Halloumi

In this lasagna, soft layers of pasta and béchamel are interspersed with a rich tomato sauce laden with hearty Mediterranean vegetables.

This khachapuri recipe makes all you need for a meal—a luscious cheesy, eggy, buttery bath to dip bread into.

Halloumi and mint are a classic Cypriot flavor combination and they meld so perfectly together. This recipe is inspired by my hosts at the Bougainvillea Guesthouse in North Nicosia, who greeted me with a plate of these when I checked in, tired and weary, after an international flight.

Let’s be honest, this salad is a vehicle for eating crispy, melty cheese for dinner. Not just any cheese, but rich and dense grillable cheeses like bread cheese, Halloumi, or paneer. When grilled or seared, these varieties brown and crisp on the outside while becoming soft and meaty inside, without melting into a puddle.

Served on a bun or pita, this sweet potato and grilled cheese burger will lighten up your summer barbecue.

These delicious crisp, cheesy snacks are perfect for entertaining and parties. Serve them with a glass of wine and a bowl of olives or as savory dippers for tzatziki.

Pile seared Halloumi cheese and a yogurt-dressed cabbage-and-chickpea salad over a swath of hummus for these satisfying vegetarian sandwiches.

Pile charred Halloumi cheese, kale, and cherry tomatoes on garlicky bread for an almost-instant dinner from the grill. No bread? No problem—toss everything else together and eat it as a salad.

Sear squeaky, salty Halloumi cheese in a pan—it won’t melt, but will get a crisp golden crust—then douse in honey and a spicy nut and seed sprinkle and serve as an appetizer or with a simple green salad.

We love halloumi’s squeaky texture and ability to take on some char, but torn salted mozzarella would be just as good (just don’t try grilling it).

Salty, smoky grilled halloumi is the star of this tasty, satisfying vegetarian option for the grill.

Literally grilled cheese. We love the squeaky texture and salty bite.

This cheesy, spicy flatbread is completely irresistible. Cook it on the grill until just lightly charred, and serve with ribs—it's great for mopping up all the delicious sauce.

Grilled fennel, tomatoes, and scallions, plus cumin-rubbed grilled steak, turn this quinoa salad into a one-dish dinner you'll want to keep serving all summer long.

You'll want to eat the cheese as soon as possible after it comes out of the pan-it's most magical when hot.

Haloumi is a semihard cheese made from sheep’s milk; look for it at Middle Eastern markets.

Eaten with great gusto all over Quebec, poutine was once just a late-night diner staple. It is now served at some of the province's finest restaurants.

Tabat Jibneh In Kuwait it's common for women to gather at least twice a week for a couple of hours before lunch. When I lived there, most of the women at these gatherings were not employed outside the home, making these subheys, which means "mornings," a cherished part of our social life. We enjoyed visiting one another and sampling the delicious refreshments that were always an important feature of the get-togethers. Savory pastries, sweets, and coffee were usually served, and there was always an unspoken challenge to come up with uniquely delicious recipes in order to impress one another. Since I love cheese, and especially the combination of cheese and bread, I invented these fragrant cheese-filled rolls to serve at one of our subheys. Tabat Jibneh can be frozen uncooked, right in the pan, for up to 6 weeks. Double-wrap the pan with one layer of plastic wrap and another of heavy-duty aluminum foil. When you are ready to bake them, defrost the rolls in the refrigerator, then bake them in a preheated 425°F oven until they are pale gold, 30 minutes. You can also freeze fully baked Tabat Jibneh, tightly wrapped, for up to 2 weeks.

These skewers are traditionally made with Brazilian queijo de coalho, a dense, salty white cheese very similar in taste and texture to the Haloumi we use here. Soaking the cheese on the skewers removes some of the salt and prevents the skewers from burning.