Asparagus and haloumi salad

This simple salad, which looks so utterly delicious, is very quick and easy to make and has a lovely interplay of warm, salty, chewy and grassy flavours and textures.

It’s the sort of thing I make for an impromptu lunch and serve with a platter of sliced tomatoes drizzled with good olive oil, thin slices of our wonderful local Salumi Australia salami (if you ever see it, snaffle some up – it’s brilliant) and a loaf of bread that has been warmed in the oven. It’s hard to beat!

Just one thing to note before you dive in: when asparagus is roasted, it doesn’t have quite the brilliant green colour of steamed asparagus; however, roasting really concentrates its flavour, and I must say I rather love its slightly wrinkled look.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS AND SAUTÉED HALOUMI SALAD

Serves 4

Ingredients

• About ½ cup (125 ml) olive oil
• 1/3 cup (50g) cornflour
• 200g haloumi, cut into 5 mm thick slices
• Leaves and flowers from 2–3 tarragon sprigs, to garnish, optional
• Lemon wedges, to serve

Roasted Asparagus:

• About 650g asparagus spears (I work on 8–10 spears per person), bases trimmed
• 2–3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

To make the roasted asparagus, preheat your oven to 250°C and line a large baking tray with baking paper. Sit the asparagus spears on the tray, drizzle them with olive oil, then use your hands to mix them together so the spears are well coated in oil.

Spread the spears out in a single layer, then slide the tray onto the top shelf of the oven and roast the asparagus for 7–10 minutes, or until the spears are tender when pierced with a fine skewer. As soon as they’re ready, remove them from the oven and sprinkle them lightly with salt and pepper.

Just before the asparagus comes out of the oven, heat the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Tip the cornflour into a shallow bowl. Dip the haloumi slices into the cornflour so they’re coated all over (if it doesn’t stick, lightly moisten the slices with water), then gently shake off any excess cornflour. Fry the slices in a single layer for about 1 minute on each side, or until the cheese is golden brown (you may have to adjust the heat a little as you go). Repeat this with any remaining slices. As the slices are ready, scoop them out of the pan onto a paper towel to drain.

To serve, sit a pile of asparagus spears on each plate, dotting the haloumi slices here and there (I sometimes break the haloumi into smaller pieces, as I’ve done in the photograph). Sprinkle with tarragon leaves and flowers, if using, and serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over the top. Serve immediately.