Fresh Fig Salad with Rosemary Vinaigrette

A plate with fig salad with rosemary vinaigrette surround by a cloth napkin, a bowl with dressing, utensils, figs, walnuts and rosemary on a white table.

Fresh Fig Salad with Rosemary Vinaigrette

Fresh figs, sour mizythra and toasted walnuts over beet greens, with a rosemary balsamic vinaigrette where the rosemary is warmed into the olive oil first. Fifteen minutes, no cooking, and it adjusts to however ripe your figs happen to be.

Course Appetizer, Salad

Cuisine Greek

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 5

Servings

Calories 292kcal

Author by Jenny Skrapaliori Graves

Equipment

Small saucepan
small skillet
salad spinner
pint jar with a lid

Ingredients

4 cups beet greens about 1 large bunch, tender leaves only
8 large ripe figs
½ cup soft sour mizythra cheese
½ cup walnut halves
flaky sea salt
freshly ground pepper to finish

For the rosemary dressing

½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves finely chopped
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon mild mustard
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Toast the walnuts. Put the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast for about 5 minutes, shaking the pan often, until they smell nutty and have darkened a shade. Tip them straight out onto a plate — they'll keep cooking and burn in the hot pan. Chop coarsely once cool.
Warm the rosemary into the oil. Combine the olive oil and chopped rosemary in a small saucepan over low heat. Warm for about 2 minutes, just until fragrant — it should barely whisper, never sizzle. Take it off the heat and leave it to steep for 10 minutes. This step is what keeps the dressing from tasting sharp and piney. Don't skip it.
Wash and dry the greens while the oil steeps. Beet greens hold grit, so swish them in a big bowl of water and lift them out rather than pouring the water off. Dry them thoroughly in a salad spinner — wet leaves won't hold dressing.
Prepare the figs. Trim the stems. If your figs are ripe but still firm, slice each one into 4–5 rounds. If they're very ripe and soft, quarter them instead — thin slices will collapse. Leave them at room temperature.
Make the vinaigrette. In a pint jar, combine the balsamic vinegar, honey, mustard, sea salt and pepper. Cover and shake until the salt dissolves. Add the rosemary oil, rosemary leaves and all, cover again and shake hard until it comes together. Taste it — it should be bright but not sharp. If it makes you wince, add another tablespoon of olive oil.
Assemble. Toss the greens with about 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette, just enough to coat lightly, and divide between four plates. Arrange the figs on top. Scatter over the mizythra and toasted walnuts. Drizzle about a teaspoon more dressing over each plate and finish with flaky salt and freshly ground pepper.
Serve immediately, with the remaining vinaigrette in the jar on the table.

Notes

The vinaigrette makes about ¾ cup — roughly double what you need. That's deliberate. It keeps 2 weeks in a sealed jar in the fridge and is excellent on roasted vegetables, warm lentils, grilled chicken or cold potatoes. The olive oil will set solid when chilled; leave it out for 15 minutes and shake before using.

If your figs are very ripe (the ones off your own tree usually are): quarter them instead of slicing, leave the honey out of the vinaigrette and add an extra teaspoon of balsamic, and arrange rather than toss. For figs that are almost too far gone, lay them cut-side down in a dry hot pan for 2 minutes first — the cut face caramelizes and the sweetness concentrates instead of running out.

If your figs are underripe or not very sweet: keep the honey, slice them thin, and let them sit in a spoonful of dressing for 5 minutes before plating. Or roast them — see below.

Roasted fig variation. Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Halve the figs, set them cut-side up on a lined sheet, drizzle with a little honey and olive oil, add a pinch of salt and roast 10–12 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before plating so they don't wilt the greens. Spoon the pan syrup over the top.

Substitutions. Arugula or baby spinach for the beet greens. Goat cheese, or equal parts ricotta and goat cheese, for the mizythra — if you use feta, cut the salt in the dressing to ¼ teaspoon, as feta is much saltier. Toasted almonds or pistachios for the walnuts. Ripe pears, peaches or halved black grapes for the figs. For dried rosemary, use the same amount, ground fine in a mortar and pestle.

Make ahead. The vinaigrette keeps 2 weeks. The walnuts keep a week airtight at room temperature. The greens can be washed and dried a day ahead, rolled in a clean kitchen towel in the fridge. The assembled salad does not keep — dressed greens collapse and cut figs weep within about ten minutes, so put it together at the table.

Nutritional Info – Please remember the nutritional information provided is only an estimate and can vary based on the products used.

Nutrition