Peach and Arugula Salad

This recipe showed up in one of my Bon Appetit magazines and I couldn’t resist trying it with all the peaches we have at this time of year. It was a roaring success, and it works even without the quinoa as a fresh accompaniment to grilled meats. (We had it with chicken.) I use handfuls as a measurement in this recipe as it’s fresh ingredients that you might want to add more or less of, depending on your taste.

To check out the full Bon Appetit article on a summer beach party dinner, click on the picture for the link.

1-1/2 cups / 375 g quinoa, rinsed

4 tsp / 20 g kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

1 medium red onion, sliced 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) thick

3 Tbsp / 45 g sugar

1/2 cup / 125 mL apple cider vinegar

4 tsp / 20 g sea salt

2 large ripe firm peaches, cut into thin slices

1/2 bunch (about 2 handfuls) arugula, thick stems removed, leaves torn into pieces

1 pint (about 2 handfuls) small cherry tomatoes, halved – or 2-3 heirloom tomatoes, chopped

1/4 cup / 60 mL olive oil

1/2 cup / 1 handful chives, chopped into 1/2 inch/1 cm pieces

fresh ground pepper for seasoning

Bring quinoa and 4 cups/ 1 L water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Season with salt. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer until quinoa is tender, about 8-10 minutes. Drain, return quinoa to pan and cover. Remove from heat and let sit 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, place onion slices in a small bowl. Bring vinegar, sugar, and salt to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar and salt. Pour over onion and let stand about 20 minutes. Drain and reserve pickling liquid.

Toss pickled onion, peaches, arugula, tomatoes, oil, half of chives and 3 Tbsp reserved pickling liquid in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper and more pickling liquid if desired. Fold in quinoa.

Serve salad topped with remaining chives.

NOTE: If you are making this ahead, don’t add the arugula and chives till the last minute. Keep mixture chilled till ready to use.