It’s starting. It’s starting. It’s starting!!!
Get pumped. Get in the mood. Get out your pretty sandals and toe nail polish. It’s TIME!
…I’m talking about summer… and not the dreaded jean short, bikini life-styling, good beach hair part of summer that is totally stressful. I’m talking about peaches. With fresh peaches and ripe tomatoes, summer is set! Also, jean shorts are dumb… they’re either getting shorter or I’m getting older. They’re probably getting shorter… just sayin’.
This salad is a summer celebration. Yea… I said it. Also.. there’s bread and butter in this salad because a) I can’t help myself, and b) it’s delicious!
Let’s talk!
Let’s talk about my first sighting of heirloom tomatoes and yellow peaches in the grocery. It’s a bit early for tomatoes but I just had to treat myself. The peaches have an early summer tartness and I can’t wait to get into July to enjoy their candy sweetness.
Also… can we talk about how bread belongs in every salad ever?
In this salad concoction, big bite-sized hunks of bread are sautéed with butter and olive oil Once they’re toasty good, we toss in a load of salted and shelled pistachios, a good sprinkling of sea salt, and fresh cracked black pepper.
Don’t eat this straight from the pan like I did. Bread and nuts aren’t considered a real salad without lettuce.
Peaches are sliced. Tomatoes are diced. Bread is readied. Mozzarella crashes the party.
The usual summer suspects.
Salads are meant to be shared.
Sidenote: I wish guys knew these seven very special words… “Do you want to split a salad?”.
That phrase could really be a game-changer in the dating world. (I’m not wrong.)
This salad is entirely satisfying. It’s leafy green and dressed very simply with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. It’s topped generously with warm, toasty, and crunchy bread and pistachios. Fresh peaches and tomatoes shine bright… totally ready to show off their summer-selves. When it comes to salads, I under-dress the leaves and heavily season the top with salt and pepper.
It’s summer. Let’s get all up in it!
Tomato and Peach Salad with Buttered Bread and Pistachios
makes 2 servings
2 cups big chunks of bread
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup salted and shelled pistachios
salt and pepper to taste
3 big handfuls clean lettuce
balsamic vinegar and olive oil
1 ripe peach, sliced thin
1 ripe tomato, sliced thin
8 small fresh mozzarella balls, cut in half
salt and pepper to taste
In a medium saute pan over medium heat, melt butter and olive oil. Add bread chunks and toss to coat in fat. Allow the bread chunks to toast and brown until golden on most sides. Add the pistachios and cook for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
In a medium bowl toss together greens and a drizzle of oil and vinegar. Use as much or as little dressing as you’d like. Divide greens into prepared bowls. Top with peach slices, tomato sliced, mozzarella, and bread and pistachio mixture. Top with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy immediately.
Jennie
Had this for lunch…and it was delicious! Left out the lettuce…and didnt miss it at all! Thanks for the idea…it’s the croutons that make it!
heidi
showed this to a friend, and his reaction was “Jesus H Christ in a salad! I have to get to the store!” well done, Joy!
Alison
That salad looks delicious. Really well presented and perfect for a quick and light meal.
meredith s.
I’m eating this for lunch this week….and it is hands down my new favorite salad! It’s pretty much summer in a bowl!!
Puja
Fabulous recipe! Made it for a whole load of people over the weekend, who dropped everything else on the menu for second and third servings of this salad! Yum!
Irene Marie
Made this the other night. It was delicious! I skipped the bread since I am on a diet, but it is still fantastic without them (wish I could’ve had them though!). Left the dressing to the side, so the leftovers were perfect for a quick work lunch. Co-workers were completely intrigued. Definitely keeping this one in my recipe box.
Dalia
It’s not you, shorts are definitely getting shorter. I hate this trend looks like underwear in public!
Michelle
sounds delicious!
Caroline
OMYum! This looks luscious. I picked up some early peaches at our farmer’s market last week and threw those puppies right on the grill alongside some poblano peppers and corn and dumped them right into a bowl of kale with goat cheese. Divine. But, but, but the bread…. I didn’t think about the bread! Next time!