A few summers ago, someone sent me a recipe for a simple cucumber and peach salad. This was a recipe that combined two ingredients I never thought would like each other. Didn’t one belong atop lettuce, and the other beneath a crumb topping? How could these crispy and sweet tastes coexist?
Hesitantly, I chopped a garden-fresh cucumber. Even more uncertainly, I sacrificed a sweet, juicy peach. Wouldn’t it be better just to enjoy this delicious fruit on its own?
Yet when I blended the two with some vinegar and basil, the taste was the perfect blend: summer at its most refreshing.
You will need:
- 1 cucumber
- 1 peach
- 1/4 cup vinegar (cider or balsamic)
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 3 basil leaves
- A dash of salt and pepper
To make the salad:
Slice the cucumber into disks. Keep the peel on for extra flavor and texture.
Slice and pit the peach. You can chop it into small pieces or keep the peach slices in a half-moon shape. ( I like the taste and texture of the peel, but this is optional.)
Chop the basil.
Toss these in a medium-sized bowl with vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper.
This is a startlingly simple summer recipe! Don’t forget to check our recipes page for other simple recipes that bring out the flavors of the produce we love.