Ode: The Panzanella Salad at Dio Mio

just peachy

Nothing catches summer’s ephemeral charms — and its changing character as the season passes — better than peaches from Palisade, Colorado. And every local chef knows that the dish you create with these fuzzy fruits when they first become available in early July will not be the same even a month or so later… much less in the first cool hints of autumn.

Hell… the flavor profile of your seasonal masterpiece can change from peach to peach, depending on how long it’s been sitting in your kitchen.

And the risk increases when you choose to integrate Palisades into a salad with just five or six simple ingredients. You can’t hide the variables by cooking a batch to make the flavor more uniform or by prepping several at a time to mix the under-ripe with the just-past-their prime.

Which means you gotta be damn sure the other components of your signature salad can do the heavy lifting without overcoming the delicate joys of your seasonal star.

And that’s what makes the panzanella at RiNo’s counter-service pasta provisioner so delightful and unpredictable. You’ll never get the same salad twice — whether it’s due to the normal changes that come with the season (from more tart early on, with those sticky pit craters, to the slightly sweeter freestones in August, to the late-harvest sugar bombs) or just from peach to peach in the batch at hand. The fruit glows in its starring role with the full encouragement of the rest of the cast, each playing its supporting part in flavor, texture, and aroma.

Torn crusty bread “croutons” bring crunch to the salad — but are attenuated and slightly softened by the dressing (a tangy, acidic rice wine vinaigrette). Slices of heirloom tomato provide a meaty foundation levitated by airy, rich ricotta clouds. Small shreds of fresh mint leaves along with luminescent globes of mint gel add tiny, joyful sparks to each bite. Whether the peaches themselves are more toothsome and tart or softer and sweet, the rest of the ingredients bring just the right counter-balance to the show.

The dish is playful and light on the surface, with deep tones of summer richness — the happiness of long, sunny days and luminous potential slowly giving way to the bittersweet nostalgia of a season that slipped by too quickly. It’s a look back at carefree childhood… halcyon summer vacations encapsulated in a single dish.

I don’t know how long this version of the panzanella will grace the menu at Dio Mio. Get over there soon.