Grilled peach & burrata salad with pistachio pesto

Fire up your barbecue so that it’s ready for direct grilling (cooking directly over the heat). Start by making the pesto. We prefer to use a pestle and mortar so the consistency is a little rustic with a toothsome texture but you can use a mini blender if you prefer. It’s definitely quicker – just make sure you use the pulse setting. Add the ingredients in stages: start by crushing the garlic until it forms a paste, then add all but 1 tbsp of the pistachios (set these aside to scatter over the salad later). Grind the pistachios to a paste, then add the basil leaves and repeat. Finish by mixing through the olive oil, Parmigiano Reggiano, lemon juice (zest it first to set aside for the salad) and black pepper. Mix thoroughly and season, adjusting the ingredients as necessary; set aside.

Cut the peaches or nectarines in half and remove the stones from the centre using a small paring knife (this can be tricky – don’t worry if they look a little rustic by the time you’ve removed the stones). Lightly brush the cut side of the peaches and both sides of the courgette with 1 tbsp oil and barbecue for 2-3 minutes on each side. When you have some attractive grill marks, set aside to cool while you finish the salad.

Arrange the salad leaves on a large platter. Make a space in the middle for the star of the show: the burrata. We like to dust a little smoked paprika on the top of the cheese at this stage. Now cut your peaches or nectarines in half again, so they’re quartered, and arrange around the burrata, along with the courgette. Top with generous spoonfuls of the pesto, including a dollop on the burrata. Finish by scattering over the reserved pistachios and lemon zest, then drizzling with the remaining 1 tbsp oil.