A few days ago, a friend introduced me to Bario Market. It’s not actually a market – more a kind of extended corner shop. But is has everything you’ve ever wanted in Amsterdam and couldn’t find (or could possibly find in some expat shop or posh deli but at three times the price): we’re talking tahini, linguine, golden syrup, bulgur wheat in three grain sizes, various chutneys… and the reason for my visit: halloumi.
For some reason, I’d never really cooked halloumi before, so Nigella’s recipe scored a double-whammy when I was looking for new things to do with beetroot. And last weekend was Gay Pride in Amsterdam, so making pink food seemed appropriate… (Beetroot is in season, by the way, just in case you thought I’d gone completely mad.)
Slightly less pink are the chioggia beets, which I must admit I didn’t get from Bario Market. They’re the ones with the pretty concentric circles of pink and white when you cut into them cross-wise. Only when I cooked mine the effect was rather like a cheap T-shirt: the stripes just ran into each other and the whole thing became a pale muddy pinky colour. Still, it tasted the same, so I turned it into carpaccio (well, I just thinly sliced it, but everything seems to be a carpaccio these days, doesn’t it?) along with some smoked mozzarella. Admittedly, I didn’t find that in Bario Market either, but one of the cheese stalls at the Noordermarkt does sell it. I finished the dish with toasted pine nuts, rocket, lemon juice and olive oil – much as I’d dress a regular beef carpaccio. A perfect post-Pride weekend supper.
