Home » Gluten-Free Panzanella with Peaches and Heirloom Tomatoes

Gluten-Free Panzanella with Peaches and Heirloom Tomatoes

August’s flavor of the month is Peach. Check back regularly for a new recipe highlighting this fantastic fruit!

Ok, technically, it is September, but I wanted to squeeze in one last recipe bursting with peaches. A recipe that can simply be multiplied by the number of servings you need.

It still certainly tastes like summer, and the farmer’s market does not disappoint. Particularly the Green City Market (Chicago’s largest farmer’s market which I had been wanting to hit up ever since I moved in). It was everything I had been hoping for. And more.

I mean, there was whiskey. Whiskey made from millet. (I won’t debate with you whether or not all whiskey is gluten-free – science says yes, TTB says maybe not). Whiskey that I can drink without thinking about the science. And it was distilled in Chicago, in my neighborhood. (Their bourbon is also wheat-free and made from corn & millet in case you are more of a bourbon person…)

Koval Millet Whiskey found at the Green City Market

There was local honey and preserves and a honey mint soda.

An abundance of flowers.

Flowers at the Green City Market | FrannyCakes

Melons that tasted like my trip to the South of France (12 years ago…I need to go back, but until I can, this melon will suffice 🙂 ).

French Cantaloupe from Green City Market | FrannyCakes

Heirloom tomatoes in more varieties than I could count.

Heirloom Tomatoes from Green City Market | FrannyCakes

Peaches bred to perfection.

It was as if all the best parts of summer produce converged in one place. And I didn’t want to leave.

The only downside to the market is the bus ride home. The bus ride where a peach and a tomato are damaged despite your efforts to be careful.

Summer flowers on the bus | frannycakes

So what do you do? You make them in to something. And a gluten-free panzanella sounds like what the doctor ordered. You open your freezer and discover all you have are the hot dog buns you bought for a memorial day cookout (and now it is labor day and you still haven’t had grilled brats). It’s ok. This panzanella doesn’t judge your bread. The whole point of the bread is to soak up all those lovely juices from your produce.

Good quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar with some fresh from the garden sage, a few thin slices of onion, salt and pepper round out this lovely lunch. You can even make this with undamaged fruits (you careful shopper, you!). If you need to feed more than one, simply multiply the recipe by the number of people you want to serve.

gluten-free panzanella with peaches and heirloom tomatoes | a recipe from frannycakes.com

Gluten-Free Panzanella with Peaches, Heirloom Tomatoes and Sage
Recipe Type: Salad
Author: Mary Fran Wiley
Prep time: 5 mins
Total time: 5 mins
Serves: 1
This salad comes together easily and celebrates late-summer produce. It can be easily multiplied for more than one and works as a great way to use up lonely slices of bread (particularly the ends no one likes or hot dog buns that happen to be hanging out in your freezer). You could use regular bread if the glutens don’t hate you. Don’t use dried sage in place of the fresh. If you don’t have sage, fresh mint or basil could also taste quite good here.
Ingredients
  • 1-2 slices of your favorite gluten-free bread (or hot dog bun if that’s what you have)
  • 1 ripe peach
  • 1 ripe heirloom tomato
  • 1/4 white onion
  • 4-5 fresh sage leaves
  • generous pinch of salt
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
  1. Toast your bread.
  2. Dice your tomato and peach.
  3. Slice your onion as thinly as you can (if you are not so good at slicing, use a mandolin).
  4. Chiffonade or tear your sage leaves.
  5. Dice or tear your toasted bread.
  6. Toss all your prepared ingredients in a bowl with the salt and drizzle with the olive oil and balsamic.
3.2.2708

 

3 comments

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.