While reading in about the Peach Festival this weekend at Smolak (rhymes with Stollak) Farms, I was reminded of one of my favorite pasta salads. I found the Peach Tortellini salad last summer while looking for peach recipes. The salad calls for regular cheese tortellini, mixed with a peach vinaigrette and red bell peppers.
How do you make a peach vinaigrette? With peach vinegar of course. But chances are you’re not going to find peach vinegar very easily and will likely have to make your own. It was an exercise reminding me of great chefs as I boiled sugar, vinegar and water and added them to pureed peaches. The vinaigrette came out well and came in handy for other salads.
Craving peaches? Check out Smolak Farm’s festival this weekend. Details, plus more peach recipes can be found in Thursday and Friday’s editions of The Eagle-Tribune. For now, here’s the salad recipe, courtesy of kitchenlink.com and about.com.
Peach Tortellini Salad
Ingredients
1 (12 ounce) package refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
3 cups sliced Georgia Peaches
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into match sticks
1/4 cup basil peach vinaigrette or more to taste (recipe follows)
4 cups mixed fresh salad greens
Preparation
Cook tortellini according to package directions. Rinse until cool; drain well. In medium bowl, combine tortellini, peaches and red pepper. Chill until ready to serve.
Drizzle vinaigrette over mixture, toss gently. Place salad greens on large serving platter, or four (4) individual salad plates. Arrange peach tortellini mixture over greens
To make a peach vinaigrette
2 ripe peaches (about 12 ounces total), peeled, pitted, and chopped
1 cup Japanese brewed rice vinegar, or a good distilled white vinegar with an acid content between 4 and 5 percent
3 Tablespoons sugar
Preparation:
Puree the peaches in a food processor, then pour the puree into a medium-size bowl. (There should be 1 cup of peach puree.)
Combine the vinegar, sugar, and 1/2 cup water in a medium-size saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly syrupy, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir the vinegar mixture into the peach puree. Let cool.
Sterilize a 16-ounce bottle (or two 8-ounce canning jars). Sterilize the cap (or lid) according to the manufacturer’s instructions or have ready a clean cork.
Skim the foam, if there is any, then strain the vinegar mixture through a fine sieve, pressing on the solids to extract as much juice as possible. Discard the solids.
Drain the bottle, then fill with the strained vinegar. Seal with a clean cork (or sterilized lid). Store in a cool, dry place or refrigerate.
