Roasted Asparagus and Fried Halloumi with Garlic Studded Tomato Confit
This recipe is part of The Longevity Dinner Menu found on my blog.
The tomato confit was inspired by my neighbors bumper crop of yellow cherry tomatoes. It can be made ahead and used on lots of things, as a sauce for pasta or on toasted bread for bruschetta. I like to serve this dish with thick slices of Acme Walnut Levain to sop up the oils.
Ingredients
1 bunch asparagus, stems trimmed
1 C olive oil
1 pint cherry tomatoes, washed, stems removed
1-2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 t salt
1/2 t dried oregano
1/4 t pepper
8 oz. Halloumi cheese cut into 1/3″ slices
3/4 C olive oil to fry the halloumi
1/2 a lemon
Directions
Heat the oven to 375F
Place the asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Place the cherry tomatoes on a single layer on a baking sheet.
Drizzle both the asparagus and cherry tomatoes with a little bit of oil.
Roast the vegetables until they are tender, or until the tomatoes pop open. The asparagus will take about 15 minutes, the tomatoes about 10.
Set the asparagus aside.
Place the warm tomatoes in a small bowl. Pour the 1C of oil over the tomatoes, add the sliced garlic, salt, oregano and pepper, and set aside until ready to use.
When ready to serve, arrange the asparagus on a serving dish.
Heat the remaining 3/4C of oil in a small frying pan.
When the oil is hot gently add the slices of halloumi to the oil. The cheese will brown quickly, once one side has browned, gently turn them to cook the other side. The cheese has moisture in it and will splatter, so don’t get too close while cooking it.
Place the warm cheese over the asparagus, spoon the tomato confit over the cheese, squeeze lemon juice over all and serve.
Serves 4
