Fig, Brie & Rocket salad
Becca Crawford
Figs remind me so much of my dad and his precious fig trees. In true Cypriot style, he has built his own enclosure for them to keep those pesky birds away, fully netted and complete with fake rubber snakes. Gotta love it. One of the numerous reasons why I LOVE summer is because figs are in season, although their time on the produce store is always fleeting- so try to get your hands on them quick before they disappear! I bought some of these deliciously sweet and delicate fruit of the Gods other day in my gathering expedition, and threw this salad together which was a big hit with the kids.
Ingredients
4 handfuls of rocket
6-8 fresh ripe figs, cut into quarters (I prefer to leave skin on)
1 small round of brie (or camembert) cheese, cut into thin wedges
½ cucumber (I prefer the Lebanese variety), thinly shaved on the diagonal with a vegetable peeler
½ small red onion, thinly sliced in rounds
balsamic vinegar
extra virgin cold pressed olive oil
unrefined salt
cracked pepper
Directions
Arrange rocket on a round serving plate. Arrange the figs, brie, cucumber and red onion slices all around the plate. Dress with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and season with salt and pepper before serving.
Serve as an entrée or a side to a main meal.
Serves 4.
When figs are out of season you could substitute rehydrated dry figs but nothing beats the fresh variety for its unique taste, texture, nutrition and appearance.