Fresh Fig Salad

Like many of you, my first experience (and for a long time, my only experience) eating figs was in the highly-processed form of Fig Newtons. I’m not slamming Fig Newtons — they are pretty tasty — but I have developed a real love for fresh figs. This love was encouraged by my dad. He has been known to scout out fig bushes in his small town so he can sneak a few when they are in season. Luckily, one is near a local museum where he volunteers and — since figs are not a universally-admired fruit — no one minds him taking a few. One time I showed up for a visit and the first thing he said to me was, “I have some fresh figs and good blue cheese for us to eat!” We may have done a little mutual happy dance.

Friends, fresh figs that are perfectly ripe are a beautiful and fleeting thing. Right now they are showing up in my local grocery store — mostly black mission and brown turkey figs. So, when I saw them, I knew I had to make a fig salad. This is the yumminess that ensued…

Fig Salad (serves 2 as a large side)

• Throw two big handfuls of greens in your salad bowl. (This time I went with mixed butter lettuces.)
• Depending on fig size or your preference, cut 4-5 figs into either quarters or eighths.
• Sprinkle with 1-2 ounces fresh goat cheese ( you can also use blue cheese — my hubby is not as big a fan as I am)
• You can also throw in nuts — candied nuts, especially pecans, are a great addition. This was a weekday salad for me, so I kept it simple.
• Grind some pepper on top.
• Now, just whip up your easy salad dressing. I used 1 tbsp each fig jam, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. If you don’t have fig jam, you could use honey or brown sugar. Drizzle on top.

If you use bagged greens, you have a delicious side salad in about 5 minutes. And then you can focus on the eatin!