Garden Salad with Peaches and Orange Blossom Dressing
I can't wait for peach season to make this again.
Ottolenghi once wrote an article for the New Yorker called Ottolenghi’s Simplest Recipes. It’s a funny, tongue in cheek article about his recipes and the way that people complain about the complexity and number of ingredients. And about the way that they change all the ingredients and then make commentary on the fact that it didn't work.
I am certainly guilty of the first – not so much any more. I still sigh if I have to go shopping for a dish when I want to make it right now and there is some ingredient my pantry is not stocking atm. It is the price of cooking Ottolenghi, the #MasterOfFlavour.
Having cooked a significant number of Ottolenghi’s dishes, I have moved on from strict adherence to his dishes to shaking them up to suit what is cheaper in our part of the world, what is in the pantry or fridge or on the kitchen bench, and what I can pick from the garden.
This recipe had its genesis in Ottolenghi’s first book #Ottolenghi. But it hardly recognisable as his any more. I’ve removed the non-vegetarian item, and used greens from our garden rather than the expensive (in my area) greens that he uses.The dressing is utterly fabulous, though. You can see his recipe here: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2007/jul/07/recipes.foodanddrink6
The key here is to use sweet peaches (yellow-fleshed or a mix of yellow and white) that are at their peak, with none of that floury texture that they can have when unripe. It’s a dish that’s dazzling in its blend of colours and textures, and works well as a starter. (Ottolenghi grills his peaches but the quality of ours is so good I don't grill them.)