- from Antoni in the Kitchen, Antoni in the Kitchen
A Christmas kitchen is a special place to be for two reasons: cooking with the people you love and eating with them afterwards. The Christmas kitchen post lunch can, however, be a nightmare if you aren’t prepared.
If you’re asked to bring something to the table this Christmas why not whip up this beautiful little watermelon bites dish that requires no pots, pans scrubbing or endless containers!
Just sweet watermelon marinated in good quality olive oil, cracked peppercorns and topped with salty grilled halloumi cheese and fresh mint. In the words of its creator Antoni Porowski “refreshing, beautiful and super easy to prepare.”
Ingredients (Serves 32)
- 32 (2.5cm/1n) cubes seedless watermelon (from a 2 kilo watermelon).
- 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil
-1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper or mixed peppercorns. - 1 250g packet halloumi cheese, drained and cut lengthways into 4 slices.
- A good-sized handful of fresh mint leaves, larges leaves roughly torn.
Method
- In a bowl combine the watermelon olive oil and pepper. Let stand for 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Pat the halloumi slices dry with kitchen paper. Heat a large dry, non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the halloumi and cook turning once until golden brown on both sides, 4-6 minutes.
- Transfer the cheese slices to a cutting board and cut each one into eight pieces.
- Reserving the oil, use a slotted spoon to transfer the watermelon to a large serving platter. Set a piece of halloumi on each watermelon cube and top with a mint leaf.
- Drizzle bites with about 3 tablespoons of the reserved oil, spooning a healthy dose of the cracked peppercorns on top as you go.
- Serve immediately (it’s tastiest while cheese is warm), inviting your guests to eat with their fingers.
