Grilled Peach & Red Onion Salad
Serves 4
I remember shopping for peaches at a farmer’s market in Derbyshire when Jonathan was only two years old. Alison was pregnant with soon-to-be little Matthew at the time. I asked for five peaches, paid the money, and met up with Alison who was in a nearby store looking at clothes. If you knew my wife, she loved clothes. It was her hobby to spend my money on new clothes What can I say she always looked beautiful!
This was one of those amazing, sunny days in England. There is nowhere better on Earth to be than in England on a perfect summer’s day. We found a bench in a nearby park, and met up with my Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Tom. We all settled down to enjoy our juicy, ripe peaches, only to open the brown paper bag to discover our peaches were rock hard pears. They were so hard my uncle complained about having a toothache all the way back to his home in Cheshire. To this day, I’m reminded of that eventful day every time I go to buy peaches, and love to remind my Uncle Tom of it.
Just the other day, I was in the local store when I noticed peaches. They were totally out of season, and, as you might have guessed, rock hard in texture. Nothing you can do with them other than poach, bake or grill. Normally, I would might make a homemade peach cobbler with freshly made English custard. I also noticed some really nice arugula, and thought let’s make a grilled peach salad. I added some lemon scented couscous, grilled some red onions along with the peaches, and tossed in the arugula. Give it a try and always keep a little summer around. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
2 cups couscous
4 cups low sodium vegetable stock or chicken stock
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons parsley, freshly chopped
1 lemon, zest and juice of
1 red onion, peeled and cut into eight pieces
2 large peaches, cut in half, stone removed
4 cups arugula
½ cup Greek yogurt
How to make:
Place the couscous into a medium size bowl. Bring the stock to boil. Pour it over the couscous, and stir well. Next, place a lid or plastic wrap tightly over the bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Heat a griddle pan until very hot. Then add the onion wedges and cook for 2 minutes each side. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
Cut each peach half into quarters and place on the griddle. Cook for 1 minute each side. Remove and set aside.
Remove the lid or wrap from the bowl. Fluff up the couscous with a fork before adding the raisins, pine nuts, parsley, and lemon juice and zest.
Tip the couscous into a serving bowl. Scatter over the arugula, onions, and peaches. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle over the Greek yogurt and serve.