The Ultimate Macaroni Salad: Humboldt Fog with Grilled Peaches and Orzo
What could be nicer than a blushing peach? The sun-kissed color, the ticklish feel of the fuzz, the sweet-as-sugar cane flavor. Then you grill it and the flavors soars to a whole new level. This simple orzo salad lets the grilled peaches shine--and without the nuisance of peach juice dribbling down your arm. Summer in a bowl, this is, along with fresh goat cheese, chopped pistachios, and a hint of mint for a little extra *zing.*
Course Salad
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 15minutes
Cook Time 10minutes
Total Time 25minutes
Servings 4
Calories 490kcal
Author Stephanie Stiavetti
Ingredients
3largefreestone yellow peaches
2tablespoonshoney
2tablespoonsbalsamic vinegar
2tablespoonsolive oil
Sea salt
10ouncesorzo pasta
1/4cupchopped parsleyplus more for garnish
1/4cupchopped spearmint
Freshly-ground black pepper
1/3cupchopped pistachios
6ouncesHumboldt Fogrind removed and cheese coarsely crumbled
Instructions
Using a damp paper towel, lightly scrub and clean the peaches of any extraneous fuzz. Don’t wash the peaches as they will soak up the water. Using a sharp knife cut the peaches in half lengthwise around the pit, using the peaches’ crevices as a guide. Discard the pits.
Set the peach halves in a ziplock bag and toss with the the honey, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a pinch of sea salt allowing it all to marinate for 10 minutes. Reserve the marinade and place the peach halves on a hot and oiled grill, cut side down, and cover and cook for 5 to 8 minutes until the peaches are soft and have developed some charmingly dark grill marks. Roughly chop into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
While the peaches marinate, cook the orzo in some salted boiling water until al dente. Drain the pasta through a colander and set aside.
Combine the peaches, marinade, orzo, parsley, spearmint, and pistachios in a bowl and toss. Add a bit more sea salt and some freshly ground pepper to taste. Plonk in the Humboldt Fog and toss once or twice, just enough to bring everything together--over-mixing will melt the cheese and turn it to liquid.
Notes
Alternative cheeses (though Humboldt Fog is widely available): Goat’s Leap Eclipse, Bermuda Triangle, any stellar chèvre you loveWine pairings: Rosé, Sauvignon Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, GewürztraminerAdditional pairings for the cheese, outside of this recipe: plums, cherries, balsamic reduction.