Grilled Peach Panzanella
There are few dishes as summery as a panzanella. Heirloom tomatoes, fragrant basil and, in this case, the sweet flavour of ripe peaches. This is by no means a traditional panzanella. Besides peaches, you also most likely wouldn’t find lentils in a Tuscan or Umbrian recipe, yet they do an amazing job at soaking up the dressing and juices of summer’s ripest fruits.
Ingredients
- 3 small round shallots
- 150 g dried lentils
- 500 g heirloom tomatoes
- 1 peach
- Olive oil for charring (not extra virgin)
- 150 g sourdough bread (or ciabatta)
- 1 small garlic clove
- 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 20 g basil
- black pepper
Instructions
- Start by peeling the shallots. Slice them thinly and soak the slices in ice water. This will remove that harsh flavour and turn them refreshingly crisp. Whilst the shallots are soaking, add the lentils to a pan and pour in roughly double the amount of water. Season with 3/4 tsp salt, bring to a boil, cover with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender, adding more water if needed. Drain and set aside.
- In the meantime, cut the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. Cut the peach in half, remove the pit and slice each half into quarters. Brush the quarters with a little bit of olive oil, then grill them in a griddle pan, turning them once, until both sides are nicely charred. Set aside. Tear the bread into small chunks, toss with a bit of olive oil and grill in the same pan until lightly charred all around. Set aside.
- Finely crush the garlic clove and add to a bowl large enough to hold the panzanella. Drizzle in the the extra virgin olive oil, vinegar and 1/3 tsp salt and give it a quick stir. Add the lentils, tomatoes, charred bread and most of the shallots. Tear in most of the basil leaves along with a generous grind of black pepper. Mix everything together, then top with the remaining shallots and basil as well as a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.