Halloumi and Couscous Cakes

bluemoon downunder's Note:

Haloumi and couscous cakes flavoured with lemon zest and parsley, and served with a simple refreshing baby spinach salad with slices of smoked salmon, or with your favourite salad. This recipe is from the November/December 2005 issue of the 'donna hay magazine: turn simple into special'. I haven't yet made these cakes; I just bought the magazine today! But for me this recipe had that instant must-be-tried-soon appeal! In posting the recipe, I have separated the cakes from the side salad (I have included details of the salad in the Directions) as I thought it would be more useful for those watching fat content or calories to know the nutritional information for the cakes. In posting the recipe, I have reduced the oil used in cooking the cakes from 2 tablespoons to 11/2 tablespoons. The oil could, of course, be considerably more reduced if the cakes were cooked in the oven on trays. Donna Hay is a well-known and popular Australian chef.

• Total Time: 15 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 cup cooked couscous
• 180 g halloumi cheese
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest, finely grated
• 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Place the couscous, haloumi, lemon zest and parsley in a food processor and process for 1 minute or until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs; then shape 1/4 cups of the couscous mixture into round cakes.
2. Heat a non-stick pan over a medium heat; add the oil; cook the cakes in batches for 2-3 minutes each side or until golden; transfer the finished cakes onto a plate lined with absorbent paper towelling, and keep warm while you cook the remaining cakes.
3. SERVING SUGGESTION: Serve the haloumi and couscous cakes with baby spinach leaves and slices of smoked salmon with lemon slices. If you like a dressing on your salad, Donna Hay combines 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and tosses the smoked salmon slices and baby spinach leaves in the dressing to combine, and serves it with lemon wedges.
4. NOTES: Suggested quantities - in the original recipe - for the side salad: 7 ounces (200g) smoked salmon slices, 21/2 (70g) ounces baby spinach leaves. On Donna Hay's website - http://www.donnahay.com.au/ - is a conversion table and a list of commonly used ingredients - and what they are generally called in Australia and America. In many cases, I think we actually use what she has said is the American name and in some cases, the recipes on Zaar use what she has said is the Australian name! Curious! But some of these "translations" of terms and names could well be useful!

Reviews

[Cookgirl]

Only five ingredients! Wow! I added some fresh basil to the mix, too. To flatten the cakes uniformly I utilized my handy tortilla press. Six smaller cakes were formed although a few fell apart when I cooked them. I didn't have quite enough halloumi for the recipe so I subbed a little bit of feta and asiago. Delicious and ~Tasty Dish~ approved! Thanks for posting! Served with a tossed salad, corn on the cob and fresh fruit.

[flower7]

These are very tasty! This was my first experience with Halloumi and I quite enjoyed it. I was short on parsley and the only other fresh herb I had available was basil so I added a few leaves of that with the parsley. Otherwise, I followed the recipe. I cooked my couscous (1/2 c dry w/ 3/4 c water) with a tiny bit of chicken bouillon. Served with lettuce, dressed with Super Simple Tropical Dressing, though I think the suggested spinach & salmon would also be good. Thanks for the recipe!

[Pets'R'us]

I am a big Haloumi fan. These cakes are very nice and good for a vegetarian meal. I did change the amounts a little because the Haloumi I always buy comes in 250 gram packets and I wanted to use the whole packet. Therefor I increased the couscous by 1/3 cup, some more lemon juice and more parsley. I also chopped the Haloumi before putting it in the food processor. They kept together well whilst frying but you have to handle them with care towards the end of the cooking time.