Creamy herb and lemon linguine with chilli pan fried Halloumi

We’ve got a bit of a thing for Halloumi at the moment.  I love its squeaky saltiness.  The delicious, almost bacony savouriness of the cheese makes it a perfect foil to something a bit creamy, hence our favourite combo of herby, creamy lemon pasta topped with crisp on the outside, soft on the inside cheese…

You will need:

Linguine or spaghetti

1 pack Halloumi cheese

Pinch of dried chilli (optional)

1/2 pack green beans

1/2 lemon

About 200ml double cream

A couple of large handfuls of herbs – I used parsley, basil and mint

So get the linguine boiling in loads of salted water. I use a whole pack for the four of us but then we are really greedy.  Use less if you’re going for arty dinner party rather than ‘fat bird in front of the telly’.

Slice the Halloumi quite thickly and put the slices straight into a dry frying pan.  Sprinkle with the chilli.  Check periodically and turn them over when the first side is brown.

At about the same time as you turn, pop the green beans in with the pasta.  Then, chop the herbs, measure out the cream and squeeze the lemon and have them ready.

When the pasta is ready, quickly drain it, whack it back in the pan and add in the cream, squeeze in the juice of 1/2 the lemon (or all if you like it zingy) and add in all but a spoonful of the herbs.

Toss it all together and pile straight into bowls.  Teeter your now golden and crusty Halloumi slices on top and finish with the remaining herbs.

A fresh, summer delight which is, when you think of it, practically storecupboard-ready and ridiculously quick to cook too.

 

 

2 Responses to “Creamy herb and lemon linguine with chilli pan fried Halloumi”

1. Maria @ Feisty Tapas says:

   June 26, 2012 at 2:52 pm

   This sounds really good! I had never tried halloumi until I started it doing it sesame-crusted with roasted mediterranean vegetables and now I’m a big fan, husband used to be a vegetarian so he knows a lot about halloumi apparently. I’m a clueless Spaniard obviously

   Reply
   • English Mum says:

     June 26, 2012 at 7:36 pm

     I’m a late discoverer too… I can imagine it must be a godsend to veggies!

     Reply