Peach Panzanella Salad with Grilled Pork Tenderloin
August 1, 2023 • 0 comments
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Servings: 4
Ingredients
- (1 pound, thinly sliced) Pork Tenderloin
- (1 tsp) Garlic salt
- (6-8 large, sliced thin, leave skin on) Ripe peaches
- (4-5 Very large, cored and cut into chunks) Tomatoes
- (16 oz, drained) Pearl mozzarella
- (2 C) Fresh baby spinach
- (1 C) Fresh basil
- (3-4, peeled, sliced, and sauteed lightly with the peaches or served uncooked on salad (your preference)) Shallots
- (4 C, torn into chunks, lightly toasted in oven) French bread
- (1/2 C) Olive oil or other light oil
- (1/3 C) Balsamic Vinegar
- (1, juiced) lemon
- (2 cloves, chopped) Fresh garlic
- (1/2 tsp) Kosher salt
Directions
The name of this recipe is a mouthful, we will admit. Panzanella — what does that even mean?
Panzanella is a component of a salad that dates back to a time when cooks wanted to not only stretch ingredients but also find a use for older or somewhat stale bread. WWhen tossed with ripe tomatoes or stone fruits, and a bit of a vinaigrette, the bread softens and absorbs the delicious juices and adds bulk to make the salad a more substantial meal.
We used peaches because they are perfect and in season right now. Peaches grow well in southern Indiana and can easily be found at the farmer's market. When deciding how many peaches and tomatoes to use, our metric is 1 large peach and 1 large tomato, per person. Even better if both are ripe. If your peaches aren't ripe, you can throw them on a grill for 1-2 minutes to soften then, which is what we did.
Our pork tenderloin is the real star of this dish! Slice it thin, dust with a bit of garlic salt, and cook on the grill or stovetop. Pork tenderloin is a weeknight superstar because it is lean, so versatile, and cooks quickly!
To speed up prep, prepare your salad ingredients, which together the last 5 ingredients for your vinaigrette and allow to sit, then cook your pork. Then assembling the salad is a snap and you can have it on the table in 5 minutes.
This is a simple layered salad and works best if you add ingredients to a large, shallow dish.
First, add your spinach. Top with cut tomatoes, pearl mozzarella, torn french bread that has been lightly toasted.
Next, add your grilled pork pieces, top with the lightly grilled peaches and shallots, sprinkle with fresh basil, and drizzle the dressing evenly over the top.
Serve as it or lightly toss on the platter.
