An ode to halloumi

The weather graced us with a sunny day. Summer here has been so...wintry this year, so rainy and cold that sunny days have been rare occasions and, as such, have had to be taken advantage of and appreciated. Carpe sunny diem.

We cycled to Gunnebo palace, a favourite destination for many Gothenburg residents who want to have a picnic on the meadows surrounding the building or having lunch at its ecological café. Despite the shining sun, it got chilly quite fast after we stopped cycling. We took some photos and returned home, having logged 22 slow kilometres today. Not long distance when it comes to cycling, exactly, but it was enough to irritate my knee. Hopefully it'll get less and less grumpy as the day moves towards its end.

No photo manipulation needed when nature puts on such a show.

Unfortunately they kept the cows away from me today.

We also experimented with HDR.

Once we got home, I felt energised. Someone on jogg.se had recommended the website Vad ska vi äta? for vegetarian recipes. My food inspiration well dried long ago, and to find this website was like someone emptying a bucket of water over my head. I chose to make a French potato salad with grilled halloumi (recipes in Swedish, but if you don't speak it and you're interested, I'll be happy to translate them and send them to you). 

The potato salad was light, the flavours of thyme, capers, red onion and mustard blending harmoniously. But the halloumi...the halloumi was a revelation, simple to make though it was. I could probably eat halloumi every day - I simply adore it. If you need me to do you a favour, just grill some halloumi and I'm yours. But in this recipe, what was already a tasty dish was elevated to gourmet status. Chilli, lemon juice, olive oil, roasted pine nuts and red onion provided an extra kick.

I think I might have sung while I ate this.