Puffy, Cheesy Breadsticks

I first learned about Halloumi cheese a couple years ago from a fellow food blogger. It is a delicious Mediterranean cheese that is salty, chewy and very versatile. It is widely available in Europe, but thankfully, it is becoming more popular here in the US. I have been able to find it consistently at Wegman’s, but recently I found it for significantly cheaper at Lidl.

Our favorite way to eat Halloumi is to slice it and fry it in a pan with just a little bit of olive oil. This turns it into an upgraded snack, or a great addition to a salad. But a few months ago, I found a recipe from www.epicurious.com for Halloumi Puff Pastry Twists and knew we had to try them.

The recipe says it makes about 40 twists, which is way too much for a family of 4. I decided to save it for sometime when we had guests. My sister happens to be visiting with her husband, so it seemed like a good time to try this treat.

It is relatively easy to upgrade your traditional breadsticks to these cheesy, puffy breadsticks. All you need is puff pastry, Halloumi cheese, and some Parmesan or Pecorino cheese, some chives, a dash of salt and pepper and an egg.

Start by thawing 2 sheets of frozen puff pastry. While they are thawing, grate your cheeses and chop some chives. I had both Parmesan and Pecorino Romano on hand, so I used 1 cup grated Halloumi, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and 1/2 cup Pecorino.

Once the puff pastry is ready to work with, lay out one sheet at a time. Use a rolling pin to smooth out any folds. Sprinkle one half if the sheet of dough with the cheeses and some chives, then a little salt and pepper. Fold the other half over the cheese and roll the dough out to it’s original size.

Slice the dough into 1/2 inch strips and brush with the beaten egg. Give each slice a couple of twists and place on a parchment-covered baking sheets. Sprinkle some more cheese on top and bake for about 12 minutes. Then repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry.

As I said earlier, the recipe claimed to make about 40, I made 22. I am assuming Epicurious may have cut the dough in half before cutting into strips. This would make shorter breadsticks, if you want that, and will increase the number if you need to to stretch farther for a bigger party or something.

The verdict is these are amazing. Everyone loved them and claimed the recipe to be a repeater. They would be amazing alongside a salad, a soup or pasta. They are easy to whip up and yet seem like a gourmet addition to any meal. Give them a try today and I think you will love them as much as we did.

You can find the recipe here:

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/halloumi-puff-pastry-twists