Halloumi-nectarine skewers bring bursts of flavor with each bite

These colorful, flavorful skewers immediately jumped out at me as I was flipping through Sara Forte’s new cookbook Around Our Table. I’ve been a longtime fan of the produce-packed recipes on her blog, Sprouted Kitchen, so I was confident the skewers would be tasty, but I had not anticipated the huge, multilayered burst of flavor each bite would bring — sweet, savory, earthy, salty, herbaceous, and spicy — all dancing together, compelling you to the next forkful.

Flavor isn’t this recipe’s only asset. Forte emphasizes how this dish can take the stress out of having people over, since it can be prepared mostly in advance — the chimichurri several days ahead and the skewers assembled a few hours before grilling.

The focus on feeding family and friends with ease is at the heart of her book and is something often overlooked when we consider what makes food good for you. Healthy eating is more than what we eat, it is also how we eat, including the community and connection we cultivate when we come together at the table. Anything that makes shared meals more doable is a step in a healthy direction.

I can’t think of a more compelling dish to gather around this summer than this one.

The skewers of juicy nectarines, red onion, and halloumi cheese are brushed with oil, sprinkled generously with oregano and black pepper, then grilled until they are warm, with an appealing char of grill marks.

They are served slathered with a cilantro-mint chimichurri that has a kick of serrano pepper and a touch of sweetness from honey. That sweet-spicy note gives a hot honey vibe that’s heavenly with the sweet fruit and salty cheese. (If you are not a fan of halloumi, Forte suggests subbing chunks of chicken or extra-firm tofu.) If you have extra chimichurri, you can save it for another meal. However you serve it, go ahead and invite friends or family to join you. It will make the meal all the more nourishing.

Total time: 45 minutes, including soaking wooden skewers

Serves 4-8 (makes 8 skewers)

These skewers of juicy nectarines, red onion, and halloumi cheese are grilled and then slathered with a cilantro-mint chimichurri that gets its sweet-spicy kick from honey and serrano pepper. Each bite brings multilayered flavors — sweet, savory, earthy, salty, herbaceous, and spicy — that compel you to the next forkful.

If you have leftover chimichurri, you can use it on grilled chicken or tofu.

You will need eight (8- to 10-inch skewers).

Storage: The skewers are best as soon as they are made. Refrigerate the chimichurri for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Ingredients

For the chimichurri:

1 small serrano pepper, stemmed and seeded

1 large garlic clove

1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems (about 2 1/2 cups packed)

1/2 cup packed fresh mint leaves

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 teaspoons honey

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

For the skewers:

2 nectarines, halved, pitted, and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 small red onion (4 ounces), cut into 1-inch chunks

6 ounces halloumi cheese, cut into 1-inch chunks

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Make the chimichurri: In a food processor, combine the serrano pepper and garlic and pulse until finely chopped. Add the cilantro, mint, olive oil, lime juice, honey, coriander, and salt and pulse until finely chopped but some texture remains. You should have about 3/4 cup; you’ll need about half for this recipe.

Make the skewers: If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 20 minutes. Alternate threading the pieces of the nectarines, onion, and halloumi onto the skewers. You should wind up with about 3 chunks each of nectarine and onion, and 2 chunks of halloumi per skewer. Transfer the finished skewers to a large sheet pan, then brush them generously all over with the olive oil and sprinkle with the oregano and black pepper.

Prepare the grill for direct heat (if using a grill pan, see Notes). If using a gas grill, set it to 450 degrees. If using a charcoal grill, fill a chimney starter with charcoal, light it, and when the coals are white-gray with ash, pour them onto the charcoal grate, adding more charcoal, if necessary. Put the lid on the grill, making sure the vents are open all the way. When all of the coals are gray and hot, about 15 minutes, your grill should be medium-hot. (Use a grill thermometer, or test the heat by holding your hand, palm-down, about 4 inches from the grate, making sure that nothing flammable, such as clothing, is near the heat. If you can hold it there for about 4 seconds, the heat should be at medium, or about 450 degrees. Pull your hand away from the heat before it gets painful.) Make sure the cooking grates are clean.

Grill the skewers until grill marks form on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes, then rotate and continue grilling until grill marks form on the other side and the skewers are warmed through, another 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the skewers to a serving dish, and brush or drizzle them with about half of the chimichurri. Serve with the remaining chimichurri on the side, if desired.

Substitutions:

For peaches, you can use nectarines.

If you don’t like cilantro, parsley can be used.

For red onion, you can substitute white or yellow onion.

Instead of halloumi, you can use extra-firm or super-firm tofu.

Want more protein? Use bite-size pieces of skinless, boneless chicken breast in place of halloumi.

If you don’t like heat, leave out the serrano.

Variations:

To make this inside, preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat until hot. Working in batches if needed, add the skewers to the pan and cook until grill marks form on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes. Rotate and continue grilling until grill marks form on the other side and the skewers are warmed through, another 2 to 3 minutes.

Nutritional facts per serving (1 skewer plus generous 2 teaspoons chimichurri), based on 8 | Calories: 96; Fat: 13 g; Saturated Fat: 4 g; Carbohydrates: 7 g; Sodium: 510 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Protein: 5 g; Fiber: 1 g; Sugar: 4 g

This analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s advice.

Adapted from “Around Our Table” by Sara Forte (Hardie Grant, 2024).