This Peach and Prosciutto Salad highlights the flavours of summer. Sweet, juicy peaches are combined with salty prosciutto, creamy bocconcini and fragrant fresh basil leaves on a serving platter, then drizzled with a simple vinaigrette. It is colourful, nutritious, and best of all - easy to make.
4ripe peaches - thinly sliced into 14-16 piecesSee Note 1
85g(3 oz) prosciutto - torn into bite-size piecesSee Note 2
225g(8 oz) cherry bocconcini - or mozzarella torn into bite-size piecesSee Note 3
20fresh basil leaves
2tablespoonextra virgin olive oilSee Notes 4 and 5
2teaspoonred wine vinegarSee Note 6
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper - to tasteSee Note 7
Instructions
To begin, in a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar and season with salt and black pepper. Set aside.
On a large serving platter, arrange the sliced peaches, baby mozzarella, torn prosciutto and fresh basil leaves. Drizzle over the dressing and serve immediately.
Notes
You can use yellow or white peaches, whichever you prefer. Ideally, try to obtain freestone peaches rather than clingstone. As their names imply, freestone peaches have fruit that easily pulls away from the pit, while clingstone peaches have flesh that clings to the pit making it impossible to cleanly remove the fruit. Avoid fruit that is not ripe as the flesh will be hard and lack flavour. On the other hand, fruit that is over-ripe will not hold its shape in the Peach Salad and will become mushy. Look for peaches that have a little give when you gently squeeze them. The fruit should be fragrant. Avoid any fruit with bruises.
Use good quality prosciutto which you enjoy eating. Or, try Prosciutto di Parma, which translates as Parma Ham, it is full of flavour.
Bocconcini are balls of fresh mozzarella. They come in different sizes; we have chosen those about the size of a cherry, known as ciliegine. If you prefer, you could use a large ball and tear it into bite-size pieces. Alternatively, use buffalo mozzarella or for a special treat, a ball of burrata cheese would be delicious.
The Australian tablespoon is 20 ml or 4 teaspoons. In many other countries, the tablespoon is 15 ml or 3 teaspoons. Please adjust the measurement if necessary.
For the best flavour, my preference is Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
If you do not have red wine vinegar, you could also use sherry, apple cider or balsamic.
Ensure that the dish is adequately seasoned to your liking, to bring out the best flavour.
Please note, the nutritional information is based on four servings. It does not include what the salad is served with. The nutritional information is an estimate only.