The cabbages are wonderful right now — purple or green, crinkly leaved or smooth and white. I have been shredding the smoky blue-green savoys, tossing them into a pan of hot oil with matchsticks of ginger, minced chilli, garlic and soy sauce. The red cabbages have been cooked with apple juice, cinnamon and juniper, while the tight "drumhead” varieties are steamed and tossed in lemon juice and black pepper.
Many of this season’s cabbages have become salad. The red and tight-leaved white varieties, their leaves shredded into ribbons, are tossed with mayonnaise and sometimes yoghurt, shredded carrots and onion. Better, I think, are those I pickled first — in wine vinegar and sugar — to give the salad a piquancy before dressing. The best of those, with yoghurt, tahini and coriander, was so good it became a dish in its own right, eaten with halloumi.
You need half of the pickled slaw for the halloumi recipe below. It will keep, in a storage jar, in the fridge.
Grilled halloumi with pickled slaw
Serves 4
For the pickle:
100g brussels sprouts
300g red cabbage
250g white cabbage
550ml white wine vinegar
150g granulated or caster sugar
12 black peppercorns
3 garlic cloves
For the dressing:
125g natural yoghurt
2 Tbsp tahini
juice of 1 small lemon
10g coriander leaves
10g (a handful) parsley leaves
4 Tbsp iced water
For the halloumi:
700g halloumi
olive oil — a little
Method:
Trim the brussels sprouts, then slice them into three. Finely shred the red cabbage. Do the same with the white cabbage. Put the sprouts and cabbages in a colander, place over a bowl, then sprinkle generously with salt. Massage the salt well into the shredded leaves and set aside to drain for 30 minutes. Squeeze the leaves in your hands and pack into a couple of medium-sized storage jars or a large mixing bowl.
Pour the vinegar into a stainless-steel saucepan, add the sugar, peppercorns and the whole garlic. Add 550ml of water and bring to the boil. As soon as the sugar has dissolved, pour the hot liquor over the salted vegetables, toss thoroughly then seal or cover and set aside overnight, or for at least 4 hours. Turn the vegetables occasionally by stirring or shaking the jar.
Cut the halloumi into large pieces about 1cm thick. Brush them with olive oil. Heat a ridged griddle pan, place the halloumi on the hot griddle and cook for about 4 minutes on each side.
Mix together the yoghurt, tahini and lemon juice. Finely chop the coriander and parsley and stir into the sauce. Thin to coating consistency with the iced water.
Put half the slaw in a bowl, drained of its marinade. Add the tahini dressing and toss together.
Serve the slaw with the halloumi, hot from the griddle.
