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RECIPE: Get grilling with Oak Bay Mayor Kevin Murdoch

Share your favourite summertime recipe with our readers; email editor@oakbaynews.com
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Oak Bay Mayor Kevin Murdoch shares his tips for success on the barbecue. (Black Press Media file photo)

I have three grilling items: two tips and a recipe.

Tip #1: The best way to cook corn on the cob is to leave it whole and in the husk and throw it on the grill. Once the outside leaves are well charred you just cut off the base, squeeze the narrow end and the whole cooked ear slides out, perfectly cooked and delicious - no shucking required!

Tip #2: A great addition to any barbecue sauce, particularly on chicken, is Sambal Oelek – an Indonesian chile sauce/paste with a lot of kick, the combination is outstanding if you like a little warmth.

A favourite vegetarian recipe from family in Australia, this one gets made over and over at our house and never gets old. For those who aren’t familiar, haloumi is a dense salty cheese that can be grilled without melting.

GRILLED HALOUMI STACK

1.5 TBSP of freshly squeezed lemon juice (1/2 to 1 lemon)

2 TBSP finely chopped mint leaves (we often leave that out as we rarely have mint in the house)

1/4 cup olive oil for dressing, plus approx. 1/4 cup for grilling

2 cloves fresh garlic (Russian Red a favourite), finely chopped

8 slices of Ciabatta bread, or other savory white bread

300-550g haloumi cheese, sliced into 1 cm slices

3 ripe tomatoes, cut into med-thick slices.

150g arugula leaves, washed

2 TBSPs pine nuts, toasted.

(1) Make dressing: mix 1/4 cup olive oil, lemon juice, and half a clove of garlic. Add mint if using, plus a bit of salt and pepper to taste.

(2) Toast pine nuts on stovetop, set aside to cool. Add to dressing.

(3) Mix 1/4 cup olive oil with rest (1.5 cloves) of garlic and brush this on both sides of tomato slices, haloumi slices, and ciabatta slices.

(4) Preheat the BBQ, and grill the bread for around 1 minute per side. place in foil and keep warm on the side.

(5) Grill haloumi and tomatoes for about 4 minutes a side until browned, remove, and drizzle with some of the dressing.

(6)Toss arugula leaves with dressing, then start stacking on plates: place salad on garlic toast, add grilled tomatoes and haloumi, and add a sprinkle of arugula and pine nuts on top to finish it off.

Super tasty, and you can experiment with other veg as well (grilled red onion is great), and grilled salmon goes well as a side protein.