This simple but stylish salad starter is bursting with freshness and flavour and just the thing to start a Valentine’s Day meal. I think it is delicious with a little crusty ciabatta bread to soak up the juices.
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 100g Tenderstem broccoli
- 2 medium peaches, stoned and quartered
- 1 ½ tsp olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 50g baby spinach leaves
- 75g goat’s cheese log (I used Kidderton Ash), cut into thin slices
- Few fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
Dressing:
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Method
- Preheat a griddle pan until smoking hot…this may take up to10 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, toss the Tenderstem broccoli and peach quarters in the olive oil with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the peach and broccoli mixture to the griddle and cook for about 5 minutes, turning a few times, until they are just tender and marked with griddle-lines.
- Arrange the spinach leaves on a serving plate and top with the cooked peach and broccoli mixture. Add the goat’s cheese and sprinkle with the basil leaves.
- Beat the extra virgin olive oil with the balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste to make a dressing. Drizzle over the salad and serve at once.
Tip
When available replace the peaches in this salad with 2 fresh, ripe nectarines or 4-6 fresh, ripe apricots… they are equally as delicious.
