It got magically hot here in Victoria in the last week. After months about complaining about cold and damp and having to wear all these sweaters, I was immediately complaining about the beautiful, sunny, lovely weather that I have been hoping for for weeks. It's too hot, I don't have the right clothes for this, I can't sleep. It was a sweltering 23° C yesterday and and I was whining. I did have the perfect meal to go with the wonderful weather though. Light and summery, you only need to turn on the stovetop for a few minutes to grill the cheese, or you can barbecue it if you are careful not to let it drop between the grill bars.

Haloumi is a strange and delightful cheese. If you haven't tried it before, it may sound a bit odd, but don't let that put you off. It's salty and very firm and mild flavoured. It has the magical property of not melting when heated, so you can grill or roast it and it holds its shape and develops a fantastic crispy-toasty exterior. It also squeaks in your teeth when you eat it, which sounds a little weird and rubbery but in a way that is so satisfying. It's hearty and sort of meaty almost and makes a meal out of a light salad.

If you can't find haloumi, feta cheese will work too. It can still be grilled or pan fried, but it's a little more melty than haloumi so it might spread a bit.

watermelon radish and haloumi salad:

2-3 watermelon radishes, scrubbed and sliced paper thin
3 big handfuls arugula
pea shoots or microgreens
a few sprigs parsey, chopped
1 package haloumi, sliced into thick blocks

In a lightly oiled grill pan fry the haloumi slices over medium heat until dark grill lines appear and flip. You can also use a regular flat pan, but you won't have the delightful grill lines.

Combine vegetables and lay haloumi slices on top.

basil dressing:

adapted from Rebar: Modern Food Cookbook

2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 cup fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper
1 cup olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blitz until smooth. Drizzle over salad and serve immediately.

There are crispy leaves on the ground already, halloween costumes in shops and pumpkin spice everything everywhere. Many people might take that evidence, plus the fact that it is nearly the middle of September, and accept that Fall had arrived. But I refuse to believe that it is no longer summer. I am wearing summer clothes, doing summer things and eating summer foods. like my favorite salad right now, summer corn, tomato and feta salad with lime and cumin.

This recipe is great with fresh picked corn, grilled and slightly charred on the barbecue, kernels scraped off the cob-but I tack towards laziness so quite often, I use a bag of frozen corn, which makes a really good salad too, and it is really easy to make. Tinned corn kernels work well too.

Whatever corn you use, do get the best tomatoes you can find; the intense flavour of summer tomatoes is amazing with sharp lime and salty feta. The tomato-corn-feta combination is simple and minimalistic like a caprese: bright acid, creamy cheese and sunny tomatoes. This salad is hearty and filling; a bit of grilled chicken or fish on the side makes this a fillmeal. If you have any leftovers, throw the salad on some fish tacos.

corn, tomato and feta salad:

4-5 ears of corn, barbecued, kernels scraped off, or 1 bag frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 pints of small tomatoes, chopped in medium size pieces
1/2 cup crumbled feta
lime juice from 2-3 limes
a glug olive oil
large pinch cumin
a bit of cayenne powder
generous salt and pepper

Toss together tomatoes, corn and feta. Blend lime juice, olive oil, cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper to taste, and drizzle over the salad.

Eat salad, taste the summer and pretend it's never going to end. That's what I'll be doing.