Finn-Erik Cooks - Crispy Halloumi and creamy barley

Recipe below video.

For two you need:

• 1 dl cut barley
• 2 dl good chicken stock (or vegetable if desired)
• 6 dl boiling water
• 1 Halloumi cheese
• 1 fresh corn on the cob
• 3 mushrooms of your choice (I use Italian brown cremini / Aromasopp)
• 2 tbs dried Porcini mushrooms
• 1 shallot
• 1 celeriac stalk
• 1 clove of garlic
• Fresh chili (spiciness to your liking)
• Fresh parsley
• Parmesan 
• Soy Sauce
• Olive oil
• Smoked sea salt (or regular sea salt)
• Ground black pepper

Finely chop porcini, shallot and garlic. Heat some olive oil in a pan and roast the three for two minutes at medium plus heat.

Add the cut barley to the mix and cook for another minute.

Add chicken stock, boiling water and finely sliced mushrooms. Splash in about 2 tbs of soy sauce and cook at medium heat for 18-19 minutes, without a lid.

Cut the fresh corn from the cob and finely chop parsley, chili and celeriac.

Cut halloumi in to propper slices and salt them using smoked sea salt and ground pepper. Let it sit on the bench for 5-10 minutes. This will drain more water from the chese, making flavours even tastier. 

Once most of the liquid in the barley has evaporated, take it off the stove and add generous amounts of finely grated Parmesan cheese. About 2 dl shaved or more. Mix and let it rest under a lid.

Pat the salted halloumi with some kitchen paper to remove excess water. Then heat some olive oil in a pan at medium plus heat. I use 7 out of 9 on mine. It's important to allow the pan to get hot before putting the halloumi in. You'll see when the oil starts to vibrate a little. 

Halloumi cheese is extremely heat sensitive. It should be eaten no more than 10 minutes after frying. If you for some reason need to wait a bit, keep them warm in the oven. Set it to 100 degrees Celcius; it will do the trick.

Right before serving, stir in the veggies.

USE A HOT PLATE to prevent everything from turing cold immediately. Plate the dish starting with the creamy barley, then halloumi and some extra corn on top. Enjoy :)