Sweet Summer Peaches. I wish you could stay forever.

Last year my in-laws brought us a HUGE basket of Georgia peaches – maybe they were from South Carolina – I can’t remember. I’ll let the folks in GA and SC decide who has better peaches. They were good. Real good.

We froze bags full. Preparation for, dare I say it, winter. Each little bag was a little ray of sunlight – keeping us afloat on those long winter days.

Whoa. Let’s get back to summer here. I’m buying up all the peaches I can and preserving summer indefinitely.

Last week I made these Peachy Grilled Eggplant Stacks with Ricotta. Proving peaches can go with pretty much any food pairing.

The other day I went out shopping for peaches to make Sweet Summer Polenta with Peach Cilantro Salsa. Somehow I got “diverted” to TJ Maxx and came home with a new dress and a salad spinner. How I lived without a salad spinner to dry my fresh herbs and garden greens is beyond me. Thanks TJ.

It made washing and drying cilantro a cinch and got me snacking on fresh, homemade salsa ASAP.

A bag of chips and this Peach Cilantro Salsa sounds just right for a lazy Sunday afternoon on the porch.

Peach Cilantro Salsa

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Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

Author: Oat&Sesame

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh peaches diced, about 1 large peach
• 1 cup diced mixed tomatoes/tomatillos (use any combo)
• ½ cup diced orange bell pepper
• ½ cup chopped shallots
• â…“ cup chopped cilantro, packed
• 1 finely diced jalapeño
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• ¼ kosher salt
• 1 tsp honey or agave syrup

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a bowl, mix well and enjoy!

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To turn it into a respectable meal, I’ve added a pan friend polenta cake. Crisp and golden with smashed avocado and peach cilantro salsa on top.

Polenta Cake

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

50 mins

Total time

1 hour

Author: Oat&Sesame

Serves: 6

Ingredients

Polenta

• 2 cups corn grits (polenta) - I use Bob's Red Mill
• 7 cups water and/or vegetable broth (I use 3.5 cups of each)
• 1 tsp salt
  

Toppings

• 1 Avocado, mashed with ¼ tsp salt and squeeze of lime
• 1 recipe Peach Cilantro Salsa (above)

Instructions

1. Bring water/broth to a boil in a large saucepan.
2. Slowly add in polenta, stirring as you add to evenly distribute.
3. Turn the heat to low so the polenta slowly cooks for 40 minutes, stirring every 5-7 minutes to prevent sticking. A bubble or two may pop to the surface as it cooks, so be careful not to get burned.
4. While you wait for the polenta, prepare the peach cilantro salsa.
5. When the polenta is done, turn it out onto a 9 x 13 rimmed baking sheet lined with saran or parchment paper. Spread evenly until nice and smooth. Let cool. (you can speed this up by popping it in the freezer for 5-10 minutes).
6. Flip the cooled polenta over onto a cutting board. Slice or use a round cookie cutter to create individual pieces.
7. 
8. Heat 2 Tbs olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Sauté the polenta pieces 4-5 minutes on each side - resisting the urge to move them as they cook. If you move them, they will stick, when they're toasty they will release themselves.
9. Top with mashed avocado and peach salsa.

Notes

Serious Eats has a great write up on properly cooking polenta here.

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NOTE: all the extra odd and end polenta pieces, I pan fry and save for breakfast in the morning. They are a great faux scrambled egg with some smoky paprika, coriander + any veggies you have on hand.

Take advantage of all the juicy peaches summer has left to offer and enjoy!

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