Fig, Goat Cheese and Crispy Prosciutto Salad

An end-of summer recipe to extend the season a bit longer

For whoever needs to hear this: summer is not over yet!

It isn’t technically for another 3 weeks, but as September advances and people get back to the rhythm of things with school and work, it feels that the warm and easy summer days are behind us. We are not there yet, though! I say let’s enjoy one of the most delicious fruits that we have available these days with a creamy and umami salad.

I have memories of going to a countryside restaurant growing up where they had a version of this salad. I asked my mum for the location and she couldn’t recall the place or even us going there. I am pretty sure I haven’t made it up, but I can’t find it either…

It was in a masia style house outside of Barcelona, Spain, and we would go for lunch. I think the place was called Ca la Nuria (Ca meaning “the house of” in Catalan, similar to the French Chez) and the delicious fig, goat cheese and ham salad was called “Amanida Nuria” (Nuria salad), in honour of the owner and cook.

Such a simple combination but I found it so exciting I couldn’t order anything else every time I went. It was just soo good! I think I have managed to capture the essence of that mythical salad, though the original taste will always remain in my sensorial memory.

Some tips

This is a really simple and straightforward recipe. I will just mention a couple of things for consideration.

I didn’t add any extra salt as the goat cheese, pumpkin seeds and prosciutto are already salty. But try your ingredients and add it if you think it needs some.

The goat cheese I found here in Boston was a soft, spreadable type. Ideally I would have preferred the one that is harder and slices nicely (in Spain called “rulo de cabra”), because it doesn’t melt so easily. But flavour wise, the soft one makes the mix very tasty as well.

I bought pre-salted and roasted pumpkin seeds, but you can go with raw ones or roast them yourself if you prefer.

Finally, I have not included measurements for the dressing as I believe it’s quite personal. Some people like it really oily (that would be my mum…) and some others prefer almost no dressing at all. Try and adjust to your preference. Just one tip: drizzle more honey that you would think it’s enough. You’ll thank me for that.

Ingredients

• 6-8 figs, cut in half or in quarters

• Mix of salad leaves, soaked in ice cold water and drained

• 3 slices of prosciutto ham

• ½ cup of goat cheese, crumbled

• ¼ cup of salted and roasted pumpkin seeds

• Olive oil, to taste

• Balsamic vinegar, to taste

• Honey, drizzled, to taste

Instructions

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Servings: 4

1. Fill up a big bowl or a salad spinner with cold water and drop one or two ice cubes. Add the salad leaves and let hydrate for 10 minutes.

2. Fry the ham slices in a hot non stick pan without any oil. When the meat changes color, turn it to crisp out the other side. Set aside to cool down slightly.

3. Prepare the rest of the ingredients and place them in a big salad serving bowl/platter.

4. After the 10 minutes have passed, drain the water from the salad leaves and spin the bowl to remove any excess.

5. Add the leaves in the salad serving bowl/platter and gently toss to combine the ingredients.

6. Drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and honey to taste.

7. Serve immediately and enjoy!