Halloumi Stroganoff

This is, unexpectedly, a Swedish dish. Sweden has a long history of trade with the eastern mediterranean, and it is no surprise that, lovers of cheese as they are, Swedes have embraced not only the salty feta of that region but also the (also salty) halloumi. Halloumi is available everywhere -- huge in salads and sandwiches, particularly wraps, and it's the standard vegetarian option for burgers. Even the big American chains have a halloumi burger option.

So when I opened up the weekly flyer of recipe suggestions from my local ICA supermarket and saw Halloumistroganoff (no space), I thought why not? A quick scour of google suggested that this is indeed a uniquely Swedish concept, as every recipe I could find online was in Swedish. The search results turned up some significantly different versions, too. Although the red lentils featured here were also an ingredient in a number of other versions I found online, some looked closer to a stir fry than a stroganoff. And I confess, that this does look very much like a stroganoff in the traditional sense of the word at all. If anything, it looks like something that was developed by a well-meaning cook who had seen a picture of shahi paneer, but had no idea what it was made of and skewed mediterranean instead.

But that doesn't tell you how good it is! And let me tell you, this is good enough to go into rotation.

Halloumi Stroganoff

Adapted from ICA

Serves 6 (over rice)

2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
400 grams halloumi cheese
1 yellow onion
1 long red chili (mild to moderate)
2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary (optional)
2 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon dried, crumbled oregano
2 tablespoons tomato paste
400 grams tinned crushed tomatoes
4 cups water, approximately
200 mL uncooked red lentils
100 grams lacinato kale
2 roasted, peeled red peppers (from a jar is fine)
125 mL heavy cream (such as whipping cream)
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

Set your rice to cook. You can use whatever rice you like - we used basmati, which was just fine.

Peel and finely dice the yellow onion. Mince (or crush) the garlic, and de-seed and mince the red chili. These will all go into the pan together, so you can set them aside together. If you are using the rosemary, strip the needles from the stems. Chop or mince the needles as you please. Add to the onion mixture.

Drain the peppers in a sieve, splitting them open with your fingers to remove any seeds or strings. Set them aside to finish prep later.

Open the tinned crushed tomatoes.

Rinse the red lentils well, to remove any grit, and let drain in a sieve.

Remove the thick stems from the kale and chop the leaves into thumb-sized pieces.

Open the halloumi package(s) and drain away any brine. Blot the cheese dry with paper towels, and then dice into bite-sized pieces. They will retain their size when cooked, so keep that in mind when dicing. Blot dry again.

In a large skillet (nonstick is easiest), preheated for a few minutes on low heat, raise the temperature to medium and add one tablespoon of the oil. Tilt the pan to coat the bottom with the oil, and let the oil heat up for about 30 seconds before adding the halloumi cubes in a single layer without crowding. Let them fry gently just long enough to get a bit of colour, turning with tongs or stirring carefully with a wooden spatula as needed, and then remove the cheese to a clean plate. Repeat until all the cheese has been fried and is a bit golden on at least two sides.

Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the now-emptied skillet, and let it heat for a few seconds before adding the onion/garlic/chili. Stir, sprinkle with about a 1/4 teaspoon of coarse salt, and let fry until the onion is translucent and tender. Add the oregano and stir through.

Stir in the tomato paste, and add a tablespoon or so of water to help loosen it up. Stir and fry the tomato paste for about a minute, and then add the crushed tomatoes (with their juices) and stir again.

Add the drained red lentils and two cups of water to the skillet, and stir through. Bring everything up to a gentle simmer and reduce the temperature to medium-low. Let it simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, and adding more water as needed to get a nicely saucy texture. I used the whole four cups, but your mileage may vary.

While the lentils simmer, blot dry the roasted red peppers and slice lengthwise into thin strips, and then crosswise once or twice to give nice short strips of pepper.

After the lentils are tender, add the roasted red peppers, the kale, and the halloumi to the skillet and stir well. Bring back to a gentle simmer, and let cook for another five to ten minutes.

Add the cream and stir it through the lentils until the colour has become a uniformly paler version of itself. Taste, and add more salt and pepper if you like.

Leftovers freeze beautifully



***

If you follow the link above, and either read Swedish or plug it into an online translator and slog through, you will note that my recipe diverges quite a bit from the original. This is because the original recipe, as written, was kind of terrible. Right off the bat, there is an item (mangold, AKA the type of chard that is not Swiss) in the ingredient list, which appears nowhere in the actual directions. I've replaced the chard with lacinato kale, but you could use any sturdy green from beet greens to cabbage to collards. I chose to add it midway through the cooking process, to give it time to cook without necessarily robbing it of all texture.

The discerning eye might also notice that the amount of water suggested as necessary to cook 200 mL of raw red lentils is a mere 300 mL. Anyone who has made a red lentil dal knows that is not nearly enough, but I optimistically started with that amount the first time I made it, and was forced to add quite a bit more, in order to make something other than a thick paste. Now, in the original recipe, there is a full cup of Half-and-half (or coffee cream or whatever you have that is about 15%). I've switched to heavy (whipping) cream, which integrates better into cooking food, and reduced the amount by half. However much cream you want to use, or which kind, I note that the picture shown alongside the recipe does not appear to have had any cream of any kind added at all, based on the colour.

And finally, speaking off cream of any kind, the following are the suggested swap-outs to Veganize the dish: exchange the halloumi for extra firm tofu, and switch the cream for a plant-friendly version, such as oat cream. Otherwise, continue as written, although I would suggest tossing the diced tofu with a bit of cornstarch before frying, for best results.