Roman Fig Salad Recipe
By: Chef Cristian Feher
www.tampabaychef.com
 |
| Fig Salad © Cristian Feher 2012 |
If you want to roll like an affluent Roman, starting your feast with fresh figs is what I recommend!
Fresh figs are seasonal, and you may not be able to find them all year round. But when they’re available I scoop them up quickly!
You might be familiar with figs in their processed form - as the paste filling inside Fig Newtons. But fresh from the tree they are soft in texture and subtle in taste. And this allows them to take on other flavors very well. I always like to pair them with some sort of soft cheese.
Fresh figs should be brownish in color and really soft to the touch. The skin will be brittle, so handle them gently.
When using olive oil it’s very important that you always taste your olive oil beforehand. Olive oil is light sensitive - which means that it degrades as it sits in a clear bottle and often it’s gone bad on the store shelf before you bring it home. Once you open it and air gets in, it starts oxidizing. Always make sure to get your olive oil in small metal tins and that you use it up quickly.
When you taste your olive oil it must not be bitter at it must not be spicy on the back of your throat. These two flavors tell you that it’s gone bad. And you can ruin a nice salad by using rancid olive oil. So, always taste it before you use it.
This is the easiest recipe for fresh figs. All you will need is red onion, a soft cheese like Boursin or goat cheese, and good quality olive oil.
Yields: 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 8 to 12 fresh figs
- 1/2 red onion diced
- Boursin or goat cheese
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- Sea salt
- Olive oil
- Red Wine Vinegar (optional)
Instructions:
1. Gently wash your figs under cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Cut them in half and place them face up on a plate
2. Dice half a red onion and sprinkle over the figs.
3. If your cheese is crumbly, sprinkle some cheese crumbles over the figs. If your cheese is thick, scoop a ball of cheese and put it in the middle of the figs so that your guests can serve themselves a piece of it.
4. Drizzle with a few swirls of olive oil and if you like, you can sprinkle a little red wine vinegar over top.
5. Add some salt and fresh pepper to taste. Enjoy!
Fresh figs are seasonal, and you may not be able to find them all year round. But when they’re available I scoop them up quickly!
You might be familiar with figs in their processed form - as the paste filling inside Fig Newtons. But fresh from the tree they are soft in texture and subtle in taste. And this allows them to take on other flavors very well. I always like to pair them with some sort of soft cheese.
Fresh figs should be brownish in color and really soft to the touch. The skin will be brittle, so handle them gently.
When using olive oil it’s very important that you always taste your olive oil beforehand. Olive oil is light sensitive - which means that it degrades as it sits in a clear bottle and often it’s gone bad on the store shelf before you bring it home. Once you open it and air gets in, it starts oxidizing. Always make sure to get your olive oil in small metal tins and that you use it up quickly.
When you taste your olive oil it must not be bitter at it must not be spicy on the back of your throat. These two flavors tell you that it’s gone bad. And you can ruin a nice salad by using rancid olive oil. So, always taste it before you use it.
This is the easiest recipe for fresh figs. All you will need is red onion, a soft cheese like Boursin or goat cheese, and good quality olive oil.
Yields: 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 8 to 12 fresh figs
- 1/2 red onion diced
- Boursin or goat cheese
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- Sea salt
- Olive oil
- Red Wine Vinegar (optional)
Instructions:
1. Gently wash your figs under cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Cut them in half and place them face up on a plate
2. Dice half a red onion and sprinkle over the figs.
3. If your cheese is crumbly, sprinkle some cheese crumbles over the figs. If your cheese is thick, scoop a ball of cheese and put it in the middle of the figs so that your guests can serve themselves a piece of it.
4. Drizzle with a few swirls of olive oil and if you like, you can sprinkle a little red wine vinegar over top.
5. Add some salt and fresh pepper to taste. Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment