Grilled Vegetable & White Cheese Salad

Name: Grilled Vegetable & White Cheese Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 1 serving
Ingredients: Bell pepper × 1; Courgette × ½; Red onion × ½; 60 g Sirene (white brine cheese); 1 tbsp Olive oil, plus 1 tsp for finishing; 2 tsp Red wine vinegar; 1 pinch Salt; 1 pinch Black pepper

35 min · Easy · Serves 1

415 kcal per serving · 13g protein

Charred peppers, courgette and red onion with salty crumbled sirene is what a Bulgarian summer tastes like. The vegetables go soft and smoky on a hot grill pan, then get a sharp splash of vinegar while still warm. It's a proper main-course salad — just add bread.

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Ingredients

Bell pepper × 1
Courgette × ½
Red onion × ½
60 g Sirene (white brine cheese)
1 tbsp Olive oil, plus 1 tsp for finishing
2 tsp Red wine vinegar
1 pinch Salt
1 pinch Black pepper

Method

Cut the pepper into quarters

Cut the pepper into quarters and pull out the seeds and white ribs.
Slice the courgette lengthways

Slice the courgette lengthways into strips about 1 cm thick.
Cut the red onion

Cut the red onion into thick rings, keeping the rings together.
Oil the Vegetables

Put all the vegetables in a bowl, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a good pinch of salt, and turn them with your hands until every piece looks lightly glossy.
Heat the Pan

Set a dry grill pan (or a heavy frying pan) over high heat and let it get properly hot for about 3 minutes — a drop of water should hiss and vanish instantly. No oil goes in the pan; it's already on the vegetables.
Lay the vegetables

Lay the vegetables in the pan in a single layer — in two batches if needed, never piled up.
Leave them alone

Leave them alone for 3–4 minutes per side, until they have dark charred stripes and feel floppy when lifted with tongs. Peppers and onion take a minute or two longer than courgette.
Dress While Warm

Pile the warm vegetables onto a plate, splash over the red wine vinegar and the last teaspoon of olive oil, and grind over black pepper. Warm vegetables soak up dressing much better than cold ones.
Crumble the Sirene

Crumble the sirene over the top with your fingers and serve while the vegetables are still warm, so the cheese softens slightly against them.