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When I was a young and eager food journalist, I once asked a world-famous chef what the most delicious thing he ever ate was, expecting a flowery discourse about multicourse, foie gras–and-caviar-studded meals. What he said was: fried cheese. I had to agree. There really are few things more pleasing than fried cheese, melty and gooey on the inside and browned on the surface, be it mozzarella sticks, Greek saganaki, or the part of the cheddar than oozes out of the grilled cheese and onto the skillet, singeing at the edges.
In this dish, I fry cubes of halloumi, a salty-firm Greek cheese, and toss them with roasted Brussels sprouts, seasoning everything with lemon juice, cumin seeds, and Turkish red chile. It’s an easy, homey one-pot meal that you can spoon into a deep bowl and eat on the sofa on a chilly evening. If you can’t find halloumi, you can use other frying or grilling cheeses such as queso para la parrilla from Central and South America, Italian provolone, or Greek kefalotyri. You need something that will hold its shape enough to soften and brown when fried, but that won’t totally melt. — From Dinner: Changing the Game by Melissa Clark. Buy this book from Indiebound, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon.
Reprinted from Dinner: Changing the Game. Copyright © 2017 by Melissa Clark. Photographs copyright © 2017 by Eric Wolfinger. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.
Heat the oven to 450°F.
In a large bowl, toss the Brussels sprouts with 1½ tablespoons of the olive oil, the salt, and black pepper to taste. Spread the sprouts out on a rimmed baking sheet and roast, tossing them occasionally, until they are crispy and dark gold, 15 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a 10- to 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds to the dry skillet and toast until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the seeds into a large bowl to stop the cooking.
Add 1½ tablespoons of the olive oil to the hot skillet and let it heat until it is shimmering. Add the halloumi cubes and fry, turning them occasionally, until they are golden on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer the halloumi to the bowl containing the toasted cumin seeds.
Add the Brussels sprouts to the halloumi. Add the lemon juice, remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, and Turkish red pepper to taste. Transfer the mixture to a serving platter and top it with additional lemon juice, olive oil, and Turkish red pepper before serving.
