Macheesmo

Quick! Run(or drive or bike) , but DON’T walk to your closest grocery store or market and buy some fresh figs. We are solidly in the figgy window and if you don’t eat some delicious fresh figs you’ll have to wait approximately 11 months until you get another chance!

They are undoubtedly a strange fruit, but there’s really nothing like biting into a fresh one. It’s juicy sweet and has a soft texture. They go really well with cured meats, crunchy things, and just generally look fancy.

I mean, just look at this salad. A restaurant would sell it for $9 a plate. Some of the ingredients (prosciutto/figs/Parmesan) are a bit expensive, but it doesn’t take much effort to make once you have the fixins’.

I have no problem eating figs by themselves, but this fresh fig salad is a close second in my mind for the best way to have them.

Class it up, people. This salad should be on your table in the next week!

Fresh Fig Salad

by Nick

Serves:

Serves 4-6

Prep Time:

5 mins

Total Time:

20 mins

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Late summer is the time to buy and eat fresh figs and there’s no better way to eat them in a salad like this. It feels fancy, but is easy!

Ingredients

5 ounces baby greens

8-10 figs, quartered

3 ounces prosciutto

1/3 cup roasted salted pistachios

4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese, for chips

Quick Balsamic Dressing:

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon honey

Salt and pepper

Instructions

For Parmesan chips, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Grate parmesan and spread it out on in an even layer on the baking sheet.

Bake chips at 375 degrees F. until parmesan is melted and bubbling and starting to brown lightly in places, about 8-10 minutes. Remove and let cool, then break into chips.

In a large bowl, layer greens with quartered figs, thinly sliced prosciutto, pistachio nuts, and parmesan chips.

The salad doesn’t need a dressing because of the juiciness of the figs, but I always serve it with a quick balsamic dressing in case people want it.

Fresh Fig Salad – The Stars

There are a few big flavors in this salad, but the figs are the star. The salad just isn’t the same without them. If you can’t find fresh figs, I could suggest alternatives (blueberries, cantaloupe, or possibly ripe plums), but none of them would be quite right.

The Only Cooking

There’s really only one piece of cooking you need for this salad. I think these little crispy parmesan chips finish the salad in a really great way. They add some crunch and salt to it. Plus, they aren’t hard to make.

I’ll be honest when I say that I didn’t use the best Parmesan for these chips. Figs and prosciutto are already expensive so I tried to keep my costs in check on the Parm. Whatever you use, just grate up a few ounces of it and spread it out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Stick this in the oven at 375 degrees F. Let the Parmesan bake until it melts, bubbles, and starts to turn brown. This means most of the water has baked off and the the cheese will get nice and crispy as it cools. Depending on the Parmesan you use, this will probably take 8-10 minutes, but you kind of just have to keep an eye on it.

This is what you’re looking for.

When the Parmesan cools, you can literally break it apart with your hands. Try not to eat it all immediately.

Salad Time

Try to layer the salad as you build it so all the flavors are in each scoop. In other words, don’t just pile your greens in a bowl and top it with the other stuff. Add some greens, then some figs and prosciutto and repeat once or twice until you have a nice big bowl of deliciousness.

Serve each salad dotted with Parm chips.

To be honest, I didn’t think this salad really needed a dressing, but I included a basic honey balsamic dressing just in case. If you do use the dressing, let people add it themselves. Don’t dress the whole salad!

A little goes a long way with the dressing.

I mean… this is like a five star salad that you can make at home in a few minutes.

If you’re trying to impress, definitely make this. Actually, reverse that. Just make this and it will impress even if you’re just impressing yourself!