Autumn officially started on Friday, so I decided it was time to do a few warm salads. This intense salad is perfect for cooler days, grilled halloumi, zucchini, aubergines, roasted red peppers, crisp croutons, salad greens with my take on an anchoïade dressing.
You can use whatever roast veggies you have at hand. The secret to this salad is how you assemble it. Have all your ingredients ready, if you are using any ingredients out of the fridge take them out before hand and let them come to temperature. Grill the halloumi and make your croutons at the same time, have 3/4 of your dressing ready and waiting in a salad bowl. Immediately add the hot grilled halloumi and croutons and toss a few times, then add the balance of the ingredients and toss well. This ensures that your garlicky anchoïade dressing is warmed really releasing its rich flavour, plus the croutons absorb some of the dressing!
Anchoïade is a Provençal anchovy vegetable spread. I have adapted the original recipe suit this type of salad and to suit the fact that it’s a dressing.
Anchoïade Dressing
Ingredients
– 150ml extra virgin olive oil
– 60gms anchovy fillets
– 2 cloves of garlic
– 3 tbsp wine vinegar
– 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
– zest of half a lemon
– 1tsp lemon juice
Start by gently warming the olive oil on the stove, don’t make it hot. Then in a food processor blend all the other ingredients till smooth and slowly drizzle the warm olive oil. If you don’t like anchovies this would work equally well with a pesto dressing.
To grill halloumi I use a heavy based pan, brushed very sparingly with olive oil, I add the halloumi to a sizzling hot pan.