Cyprus sandwich with halloumi cheese on crusty bread with herbs and fresh veggies makes a fantastic grilled sandwich for a press or panini machine.
Cyprus Sandwich with Halloumi
By Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime
My recipe of the day is for a traditional Cyprus sandwich made with grilled halloumi cheese, herbs, and a few fresh veggies on crusty bread, which is then pressed with a panini press or in a panini maker, or you can even do this with a foil wrapped brick if nothing else.
Usually this is made with finger rolls, which are thinner and smaller than usual- sort of like hot dog buns but not quite. I made mine with some very fresh bolillo rolls- which are a Mexican version of crusty French hoagie rolls. I trimmed those a bit- but the excess doesn’t need to go to waste. Spread it with some soft butter and munch on the extras, or toast them up as fresh croutons for your dinner salad.
Cypriot Cheese
Halloumi cheese is from Cyprus and is one of the weird cheeses that does not melt very well so it makes it great for browning crisp edges onto. Queso blanco has similar properties, as does paneer cheese. But the halloumi does have a bit of tangy flavor that reminds slightly of feta, since it has been brined.
When to Serve? Whenever-
I actually made these for breakfast one day when I was bored with the usual routine. I was reminded of the time I had my niece and nephew over for breakfast and I was making my biscuits and gravy that everybody asks for- everyone, except, that is, my 5-year old nephew. He wanted grilled cheese. My older niece, being a bit bossy, tried to dissuade by saying grilled cheese wasn’t suitable for breakfast. I defended the nephew by pointing out that bread and biscuits are alike, as is the dairy in gravy and cheese. I can’t really say if I ended up being his superhero, but he thought a sandwich for breakfast was fine.
If you’re going to stick with the biscuits and gravy or whatever else strikes you for breakfast, and save this instead for lunch, it does go well with a tossed Greek or Persian salad or a plate of mezze (cheese, olives and the like) or you might like something like a bowl of soup.
Soup and sandwiches are always a famous pair, especially when it is any kind of grilled cheese.
Cyprus Sandwich with Halloumi
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 block Halloumi cheese 8.8 ounce
- 3 French bread sandwich rolls Hoagie or Bolillo or finger rolls
- 1/3 cup flour
- olive oil
- dried oregano
- tomato slices
- fresh lettuce
- kalamata olives
- Greek peppers
- lemon wedges
Instructions
- Slice halloumi into 12-15 thin pieces, and dredge in flour, shaking off excess.
- Brown cheese in a skillet with a little oil on both sides until golden.
- Trim rolls to 8-inches long by 2-inches wide (if needed) and split open.
- Line rolls with cheese and sprinkle lightly with dried oregano.
- Top with other half of bread and place in a panini press or on a lightly oiled griddle or grill pan, weighted down, and heat until hot and crispy.
- Open sandwiches and add lettuce, tomatoes, dressing with lemon juice and olive oil.
- Serve sandwiches with olives and peppers as desired.
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