Serves a Crowd

Fig Salad inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi

by:
May  2, 2019
0
0 Ratings
Photo by JIN
  • Prep time 50 minutes
  • Serves 2 as a main, 4 as a starter
Author Notes

If you are a vegetarian or a lover of vegetarian cookery you must have heard of Yotam Ottolenghi. Earlier this year I bought one of his cookbooks called "Plenty More", follow-up to his bestseller "Plenty", and I love love love it. Not only this book has a plenty of fresh, healthy and delicious recipes, it is also full of visually stunning dishes that immediately say "Eat me!" or more like "Make me, then eat me!" :-). Many of his salad recipes are quite flexible in my opinion, and that is one of the reasons why I really loved the book. I have substituted a few ingredients, and used a slightly different method from the original recipe for my fig salad but it was still insanely delicious. If you love figs (who doesn't?) and want a healthy and wholesome lunch or dinner, or a starter to impress the guests at a dinner party, this recipe is for you. —JIN

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Ingredients
  • 10 ripe figs
  • 2 medium red onions (about 200g/7oz)
  • 30 grams /1oz. rocket
  • 20 grams /0.7oz. basil leaves
  • 180 grams /6.3oz. chicory/radicchio
  • 1/2 cup your favorite nuts (mines are walnuts and pecans)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons regular olive oil for cooking
  • 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil for dressing
  • 1/2 red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 ground cinnamon
  • salt and black pepper to taste
  • a drizzle of honey or agave nectar for vegan version
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 220C/425F. Peel the onions, halve lengthwise then halve each piece again to cut into wedges.
  2. Place the onion wedges into a roasting tray, coat them with olive oil, season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
  3. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until they are golden and soft. Turn them halfway through.
  4. While onions are cooking, wash and drain rocket and basil leaves.
  5. Dress rocket with extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
  6. Cut off the bottom of radicchio, wash the leaves, drain and set aside.
  7. Remove the onions from roasting tray when they are done, set aside to cool.
  8. Turn down the oven to 160C/325F. Wash figs and choose 5 less ripen ones, halve them lengthwise and place into a roasting tray.
  9. Sprinkle ground cinnamon on top, roast them in the oven for 20 minutes. While they are roasting cut rest of the fresh figs lengthwise, (4-6 pieces per fig) and set aside.
  10. Have your plates ready and start assembling the salad. I used most of the whole radicchio leaves, (I think they are so pretty) tearing only a few when necessary.
  11. Place them on the bottom of the plate, season with a few pinches of salt and pepper.
  12. Place rocket and basil leaves on top, then place onions in the middle.
  13. Remove roasted figs from the oven, plate them with fresh figs around onions.
  14. Lastly scatter the nuts on top and add a drizzle of honey/agave nectar. Bon appetit!

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1 Review

hookmountaingrowers October 10, 2021
Not sure there was a fig difference in roasting 1/2 the figs. Also more arugula, less onions and a beautiful simple but complex dish.