One of the nice things about southern California is we have a longer peach season than other parts of the country. It’s nice to enjoy juicy peaches bit longer especially in warm months of August and September. During one of those really warm days, I wanted to make something that was cooling and easy. Easy, meaning I didn’t feel like standing in front of a stove for a long time. So, what’s more easy then fresh peach salad with chilled burrata and tart dried cherries. For carbs and protein, I decided on orzo with fresh spinach and yes bacon!
Tableware for this Post:
Every year when the peach season comes around, I bring this footed bowl out so I can put display peaches on it. This bowl is a Barbotine pottery made by Saint Clement in France. These pieces are usually decorated with fruits, vegetables, and flowers and are very colorful. Many of the antique or vintage pieces are also made in the form of animals, fruits or vegetables and you can find them on sites like Etsy or Ebay. My piece is not vintage; I bought this years ago at Williams-Sonoma and it was so beautiful I had to have it. (It was also on sale too)
Cherry dinner plates are one of my favorite pieces in my cupboard and they are made by Richard Ginori, the famed Italian porcelain manufacturer. Ginori makes one of the most beautiful porcelain pieces and though I really appreciate their traditional patterns, I really love their more contemporary designs too. This pattern “Cherries” was retired several years ago, but once in a while I do see few pieces popping up on sites like Replacements. I can hope and dream though that one day, Ginori may bring this pattern back!
Peach Salad
Aside from these juicy organic peaches, I’m thanking myself for the burrata and tart dried cherries I bought the other day at Trader Joe’s. This salad was made pretty spontaneously because again, I was looking to make something super easy and didn’t require lot of effort on a hot day. I just used red leaf lettuce, tore the leaves in bite size pieces, and dressed the lettuce leaves with 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and pinch of salt. Next, on top of the lettuce, I placed the sliced peaches and burrata, sprinkled some salt and fresh ground pepper on the burrata then added the dried cherries. You can also drizzle olive oil on the burrata since I’m not using olive oil to dress this salad.
These dried cherries from Trader Joe’s really went well with this salad, especially with the burrata. Unlike most dried cherries, these are plumb and juicy with a nice amount of tartness. I think I can incorporate them in other dishes and I’m going to have to stock up now.
Orzo Pasta with Spinach and Bacon
Orzo is a great way to add some carbs into your meal and it really goes well with fresh vegetables like spinach. Combined with sauteed vegetables and of course bacon, you get yourself a light, satisfying pasta dish.
What I like to do is cook the bacon pieces first and let the nice fat from the bacon come out in the pan. After taking out the bacon pieces from the pan, I then use the fat to saute onions and spinach. This way you don’t have to use additional oil, and bacon fat will add nice flavor to the vegetables. Once the vegetables are tender, add the cooked orzo, bacon into the pan, then as a finishing touch add olive oil and pinch of salt.
Finished pasta dish is flavorful without being too oily and right before serving I sprinkled some lemon zest on top.
Orzo with Bacon and Spinach
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
- 4 slices thick cut uncured bacon, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 small onion chopped
- 4 cups fresh spinach chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Boil orzo pasta according to instructions on box. Once boiled, drain the pasta and set it aside.
- Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until lightly browned. When done, transfer bacon to a plate and set it aside.
- In a same pan that bacon was cooked in, saute onions in the bacon fat. Saute onions until soft and add chopped spinach and saute for about 1 minute or until spinach is tender. Add orzo pasta and bacon to the pan and mix well with vegetables. Once ingredients are mixed, add olive oil and salt.
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