Recipe
Peach, Tomato, Tomatillo, Basil & Jalapeño Salad
The idea for this salad came from my sister-in-law, Katie, who makes chopped vegetable salads with tomatoes, cukes, peppers, basil, and mozzarella dressed with Italian dressing. Her salads are always tasty. I went looking for something with more of a Mexican flavor and found a recipe on Patti Jinich’s site that calls for Mango and Tomatillo. Well, I live in South Carolina, and it is August, so there are peaches. And there is the SC Farmers Market just a few miles away with boxes and boxes of tomatoes and and and and…
So, this is my version of some sort of cross between the salads of Katie and Patti, two of my favorite cooks.
Serves 2
Use what you like! Grill the peaches or don’t; add heat or don’t. We added leaf lettuce to the leftovers the next day, tossed it, and it was delightful.
Ingredients for the Salad
…and for the Vinaigrette
2 peaches, grilled, and sliced (or peeled and sliced raw)
1 T red wine vinegar
1 heirloom tomato, coarsely chopped (or you could use cherry tomatoes and cut them in half)
1 T freshly squeezed lime juice
¼ red onion, slivered
2 T olive oil
Handful of basil leaves, washed, dried, and sliced
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 large or 2 small tomatillos, husked, washed, halved, and thinly sliced
½ jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced into rounds (less if you are heat-averse)
9-12 mini-Mozzarella balls cut in half
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Step 1
Make the vinaigrette. Put everything but the oil into a bowl and whisk. Then, whisking constantly, add the oil in a small stream until it is emulsified. Alternatively, put everything except the jalapeños into a small blender cup and blend, then add the jalapeños. Set aside.
Step 2
To grill the peaches, halve them, remove the pits, and pour a few drops of olive oil into the hole. Then use a brush or your fingers to coat the cut side with oil. Grill face down on a clean, hot grill until slightly charred. Allow to cool and slice into bite sized pieces. If you are not grilling, peel and slice them.
Step 3
Cut the rest of the ingredients and place into a large bowl and toss. Pour the dressing over it all, toss and serve.
Peach, Tomato, Tomatillo, Basil & Jalapeño Salad
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Salad
- 2 peaches grilled, and sliced (or peeled and sliced raw)
- 1 heirloom tomato coarsely chopped (or you could use cherry tomatoes and cut them in half)
- ¼ red onion slivered
- 1 large or 2 small tomatillos husked, washed, halved, and thinly sliced
- 9-12 mini-Mozzarella balls cut in half
- Handful of basil leaves washed, dried, and sliced
Ingredients for the Vinaigrette
- 1 T red wine vinegar
- 1 T freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 T olive oil
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- ½ jalapeño pepper thinly sliced into rounds (less if you are heat-averse)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make the vinaigrette. Put everything but the oil into a bowl and whisk. Then, whisking constantly, add the oil in a small stream until it is emulsified. Alternatively, put everything except the jalapeños into a small blender cup and blend, then add the jalapeños. Set aside.
- To grill the peaches, halve them, remove the pits, and pour a few drops of olive oil into the hole. Use a brush or your fingers to coat the cut side with oil. Grill face down on a clean, hot grill until slightly charred. Allow to cool, and slice into bite sized pieces. If you are not grilling, peel and slice them.
- Cut the rest of the ingredients and place into a large bowl and toss. Pour the dressing over it all, toss and serve.