Peach & Polenta Salad
This vegan salad screams sunshine, so it’s perfect for early summer, with sour and sweet peaches, crispy polenta, fresh greens and a creamy herb pesto using wild garlic from spring time. It's delicious, easy to assemble and perfect for eating al fresco.
For the salad (serves 2-4):
3 small (medium ripe) peaches
250g pre-cooked polenta
200g green beans
50g cooked edamame beans
1 medium avocado
40g cashews
1/2 lemon
Pesto:
Small bunch of fresh parsley
Small bunch of wild garlic
40g raw cashews
Olive oil
Trim the green beans and steam for 3/4 minutes, until they're just cooked, then blanch in cold water.
Cut the pre-cooked polenta (I used Italfresco Ready Made Polenta, but any brand will do, or cook and cool from dry) into thin slices, and fry in a good glug of olive oil, making sure the underside is nice a crisp before turning as they may break apart. Once cooked, drain on kitchen towel to remove any excess oil.
Cut the peaches in to quarters and fry at a medium heat in the same pan until slightly charred and golden. The peaches should be under-ripe as this means they keep their shape, and whilst the golden exterior is deliciously sweet, the flesh remains slightly sour.
Make a simple pesto by blending all of the ingredients together with a splash of water to get a creamy consistency, then season with salt to taste. Replace the wild garlic with one garlic clove when unavailable or out of season - I pick in March/April, and freeze the leaves for a later date.
To assemble, layer the cooked green beans with avocado chopped length ways and half of the edamame. Add the fried polenta and peaches, followed by the remaining edamame, whole cashews (which I toasted lightly), and a few even spoonful’s of pesto.
Finally, a squeeze of lemon, drizzle of olive oil, and if you have them, a sprinkling of wild garlic flowers.