Halloumi Prosciutto Pear Salad

This is how I get excited about eating greens, and apparently how I convince my daughter too. Warm grilled cheese, delicate cured meat and juicy fruit make every forkful worth chasing.  Grilled halloumi, prosciutto and ripe pears with mixed greens and a sweet, tangy honey balsamic vinaigrette.

You already know by now that salads don’t appear too often here on Ang Sarap. It is not because I don’t eat vegetables, far from it. I just find many salads a little boring. Give me a bowl of leaves with a few tomatoes and a light dressing and I will probably spend the whole meal thinking about everything else on the table.

So when I make a salad, I want plenty happening in it. There needs to be flavour, contrasting textures and something substantial enough that I don’t feel like I am eating it simply because I should.

This Halloumi Prosciutto Pear Salad definitely qualifies.

It also comes with another advantage in our household: halloumi. My daughter loves this cheese, so putting generous slices of golden grilled halloumi over salad is basically an invitation for her to eat more greens. Sometimes you just have to know your audience.

Halloumi Makes Salad Much More Interesting

Halloumi is one of those cheeses that seems designed for people who think salad needs something more exciting.

This firm, brined cheese comes from Cyprus and traditionally uses sheep’s and goat’s milk, although cow’s milk appears in many commercial versions today. What makes halloumi particularly interesting is its ability to withstand relatively high temperatures without simply melting into the pan.

Instead, it browns.

Give thick slices a minute or two on a hot griddle and the exterior develops those beautiful golden, slightly charred surfaces while the centre becomes warm and tender. That characteristic squeaky chew remains, giving the salad a texture completely different from soft cheeses such as feta or mozzarella.

And because halloumi is already quite salty, it brings plenty of seasoning with it.

Then Add Prosciutto

If halloumi already makes this salad tempting, prosciutto takes things even further.

Prosciutto has a very different texture and character from halloumi. Where the cheese is firm, warm and chewy, the prosciutto is delicate and almost silky. Its savoury cured flavour adds another layer of saltiness without making the salad feel heavy.

Rather than laying whole slices flat across the top, I like loosely tearing or folding the prosciutto and tucking it between the leaves. That way, you get little ribbons throughout the salad instead of eating all the prosciutto in the first few bites.

It also makes the whole thing look much better.

Pears Bring the Balance

With two salty ingredients in the bowl, you need something to provide contrast, and that is where the pears come in.

Pear works exceptionally well with cheese, especially salty and strongly flavoured varieties. The fruit’s gentle sweetness and juiciness soften the saltiness of both the halloumi and prosciutto.

Bosc and Packham pears are particularly good choices because they can remain firm even when ripe. That is important here. You want a pear that tastes sweet and juicy but doesn’t collapse when sliced and tossed with the leaves.

I keep the skin on as well. It provides extra texture and colour, and there really isn’t any reason to remove it.

Each forkful can then give you warm salty halloumi, silky prosciutto, juicy pear and crisp leaves all at once.

That is the kind of salad I like.

A Combination With Mediterranean Roots

While this exact salad is very much a modern combination, its ingredients draw from several long-established Mediterranean food traditions.

Halloumi has centuries of history in Cyprus, where preserving cheese in brine made practical sense in a warm climate. Prosciutto represents Italy’s equally old tradition of curing pork with salt and time.

Pairing cheese and cured meat with fruit is nothing unusual around the Mediterranean either. Fresh and dried fruits have long accompanied salty cheeses and preserved meats because their natural sweetness provides an ideal counterpoint.

So while putting all of these ingredients over mixed greens feels contemporary, the flavour logic behind the combination is actually quite old.

Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette Pulls It Together

With so many strong ingredients, I didn’t want an overly complicated dressing.

Extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar provide the foundation, Dijon mustard adds sharpness and helps emulsify everything, while honey reinforces the natural sweetness of the pears. A little fresh garlic gives the vinaigrette enough punch to stand beside the halloumi and prosciutto.

I deliberately leave salt out of the dressing.

Between 200 grams of halloumi and 120 grams of prosciutto, there is already plenty of salt in the bowl. Adding more before tasting would be asking for trouble.

Freshly ground black pepper is really all it needs.

Grill the Halloumi Last

There is one important detail when preparing this salad: leave the halloumi until the end.

You can slice the pears, prepare the greens, make the vinaigrette and arrange everything else beforehand. Then, when you are almost ready to eat, heat the pan and grill the halloumi.

Halloumi is wonderful straight from the pan when its exterior is golden and its centre remains warm and yielding. Leave it sitting around too long and it becomes noticeably firmer and more rubbery.

Get it onto the salad while it is still warm and the difference is considerable.

One Salad I Don’t Need Convincing to Eat

This is exactly the type of salad that deserves a place on Ang Sarap.

There are enough greens to keep things fresh, but nobody can accuse it of lacking flavour. The halloumi is warm, salty and chewy. Prosciutto brings delicate savouriness. Pears contribute sweetness and juice, while the honey balsamic vinaigrette ties everything together with acidity.

And if putting halloumi on top means my daughter happily eats more salad, that is another reason to make it.

I might still be picky when it comes to salads, but give me one like this and you certainly don’t have to convince me to finish my plate.

Halloumi Prosciutto Pear Salad

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 3 reviews

• Author: Raymund
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 5 mins
• Total Time: 20 mins
• Yield: 4 1x
• Category: Salad
• Cuisine: Fusion

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Description

Grilled halloumi, prosciutto and ripe pears with mixed greens and a sweet, tangy honey balsamic vinaigrette.

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Ingredients

Units MUS Scale 1x2x3x

Salad

• 200 g halloumi cheese, sliced into 8 mm thick pieces
• 120 g prosciutto
• 2 ripe but firm pears, preferably Bosc or Packham
• 150 g mixed salad leaves, such as baby spinach, rocket, mizuna, red chard and baby lettuce
• 1 tbsp olive oil, for grilling
• freshly ground black pepper

Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
• freshly ground black pepper

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Instructions

1. Combine the extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey and garlic in a small bowl.
2. Whisk vigorously until emulsified, then season with freshly ground black pepper. Do not add salt at this stage, as the halloumi and prosciutto already provide plenty.
3. Quarter the pears, remove the cores and slice them into thin wedges. Leave the skin on for additional colour and texture.
4. Place the mixed salad leaves in a large serving bowl. Add the pear wedges and set aside while you cook the halloumi.
5. Heat a griddle pan or heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. Lightly brush the halloumi slices with olive oil, then grill for 1 to 2 minutes on each side until golden with lightly charred edges.
6. Drizzle roughly half of the honey balsamic vinaigrette over the leaves and pears. Toss gently until lightly coated.
7. Arrange the warm grilled halloumi throughout the salad. Tear or loosely fold the prosciutto into ribbons and tuck them between the leaves, pears and halloumi.
8. Drizzle with a little more honey balsamic vinaigrette and finish with freshly ground black pepper.
9. Serve immediately while the halloumi is still warm, with the remaining vinaigrette on the side.

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Notes

• Use pears that are ripe and sweet but still firm. Overripe pears can become mushy when tossed, while underripe pears will not provide enough sweetness to balance the salty cheese and prosciutto.
• Avoid adding additional salt until you have tasted the finished salad. Both halloumi and prosciutto contain plenty already.
• Prepare all the other components before grilling the halloumi. Halloumi becomes firmer as it cools, so serving it straight from the pan gives you the best texture.