I have never hidden my love for figs - fresh or dried but I also cannot hide my disdain for the quality and price of fresh figs that we get in Singapore. So when anyone is coming from Mumbai in the right season, and they ask me what they can bring .... my humble request is to please bring a box of fresh, plump figs wrapped in gorgeous green leaves that are sold in every small and big market in the city at an unbelievably low price.
I have used figs to make appetizers and deserts and this salad was inspired by something I ate at a restaurant around Christmas a few months back. The original recipe had figs paired with black forest ham but I decided to pair it with my all time favourite - parma ham. The sweet figs and salty ham complement each other perfectly. Every bite is a delight ... enjoy it with a glass of crisp and fruity chilled white wine and it will feel like a fine dining meal in the coziness of your home. Of course if you are vegetarian, you can skip the parma ham. Just sprinkle the figs with some sea salt and cracked black pepper and follow the remaining steps as is.
The other beauty of this recipe is the small list of ingredients that are needed to prepare it. Good quality salad leaves are a must. Mixed greens are perfect and make sure there is a slight mix of rocket leaves in your greens as well. The occasional bite of the sweet figs with the salty parmesan cheese and peppery rocket is my favourite part of pairing all these ingredients together. The only other ingredients you require are good quality extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, pine nuts and an ever so slight drizzle of fresh lemon juice. The added tang from the lemon juice without it being overwhelming is what makes this recipe feel fresh.
Ingredients
4 Fresh figs
4 cups Mixed salad greens (washed and rinsed)
4 slices Parma Ham (optional)
1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
Parmesan shavings/thin slices - 2-3 per plate
extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp
sea salt and black pepper to taste
Method:
1. Preheat an oven to 200C.
2. Cut the figs into quarters. For non vegetarian salad, divide the parma ham slices into 4 parts each and roll each fig quarter with one part of the parma ham. Sprinkle some cracked black pepper on the rolled figs. For a vegetarian version, sprinkle the figs with sea salt and pepper.
3. Move the figs to a baking tray covered with foil and place in the preheated oven for 3-5 minutes. The figs don't need to be cooked - just to be warmed up and soften a bit. Remove from the oven and place on a rack when done.
4. Add the salad leaves, pine nuts, olive oil, sea salt and lemon juice to a salad bowl and toss to combine.
5. Arrange the salad mixture on salad plates, top with parmesan slices. Place the figs on top and serve immediately.
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