The news that I, like many others, will be working from home at least until January, has made me very happy. This is largely to the fact that I can make my lunches in my own kitchen. No more waiting to use the microwave in my office’s teeny tiny kitchen, no more suspicious salmon waft weaving its way through the desks, only delicious lunches of whatever I fancy. Today’s craving was cheese, carbs and pesto. Instead of reaching for the pasta packet I decided to make a sweet and salty open sandwich with leftover halloumi, bits from the garden and a homemade pesto. It’s really easy to make in just 10 or so minutes, and you can use any herbs or nuts you have lying around to make the pesto dressing.
Ingredients
4 slices of halloumi
2 slices of your favourite bread
1 tbsp mayonnaise
a handful of rocket
a handful of halved cherry tomatoes
1/4 of a small red onion
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp fresh herbs, any will do
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp nuts, any will do
a squeeze of lemon
1/2 a clove of garlic
a pinch of salt and pepper
- Put a frying pan on a medium heat and add a little bit of olive oil, just to stop the halloumi sticking
- Add the halloumi slices and fry until golden on each side (around 3 minutes)
- Meanwhile, toast your bread and boil the kettle
- Slice the red onion into thin slices and put in a small bowl, then cover with a little boiling water and the vinegar
- Then, in a pestle and mortar (you can use a little blender or chopper, but I find a pestle and mortar easier for one-person portions and a chunkier pesto) mash together the herbs, nuts, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and lemon until you get a pesto
- Now it’s time to layer up. Spread the mayo on your toasted bread, followed by some rocket, then the halloumi, then the red onion, then sprinkle over the cherry tomatoes and top with drizzled pesto
Louella's Kitchen 
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