It’s too lovely and warm to be stuck in the kitchen these days, so I am enjoying lots of summery salads with great Pacific Northwest ingredients. My favorite new snack is Salumi salami, which adds so much flavor to any dish, and also tastes great on its own. Apricots are one my favorite fruits, and I was thrilled to discover that Washington produces a huge amount of apricots. Apricots, peaches, cherries etc. are sometimes referred to as stone fruits here. When I first heard the word ‘stone fruit’, I thought it was some new exotic fruit I hadn’t tried before! There is an abundance of great stone fruit available at the moment, and I am really enjoying them with savory dishes as well as sweet. This is a really quick and simple salad to prepare and perfect for picnics and barbecues.
Ingredients
• 1 tablespoon of melted butter
• 1 peach
• 1 apricot
• 200g of cooked couscous
• Chives, finely chopped
• Salami (I like Salumi) chopped into thin strips
• Pecorino, shaved
• 1 teaspoon of white balsamic vinegar
• 3 teaspoons of olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
Method
Begin by cutting the peach and apricot into segments and removing the stone. Brush the peach and apricot with melted butter. Heat a grill pan over a high heat. Using a tongs place the fruit segments on the grill pan. Cook for about 2 minutes, and then turn the fruit over to grill on the other side. Once they are nicely marked by the grill, remove the fruit with a tongs and leave aside on a plate.
In a small bowl, mix the balsamic and olive oil together with a fork. Add salt and pepper to taste. Finally mix the cooked couscous with the finely chopped chives, strips of salami and shaved Pecorino. Pour the dressing over the couscous and mix together with a fork. Place the couscous in a large serving dish and place the grilled stone fruit on top. Serve with a nice crisp white wine.
