park lunch

I was approached in the park today at lunch. Before you start worrying for my safety, however, I must tell you that in fact, it was about the salad I was eating. That morning, I had created what I felt was a ‘mini-masterpiece’ salad:


(serves 1)
baby spinach leaves
1 peach, quartered, peeled and broken into chunks
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
75 g cucumber, sliced and quartered
2 slices of wafer-thin ham, cut into think strips
about 35 g mild French goats cheese

The man, in his late thirties, shyly approached, and asked, “Did you get that salad from around here?” I must say, there are some lovely places to eat lunch on Lower Marsh, down behind Waterloo Station – Ruby Marsh and Coopers Vegetarian Deli, to name a couple. “No, I make my salads at home,” I told him, to which he replied, “Oh, that’s why they are so good then.”

Very pleased with his compliment, I thought back to the origins of this salad for me, which was really only four days prior.

I was going to prepare a salad on Saturday afternoon when I was stuck for ideas. I looked at my fruit bowl, where six Spanish peaches sat colourfully. I bought them in the excitement of seeing local (well, European) peaches at the supermarket for the first time in months and months. But they were, in fact, a bit tart, so they sat. Until now. An entry in Nigel Slater’s Kitchen Diary popped into my mind, one in which he described a quick meal he had made with mango and bulghur wheat. I believe he served it with ham as well. Well, why not peaches, I thought, as I got to work.

Thirty minutes later I put the finishing touches on the grandmother to the salad I ate in the park.

(serves 1)
50 g bulghur wheat
5 cherry tomatoes, halved
Baby spinach
2 slices of wafer thin ham
Juice of half of a lemon
Basil leaves

It was lovely, and even my husband liked it, although he confessed to me later that he couldn’t quite get his head around tomatoes and peaches together. To me, it makes sense.

Monday rolled around and I couldn’t get the salad out of my mind. Instead of my stalwart salad (see other blog), I attempted a recreation – this time, approximately the same as Saturday. But I missed the other vegetables I’m used to having at lunch – cucumber – and the cheese.

Tuesday comes and I tweak it again. I love this version, but for different versions than I loved the weekend version. I think they suit their days, if that makes sense. I did miss the bulghur wheat, but as it can take up to 30 minutes to soften once boiling water has been poured onto it, it may not be the ideal ‘quick meal’ to make in the morning.

Oh, for those who ask where the dressing (lemon juice) went in the second version – I realised that with the juicy, ripe peaches added plenty of juice for the salad. It kept better, and in fact, when the soft goats cheese mixed with the peach juice, a lovely impromptu dressing was born.

Intrigued by Pete’s comment about the implausibility of peaches and tomatoes, I searched Epicurious for the two ingredients and got six hits. A notable entry was the peach and tomato gazpacho (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/232601). I may just have to try that this summer. It evokes thoughts of a sweltering summer afternoon being rewarded by a surprising soup. And I’ve made melon salsa before, so why not peach salsa?