Train tucker

Haloumi and roasted vegetable salad. Picture supplied

The delicious cuisine served on board the Indian Pacific is one of the highlights of this iconic 4352km train voyage across Australia. Your own five-star restaurant travels with you . . . just down the corridor. Justine Tyerman persuaded one of the chefs to share a recipe with the Weekender.

Haloumi and roasted vegetable saladDressing ingredients:

2 punnets vine-ripened cherry tomatoes

3 cloves of garlic

1 tsp of salt

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

Salad ingredients:

500g of haloumi sliced thickly into 4 pieces

1 cup cooked quinoa

2 tomatoes diced finely

1 lemon zested

½ bunch chives chopped finely

2 red onions peeled and quartered

1 bunch baby carrots halved

50g almonds chopped roughly

½ bunch flat leaf parsley chopped finely

100g rocket

100ml olive oil

60ml of dressing

To make the dressing:

Toss tomatoes, garlic, oil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl and bake until skins blister.Transfer tomato mix to blender and add vinegar, pureeing until smooth.Set aside to cool before using.To make the salad:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees and lightly coat red onion and carrots with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes and allow to cool.Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, add quinoa and cook until tender. Drain and allow to cool, occasionally fluffing with a fork.Place roasted vegetables, quinoa, rocket, lemon zest, diced tomato and ¾ of the chopped herbs into a large bowl. Season with salt, pepper and dressing. Combine all ingredients and serve onto plates.Cook haloumi slices for a minute on each side or until golden. Place on top of salad, drizzle with olive oil and add chopped almonds and remaining herbs to serve.Justine Tyerman was a guest of Rail Plus and Great Southern Rail. The Indian Pacific is a four-day, three night 4352km, 65-hour journey from Sydney to Perth and vice versa operated twice a week by Great Southern Rail: https://www.railplus.co.nz/australia-by-rail/australias-great-train-journeys/indian-pacific/itinerary.htm