Yasou, Halloumi!

Yasou is Greek for hello.

Halloumi is Greek for delicious cheese you can grill.

And yesterday, after a long day in the garden, I was craving some tangy, Greek goodness with tart, lemony flavor. At first, I thought about making tzatziki, but my arms were sore from clipping hedges, so the thought of grating all that cucumber lacked appeal.

Then I thought about halloumi.

I love this cheese because it's briny, but more mellow than a feta. It also offers a pleasing texture, something like a firm mozzarella, and it holds up over heat, so you can plonk it right on a grill or in a frying pan. It doesn't even require oil if you use a nonstick pan. Then, when it's golden brown, you can spritz it with fresh lemon and grate some pepper on it, maybe add some herbs or a few capers, and you're good to go. I served it with toasted farm bread, roasted red peppers and olives and it was so satisfying we didn't even eat dinner afterwards.

Once you're sampled this Greek treat, I'm confident you'll add it to your list of regular grillables. You can even cube it and skewer it with other veggies. Give it a try at your next Greek party (and no, I don't mean the kind at your frat). And hey–for those of you wondering about the wine...yes, I paired a red with something lemony. So sue me. It probably would have been more PC (palate-ically corrrect) to serve white, but I'm a real daredevil that way. If you're not sure what'll work with it, I think beer would be a lovely accompaniment.

And voila! Presenting le pepper rose panna cotta.

Here she is, to tempt your taste buds. The recipe however is still under lock and key as I am refining my spice mixture. Will post it as soon as it passes my stringent test kitchen standards.

A moment of silence

For Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. 1922-2007

So it goes.