Grilled Peach Salad with Mint and Basil Pesto

By aribear

Ingredients

• Mint and Basil Pesto:
• 2 firm, yet ripe peaches
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 cups baby arugula
• fresh mozzarella, sliced
• a few dollops of pesto
• sprinkle of toasted pine nuts
• salt & pepper
• 1 packed cup of a mix of mint & basil
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted (you could also use walnuts instead)
• 1/2 garlic clove, roughly chopped
• juice and zest from 1/2 a lemon
• 1/4 cup olive oil (or more)
• a few pinches of red pepper flakes
• salt & pepper

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from loveandlemons.com

Preparation

Step 1

Slice the peaches into 6 segments per peach. In a small bowl, toss peaches with olive oil, balsamic, and just a small pinch of salt.

Heat your grill (or grill pan) to medium high heat and brush it with some oil. Place the peach slices on the hot grill and cook each side for 2-3 minutes without moving them (near the end you can gently peek to see how your grill marks are coming along).

A few notes about grilling peaches: They will pick up the flavors of what you previously grilled on your grill. Depending on what that was, you may want to clean your grill well before beginning. Also, I experimented with using grill pans-a cast-iron (seasoned) grill pan and a nonstick grill pan. The nonstick created “prettier” grill marks because the peaches stuck less. The seasoned cast-iron pan imparted a hint of zucchini flavor from a previous dinner (that was surprisingly not awful tasting). Both ways, the peaches tasted wonderful.

When your peaches are grilled, set aside and allow them to cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile make the pesto. Combine all ingredients in a small food processor and pulse to combine. Add more oil for a smoother pesto, or leave it chunky - whichever consistency you prefer.

Toss the arugula with just a little bit of olive oil and a few pinches of salt. Assemble on a platter and top with mozzarella slices, peaches, dollops of pesto, and a few pinches of red pepper flakes. Squeeze just a bit of lemon on top and serve.