Today, a dish I’ve wanted to make for a long time but it wasn’t easy to find the main ingredient…Grilled Halloumi served with au gratin tomatoes, a dish with a particular cheese that I can never find here!
But… when I leafed through the ALDI supermarkets flyer (which in Bologna are on via Larga near the Ipermercato Leclerc Conad Pianeta) I decided I absolutely had to run to buy it to make the recipe and above all to taste this halloumi, a very special Cypriot cheese!
Now I’ll tell you…
The halloumi has a name deriving from the Arabic halloum due to the Arab invasion of Cyprus in the seventh century because it was they who taught the Greeks and Cypriots how to make cheese.
It is called “the steak of vegetarians”, it is made with a mix of goat and sheep milk and is a cheese that does not melt in the pan or on the grill but just softens, remaining like a very tasty steak.
About 25 grams of halloumi provide our body with 5 grams of protein, 74 calories, and 6 grams of fat. It is generally rennet-free, so it is suitable for those following a vegetarian diet, but read the label carefully!!!!!
It is quite salty, so care must be taken in consuming it if you want a sodium-free diet, and since it is a dairy product, it is not suitable for those following a vegan diet.
I read while rummaging through my web research that halloumi can be replaced by feta… but that’s not true at all, and I assure you that whoever writes this nonsense has never tasted either one or the other because they are very different, starting with the consistency that has nothing to do with the Greek feta!
As a daring person who hadn’t tasted it yet, I bought 4 packs of Cypriot halloumi cheese and I already know I will eat it with tomatoes stewed in a pan, with a nice aromatic chop of rosemary and sage on the grill, cut into 0.4-inch squares with crunchy iceberg lettuce and yellow cherry tomatoes and…
The halloumi is a semi-hard cheese, preserved in brine and not aged, with a somewhat spongy texture; it is sold in 250-gram blocks (at least I bought it like this), and for this recipe, I divided it in 2 because with salad, au gratin tomatoes, or other vegetables, it’s already a good second course for me.
Just to give you correct information, I’m putting a photo of the package that costs less than 3 euros (2.99 to be precise)
and in my opinion, it deserves a lot but as always everyone has their personal taste!
I forgot at ALDI supermarkets you can find the halloumi cheese also with basil, chili, and natural!
The halloumi can be cooked like a hamburger on the grill and also fried and is stored in the freezer for about 3 months.
Cypriots love to enjoy it with watermelon!!!!!!
P.S. Nobody paid me to write this article praising the halloumi cheese bought at ALDI but as those who follow me know, I go with my gut and if something grabs me, I sponsor it and I do it with my heart!
If you want to try the au gratin tomatoes here’s the recipe, but I’m sure you also have a special one in your family!


GRILLED HALLOUMI WITH TOMATOES
La cucina di ASI