What’s the easiest way to make a salad more delicious? You guessed it: bread. So today, as we continue our month of tomatoes, we’re sharing a beautiful panzanella salad recipe from Ashley Marti of Local Haven. With juicy peaches, fresh mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes and dried salami, it strikes the perfect balance of sweet and salty. Here’s how to make it…

Peach Tomato Panzanella
By Ashley Marti of Local Haven

I often turn to this panzanella recipe for dinners and lunches. I adapt it with whatever is fresh in my kitchen. This recipe would also taste great with red onion, capers, greek olives and plums (instead of peaches). This dish is crunchy and vinegary. You’ll want to eat it straight out of the pan.

Recipe: Peach Tomato Panzanella
Serves 4

You’ll need:

1 loaf of crusty bread, torn into cubes
4 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 peaches, cut into wedges and thinly sliced
2 large heirloom tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup dry salami, sliced
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 oz fresh mozzarella, torn into bite size pieces
1/2 cup basil, chopped
Flaky sea salt to taste, such as Maldon

Preheat the oven to 425F. Toss together the bread cubes with 2 tablespoons olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper. Lay them out evenly and place in the oven until crisp, about 7-10 minutes. Remove the bread cubes from the oven and allow to cool.

In a large bowl, toss together the peaches, large tomatoes cut into wedges, the cherry tomatoes, salami, basil and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.

Once the bread has cooled, toss together (on the baking sheet or in the large bowl), the bread with the tomato peach mixture. Add the balsamic vinegar and toss together thoroughly, allowing the bread to absorb the juices. Top with a drizzle of really good olive oil, fresh mozzarella, a little more basil and a pinch of flaky salt.

Thank you so much, Ashley!

P.S. More tasty recipes, including pasta with tomato confit and peach sauvignon blanc sorbet.

(Recipe and photos by Ashley Marti. Thanks to Stella Blackmon for helping with this series.)