have a food processor, then making hummus at home is literally a very quick job. Its the unlucky pot washer that suffers.

Serves 2 (greedy people)

  • 2 ripe nectarines, chopped into 2cm cubes
  • 1 avocado, chopped
  • 1 small head broccoli, chopped in florets
  • 1 pack of halloumi, cubed
  • 1 little gem lettuce, chopped
  • 1 bag mixed salad – rocket, watercress, spinach etc
  • Handful basil leaves, torn
  • Handful flaked almonds, dry roasted
  • 1 lemon
  • Balsamic glaze (I like the one that Odysea sell). I’d avoid using the thinner vinegar as it doesn’t work as well here.
  • Flatbreads, homemade or shop bought, warmed
  1. Add the broccoli florets to a baking tray, season and drizzle very lightly with some sunflower oil. Roast the broccoli for 15 minutes at 200°C. Once roasted, remove from the oven and then leave to cool slightly.
  2. Add the nectarines, avocado, basil leaves, and almonds to a bowl. Season.
  3. Add the little gem leaves, salad leaves and roasted broccoli florets to a large serving bowl or platter. Add the nectarine combination and toss together.
  4. Squeeze over the juice of the lemon and then a generous amount of balsamic glaze. Toss to combine, taste and season.
  5. Fry the halloumi cubes in a little sunflower oil in a hot frying pan until golden brown. Drain on kitchen towel and add to the top of the salad.
  6. Serve with extra balsamic, warm flatbreads and some tasty hummus.

Hummus

  • 1 x can chickpeas, drained
  • 1 large tbsp tahini
  • Juice 1 lemon
  • Handful of fresh coriander
  • 1/2 green or red chilli
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 tsp spice mix
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Sumac – to serve
  1. To make the hummus, add all ingredients to a food processor and season.
  2. Blend until smooth, adding as much extra virgin olive oil to loosen to your desired texture.
  3. Spoon into a serving dish, drizzle with oil and scatter with sumac.