Cheez pleaz

There’s a great scene in the film Infamous (starring Toby James as Truman Capote) where, having recently moved to Kansas, he's invited to a dinner party (of sorts). Being used to spending his days dining in the best restaurants in New York, Capote goes in search of a fine cheese to take as a gift to his hostess. At the local supermarket he's horrified to find that the only cheese on sale is Velveeta. Velveeta is far from fine cheese, or any cheese come to that; it's a "cheese product" – the original Cheez Whizz.

Capote was right: You can tell a lot about the civilization of a place from the cheese its inhabitants consume. I felt a bit like Capote when I first went to buy cheese here in my local Safeway's. On first sighting, I took the orange colored cheese in the supermarket to be slabs of Red Leicester and found it a bit strange that this particular cheese was so popular in Alberta. Until, that was, I discovered that the orange cheese was in fact regular processed "cheddar." In Alberta, the cheddar we get in the UK is referred to as white cheddar (and isn't orange).

But if you're looking for something a little more exotic than orange cheese here in Edmonton, then you may have a problem, especially when it comes to halloumi cheese. Because it seems that this cheese can't be had for love nor money. Well, actually you can find it if you venture out to the bigger supermarkets - but only during the summer months. The assistant in Save on Foods, where I was unable to buy some the other day, advised me that it's only stocked during the summer (it's the middle of August now but seeing as it's winter for six months of the year here, I suppose it's conceivable that autumn's already upon us).

The reason that halloumi is only stocked during the summer here in Edmonton is that, as it doesn’t melt, it’s a great cheese for the barbecue. And it certainly is: no more having to worry about what to feed vegetarians, and no more having to worry about whether what your guests are eating is actually cooked! But halloumi is more than just a gimmicky cheese that holds its shape when heated; it's also a delicious tasting cheese, creamy and salty with a lovely soft and chewy texture. There’s also something else that’s a little gimmicky about it; it squeaks when you eat it.

For great tasting halloumi kebabs (or kabobs as they're called in North America), marinate chunks of the cheese, with cherry tomatoes, squares of red pepper and red onion, and mushrooms in olive oil, crushed garlic, a little lemon juice and some chopped herbs (thyme, parsley, mint, and oregano work well). A few hours in the marinade should be enough. And then thread the cheese and veggies on to skewers and away you go. Use the remains of the marinade to baste the kebabs while they’re cooking. And if it’s raining, just use the grill.

Halloumi shouldn't be a "seasonal" cheese; it tastes just as good cooked indoors as it does out. So if anyone knows where to get it (all year around) in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, please let me know!