Bluedot Living will regularly run recipes and tips from Pascale Beale, the popular Santa Barbara-based chef, teacher, and cookbook author.
Beale has long been a proponent of cooking with in-season ingredients. “Anyone who has eaten a mealy, bland tomato in winter compared to a sun-ripened juicy tomato in the summer can taste the difference eating seasonally makes,” Beale told Bluedot contributing editor Catherine Walthers in this conversation. “Every season has its own stars, I believe it’s worth waiting for them.”
She is also passionate about using every last bit of food in your pantry, and in her regular cooking classes (available online), she stresses to make the most of what you’ve already got. “There is so, so much food waste,” she told Walthers. “Learn to make the most of leftovers, the carcass from a roast chicken kept to make stock for example. I like to do something called a TDF (Tour de Frigidaire), something made out of all the little bits and pieces left in the fridge.”
This recipe first appeared on Beale’s website, where she wrote:
“It was during a conversation with a friend of mine about the pleasures of Venice … that the idea for this vinaigrette popped into my head …in the middle of my local farmers market, and that we had just tasted a sublime peach.
“I bought some of course, and later that night, grilled a few peaches for a salad I was making. The grilling intensified the flavors of the peaches, caramelizing the juices a little as they cooked, and paired beautifully with the acidity in the tomatoes. I had put one peach aside to make a puree for the vinaigrette and was delighted with the result.”
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RECIPE: Grilled Peach and Tomato Salad with Peach Bellini Vinaigrette
- Yield: Serves 8 people 1x
Ingredients
For the vinaigrette:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon
- 1 ripe peach
- 1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar
- Pinch of coarse salt
- 10 grinds black pepper
For the salad:
- 2 lbs large heirloom tomatoes — approximately the same size as the peaches, halved and cut into wedges
- 4–6 large peaches — halved, pitted and cut into wedges
- 2 tablespoons basil olive oil
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
- 1/2 cup packed mint leaves
- 1/4 cup Thai basil leaves
- 1 tablespoon pistachios
Instructions
- Place all the vinaigrette ingredients in a blender or food processor, and pulse until you have a smooth, homogenous vinaigrette. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
- Place the tomatoes into a large salad bowl or a large shallow platter.
- Heat a griddle pan over a medium-hot flame on the stove.
- Place the peaches into a medium-sized bowl. Pour the olive oil over the slices. Toss gently so that the peaches are coated. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the peaches. Place the peaches on the griddle and cook for 90 seconds. Carefully turn the peaches over and cook for 60 seconds on the other side. The peaches should have char marks on them.
- Carefully remove the peaches from the griddle and add them to the tomatoes. Scatter the mint, basil leaves and pistachios over the fruit.
- Drizzle the peach Bellini vinaigrette over the salad, toss carefully so as not to break the fruit and serve immediately.
Just read your recipe for “Shepherd’s” Pie.
Do you know SHEPHERD’S pie is made with LAMB.
COTTAGE pie is made with any other meat.
You should rename your recipe.