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Butter Lettuce Salad with Pistachio-Peach Vinaigrette
Summertime is meant for simple salads. Here in the Nashville area, we are blessed with an abundance of local farms and farmer’s markets where you can snatch up a variety of beautiful lettuce and salad greens. If you don’t have butter (or “bib”) lettuce available, feel free to substitute what is growing fresh in your neighborhood.
Serves 8
2 heads butter lettuce, rinsed, dried, roughly chopped and chilled
½ cup shaved Manchego cheese
1 cup pistachio nutmeats, divided
3 fresh peaches
1 cup olive oil
½ cup red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp whole grain mustard
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp sorghum or 1 tbsp packed light brown sugar
For the vinaigrette, peel and pit one peach and place in a blender. Add olive oil, salt, sugar, and vinegar and blend to combine. Once smooth, turn off the blender and add mustard and ½ cup of pistachio nutmeats. Pulse the blender a few times to emulsify, leaving pieces of the pistachios intact.
Place the cold lettuce in a serving bowl and sprinkle the shaved cheese and remaining pistachios on top. Pit and slice the remaining two peaches and add to the salad. Serve the dressing on the side or toss lightly just before serving, as butter lettuce will quickly wilt once dressed.
