Strawberry Salad with Salami and Haloumi

Here I am making you use your stove when it's 1000 degrees outside  (it's not like me to exaggerate...ever.) But it's only for a teeny bit of cheese-frying and, let's face it, cheese-frying is the only reason to step into your kitchen on a day like today. That, and to get a tub of ice cream from the freezer and a spoon from the drawer. 

Strawberry Salad with Salami and Haloumi

slightly adapted from Jamie Oliver's Jamie at Home

Serves 4

300 g strawberries, hulled and cut into 0.5cm slices
good-quality balsamic vinegar
juice of ½ lemon
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
a few sprigs fresh basil, leaves picked
250 g haloumi cheese, cut into 8 thin slices
a few sprigs fresh mint, leaves picked
1 handful shredded salad leaves, washed and spun dry
8 slices salami, torn

In a bowl, drizzle the sliced strawberries with a good splash of balsamic vinegar, the lemon juice and some extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. This will draw out and flavour the strawberry juices.

Preheat a large non-stick frying pan to medium hot and add a splash of olive oil. Press a basil leaf on to each slice of haloumi  Place the slices, leaf side down, in the frying pan and fry for a minute. Turn over carefully and fry for another minute until the haloumi is light golden and crisp.

Get  four plates and place a couple of pieces of the crispy haloumi on each. Put the mint, the rest of the basil leaves and the salad leaves into the bowl with the strawberries and toss together. Pile some of the strawberry mixture in the middle of each plate and drape the salami over the top. Finish with more salad leaves. To serve, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.