When white peaches, especially the flat ones called Saturnine come in to season, our family goes crazy for them.  The season lasts no longer than 8 weeks so we try to use them as much as possible, also in salads.

Chickpeas (ceci in Italian) make a great partner because their earthiness meets the highly floral perfume of the white peaches perfectly – here opposites really do attract.

This salad makes a great lunchtime dish to accompany a board of cured meats or cheeses and because the chickpeas are fairly filling, it means you tend to eat less bread. Serves 4 people as a side dish or part of a lunch.

INGREDIENTS

350-500g chickpeas, depending on your appetite.  Soak dried chickpeas over night or if you’re in a hurry use pre-cooked ones, ideally the plump ones from a jar for best results

2 white fleshed peaches

10 cherry tomatoes

1/2 small red onion

Flat leaf parsley

Salt, pepper and olive oil

Which EVOO to use?

Typically I dress this with a squeeze of lemon and a central Italian extra virgin olive oil that has a good level of bitterness such as Il Sincero from Frantoio Viola or Le Trebbiane from Frantoio Franci.

METHOD