grilled peach, halloumi + tomato salad 🍅
summer produce didn't have to go this hard
happy sunday! okay, so I know I talk too much about how much I love living in California, but something happened recently that reminded me of it yet again. I have a running list of recipe ideas I want to work on and last week, two of my upcoming recipes involved peaches. then I saw a couple of my friends on the weekend who told me they have a PEACH TREE in their front yard and they have so many peaches they don’t know what to do with them. they offered to have my come over and harvest some, so naturally I obliged.
I left with a giant bag of peaches and got to make this incredible salad for you, plus a peach dessert that I promise I will share soon. I did NOT grow up with peach trees in people’s front yards so this was a delightful experience, and basically the same thing just happened again when my neighbours texted me a few days ago telling me to eat the tomatoes they’re growing in the front while they’re away. moral of the story is I love summer California produce and how accessible it is here!!!
I hope you all had a great weekend. I went to hot pilates on saturday morning (my new obsession) and then to a beach party for a friend’s birthday in the evening, which eventually turned into a silent disco. it was actually SO fun — I didn’t think I’d be into it but had the best time. today I ran some errands, went for a long walk to admire the mountains (as I do almost daily lol) and made a fab summer veggie sandwich that I’m gonna share with you next week!
today’s salad is really simple but so good. this is one of those recipes that’s all about the ingredients — using juicy, ripe, in-season fruit and veg is the key here to really let the flavours shine. we have caramelized grilled peaches, fresh heirloom tomatoes, charred halloumi cheese for a chewy, salty bite and my favourite basil dressing to tie it all together. this would be SO good alongside some grilled chicken or steak at a summer dinner or bbq! hope you love it.
grilled peach, halloumi + tomato salad
4 firm-ripe peaches, sliced
3 heirloom tomatoes, sliced
1 block halloumi cheese, sliced into strips
1 batch of my basil dressing
arugula
olive oil, salt + pepper
fresh chives and basil, for serving, if desired
heat a large grill pan (or just use a regular cast iron pan) over medium and add a generous layer of olive oil. grill your peach slices for a few minutes on each side until lightly charred, then remove peaches and set aside.
in the same pan, make sure there is enough oil to prevent the halloumi from sticking. dry off your halloumi slices as much as you can, then lay them in your grill pan over medium and let cook for 5-6 minutes until charred on one side. flip and finish cooking on the other side until they are deeply golden brown and crispy. remove.
to serve, lay arugula on a large serving plate and drizzle with olive oil. arrange tomatoes in an even layer overtop and season them with a bit of sea salt. top with grilled peaches and torn pieces of your grilled halloumi, then drizzle everything with the basil dressing.
top with fresh chopped chives and basil if desired and serve!
This was delicious! Turned out perfectly!
nice,good!