Rhubarb, Couscous and Haloumi Salad

, from Issue #50. August, 2015
Photography by Aaron McLean.
Rhubarb, Couscous and Haloumi Salad

The secret to using raw rhubarb in a salad is to salt it first, as this draws out any bitterness. If you’ve never tried it before, then this delicious salad combination of rhubarb, crunchy almonds, tender beans and salty haloumi is well worth making.

Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS

3 stalks rhubarb
1 tablespoon fine salt
300 grams round green beans
1 cup instant couscous
1¼ cups boiling water
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 spring onions, finely sliced
¼ cup chopped fresh herbs, use coriander, flat-leaf parsley, mint or basil or a mix of two
½ cup whole skin-on almonds, roasted and roughly chopped
100 grams haloumi cheese

Dressing
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons honey
2 cloves garlic, crushed
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

METHOD

Slice the rhubarb thinly on the diagonal and place on a large plate.

Sprinkle with the salt and toss to combine. Leave for 10 minutes then place in a sieve and rinse off the salt. Dry on kitchen towels.

Cook the beans in boiling salted water until just tender then drain and refresh in cold water. Drain then dry on kitchen towels.

Combine the couscous, water, salt and olive oil in a large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Leave for 10 minutes then fluff up with a fork to remove any lumps.

Dressing: Whisk all the ingredients in a bowl and season.

To assemble: Toss most of the dressing through the couscous then add the rhubarb, spring onions, herbs and most of the almonds. Slice the haloumi thinly with a vegetable peeler or sharp knife and gently toss half of it with the couscous.

Toss the beans with the remaining dressing and place on a serving platter. Top with the couscous salad then scatter over the remaining haloumi and almonds. 

Pantry note: Skin-on roasted almonds are available in the loose bins at supermarkets.