Green grills from the Emerald Isle
Until well into their twenties, David and Stephen Flynn were typical meat-eating, pint-swilling jocks until they tried a vegetarian diet. They developed a passion for good food and health that was both addictive and utterly infectious, and the Happy Pear café and shop in Ireland have become an iconic brand.
GRILLED HALLOUMI BURGER WITH CHILLI KETCHUP AND TAHINI MAYO
This is a fab barbecue recipe and goes down a treat with both veggies and non-veggies – always a winner! It’s one of the most popular dishes on our evening menu.
SERVES 2–4
1 courgette
1 aubergine
1 red pepper
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 x 200g pack of halloumi cheese
4 burger buns or wholemeal pittas
50g rocket or similar greens
Home-made Happy Pear chilli ketchup
Home-made Happy Pear tahini mayo
Ketchup Recipe:
1 chilli
200g tomato puree
100g honey
60ml apple cider vinegar
6 tbsp of water
2 cloves of garlic
4 tbsp of tahini
Juice of half a lime
Half tbsp of honey
5 tbsp water
Start by preparing your veg. Cut the courgette in half and then into thin strips lengthwise. Slice the aubergines lengthwise into thin strips.
Chop the pepper vertically into four large sections, discarding the core with the seeds. Chop in the halloumi into four thin rectangular slices.
Put the cut veg into a large bowl with four tablespoons of the oil and one teaspoon of salt. Mix well until they all have a nice even coating.
Start to grill the prepared veg on a hot barbecue, turning regularly – you want them nicely charred but also soft and tender.
Remove your cooked veg from the grill and set aside while you cook the halloumi – it will cook very quickly! Put it on the barbecue until it has nice grill marks on each side, about five minutes.
Toast the buns on the barbecue, then layer them up with some homemade ketchup on the bottom bun, garlic tahini mayo on the top bun, grilled courgettes, aubergine, halloumi, roasted peppers and some rocket in between. Take the first bite . . . epic, and oh so tasty!
The World of the Happy Pear by David & Stephen Flynn
Published by Penguin Ireland
June 2016 | Hardback | £18.99