July 7th, 2008

Peach-Prosciutto Salad with Hazelnut-Balsamic Dressing

peachprossalad.jpg

While I was making this salad, my husband popped into the kitchen and asked what was for dinner. I told him, and he said: “Huh. Sounds… interesting.” It sounded just fine to me—no, better than just fine—but he’s not particularly adventurous in the culinary world, so I understood. When he tasted it however, he told me the dish was 1,000 times better than he’d imagined it would be. In fact, he asked for the peaches again the next night. I was craving them, too. Imagine sweet, juicy peaches wrapped in crunchy, salty prosciutto, and grilled to perfection. Mmhmm. Don’t know what prosciutto is? It’s the Italian word for ham, and in the United States, you can buy the paper-thin, dry-cured raw version in most well-stocked delis. Luckily, I had a couple more peaches, and a few slices of prosciutto left. We grilled them up, and served them alongside grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches. Either way—in a salad, or as a side-dish sans greens—these prosciutto wrapped peaches are an excellent way to dress up dinner.

Ingredients:

*Please note (again), I’m not a fan of measuring, especially for dishes like this. What I offer you below are guidelines. Adjust to fit your personal style and the amount of people you are feeding.

3-4 peaches, of any variety
1 package prosciutto, about 4 ounces
spring greens, about 5 ounces
hazelnuts, about ½ cup
balsamic vinegar
hazelnut oil
fresh ground pepper (optional)
brown sugar (optional)

Whisk the balsamic vinegar with the hazelnut oil. Start with an equal ratio, about 4 tbsp. to 4 tbsp. and adjust to fit your tastes from there. Personally, I prefer more vinegar to oil, but most recipes call for more oil than vinegar. I also tend to prefer my salads “dry,” meaning I don’t like them dripping with dressing. Each to their own. Make it your way. I also liberally grind fresh pepper into the oil and vinegar. That’s optional, of course. And if the dressing is too tart for you, add a pinch of brown sugar.

peachproscuittoHalve the peaches and remove the pits. Cut each peach half in half, so you end up with four slices per peach.

Cut the prosciutto slices in half length-wise. Wrap each peach quarter with a prosciutto slice.

Skewer the prosciutto wrapped peaches and place on a grill. Grill a couple of minutes on each side, or until the prosciutto is cooked through. Remove and let cool slightly.

In an oven, or on the stove, toast the hazelnuts until the skin darkens. Be careful, this doesn’t take long! Remove from oven or stovetop, let cool. Rub the skin off the hazelnuts, then coarsely chop.

Toss the mixed spring greens with the hazelnut-balsamic dressing. Gently mix in the hazelnuts. Plate the greens, and top with the prosciutto-wrapped peaches.

Serve with crusty bread and an herb-infused oil dipping sauce.

  
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