As you can probably tell if you follow this blog, I quite like a hearty dinner salad, in this case one with warm broccoli rabe, chickpeas straight from the can, tomatoes, and chunks of grilled Halloumi, with a tangy onion dressing. Like most meal salads, this one is satisfying because of the differences in texture and temperature of each element.
1 bunch of broccoli rabe, thick stems removed
1/2 can chickpeas, rinsed and dried
5 cherry tomatoes, halved or 3 Campari tomatoes, quartered
1 block of Halloumi (usually there are two blocks per tiny shrink wrapped package), cut into bite sized pieces, about half a cup. You can definitely use a lot less to make this a more healthy and less calorific salad, but I was hangry and felt I deserved the portion size. Also, I had sourdough bread on hand.
1 tsp chopped white or yellow onion
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsps red wine vinegar
1 tsp mustard
Salt to taste
Start by making a dressing by blitzing the last five ingredients together in a blender. Pour into a bowl.
Add the cut tomatoes and the garbanzo beans to the bowl containing the dressing. Stir to combine and leave to marinate while you prepare the other elements.
Add the washed broccoli rabe leaves, torn into bite sized pieces to a large non-stick skillet. Drizzle with a third a cup of water. Cover, turn the heat to medium and cook for seven minutes, checking from time to time to ensure the pan does not get dry. If the water level is too low and it looks as though the greens will burn, add a tablespoon or so of water. After seven minutes, taste the greens. I like them at this stage, but you may want to cook yours a bit more. Pour into a strainer and drain well before adding to the bowl with the other salad elements.
Wipe out the skillet you used for the broccoli rabe and place over medium heat. Add the Halloumi pieces in one layer and cook for about a minute per side, so that the exterior of the cheese starts to char. Lower the heat if the cheese starts to char too quickly.
Decant the salad from the bowl to your serving dish and top with the hot cheese.
Definitely a salad to be eaten with bread.