Fig, Goat Cheese and Walnut Salad

Category: Soups & Salads | Blog URL: http://www.typepad.com/site/blogs/6a01156f85d082970c01156f85d0f3970c/post/6a01156f85d082970c0120a560b8a6970c/edit?saved=e

This recipe was entered in The Foodista Best of Food Blogs Cookbook contest, a compilation of the world’s best food blogs which was published in Fall 2010.

Photo: Naomi Rendall

Ingredients

10 teaspoons soft goat cheese

4 fresh figs, sliced

1 handful (1/2 cup/125 ml) walnuts, roughly chopped into halves or quarters

3 cups (750 ml)s torn lettuce or mixed greens, one small head of lettuce

Dressing:

approximately 50/50 of olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 cup (25 ml to 50 ml) lemon juice

1 cup (25 ml to 50 ml) olive oil

1 chopped garlic (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Rinse, dry (spin or lay on a towel to air-dry) salad greens. Tear into bite-size pieces if necessary.

Slice the figs.

Roughly chop the walnuts.

Take a small spoon and lightly drop small pieces of the goat cheese over the salad.

Drizzle the dressing over the salad. You can mix the olive oil and lemon juice using the measurements above as a guide or just drizzle them over the salad before serving.

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About

I was looking for a salad inspiration that would be completely new for me, and include at least one ingredient that might be unusual for you too. Conveniently, my husband came home and told me about a salad he'd enjoyed at a business lunch - and that was the seed I needed. The salad he described had strawberries, but as our local strawberry season is almost over (and I prefer them to California strawberries) I thought figs would be the key ingredient I would include instead. Goat cheese isn't something I often buy and I couldn't find the 'green' I wanted to - but what I've put together here is both light and interesting.

The cheese, figs and walnuts are featured equally and make up about half or slightly more of the overall salad.

The base of this mixture was lovely, fresh red leaf lettuce. I think butter lettuce would work really well, and I'd like to try it with a bit of a bitter leaf such as curly endive.

A simple olive oil, fresh squeezed lemon and taste of chopped garlic dressing added just the right touch to this delicious combination.