Arugula, Fig, Feta Cheese & Almond Salad
Summer came and went without us even noticing it in Frankfurt, this year. I think that happened in the second week of June, or thereabouts... lasted 3 days in all I think. I would laugh if that joke were funny. But it isn't. It's accurate and it's pretty sad... haha!
Seriously, the Summer has been almost non-existant and it is only now as it draws to an end, that we are beginning to get the first of the good figs imported... it has been a poor Summer in the most part of Europe this year.
So I decided to make what will probably be one of my last salads before Autumn sets-in and to make it something a little bit special...
I decided to make a vibrant dressing using oregano and a little of the fresh figs themselves, to make a sweet and tart combination. Together with some honey, mustard and balsamic vinegar, it made a nice change to the usual vinaigrette I would tend to use for such salads- and I think you will enjoy the result as much as I did! It as rather good!!!
I think I can skip listing the ingredients again on this one- don't you? ;-)
Just grab a piece of crusty bread and enjoy- this is such a delicious and satisfying salad that it is absolutely a meal in itself!
Slice up the figs and break up the feta cheese into small chunks... I find that it is much nicer to eat and prettier this way as opposed to being cut with a knife... but then, what do I know?
For the dressing for one large serving, I mashed up 4-5 slices of fig, simply using a fork, then added a teaspoon of oregano, a teaspoon of mustard, a teaspoon of honey, 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and 3-4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. And seasoned with salt and pepper. I stirred these briskly together and found the mix to be too thick and so added just a dash of orange juice to thin it down a little- and to keep the flavors nice and fruity!
The way I assembled the salad was like this- I took a bowl, added a third of the dressing and then tossed the arugula in it, before setting it out on my serving dish.
I then did the same with the figs and a second third of the dressing and set them on top.
Obviously, the same again with the feta cheese, which I handles very gently... and which was the main reason to prepare the salad this way, as I didn't want it to disintegrate completely into crumbs... and of course, those slices of fig are just as delicate too.
With a finishing touch of some extra oregano and a scattering of toasted almonds, this wonderful, tasty salad composition was finished and ready to be served and enjoyed!
Farewell Summer- this year you really let us down and we had to make our own sunshine! But I think this kind of dish will brighten up anybody's day, whatever day, week, month or season of the year!
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