A bowl full of freshness -this Rocket leaf salad with figs, goat cheese, candied pecans and a tangy sweet twist of a dressing on top is perfect for those lunch breaks.
Salads always work when you’re sipping your wine in the evenings or maybe when you’re back from a heavy workout session. Each time I for groceries, I buy something different. This time I bought fresh figs and thought why not do a quick salad.
This is a fairly simple salad and the best way to start of is to always wash your leaves under running water to get rid of the dust and then rest them in ice cold water for a couple of minutes.
The catch here is ice cold water makes your leaves retain its colour and at the same time look fresh and crunchy. I know many of you aren’t salad lovers or fans but trust me this works really well. It has the crunchiness from the pecans and rocket leaves, tanginess from the dressing and a sweet balance from the figs.
For the dressing all you require is extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and honey and you have the dressing ready in less than a minute! Easy, isnt it!
But this doesn’t end here, what does extra justice to this recipe are the candied pecans adding the sweetness and crunchiness in the salad and that’s what I was looking for.
Top it off with crumbled goat cheese and voila you have it ready! I am sure this is going to become your favourite from now.
Enjoy!
- Salad
- Figs, 4 pieces (thickly sliced)
- Rocket Leaves, about 3 cups
- Goats Cheese, ¼ cup
- Candied Pecans:
- Pecans (or walnuts), ½ cup
- Sugar, 2 tablespoons
- Butter, 1 tablespoon
- Dressing
- Honey, 2 tablespoons
- Extra virgin olive oil, 1½ tablespoons
- Lemon Juice, 1½ tablespoons
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
- Start by making the candied pecans. Line a baking tray with some foil paper and set it aside. Next, add the sugar and butter in a pan and cook over very low heat for about 5-10 minutes or until the sugar and butter are completely melted and turn into a dark caramel colour. Once done, add in the pecans or walnuts and stir them until they're evenly coated with the caramel. Transfer them to the baking sheet lined with foil, and separate them using a knife while they're still hot so they don't stick later. Let them cool.
- In another bowl, make the dressing. Mix all the ingredients listed under "dressing" using a fork and set aside.
- In a large salad bowl assemble your salad. Rocket leaves go first on the bottom, top them with sliced figs and candied pecans. Next, crumble some goats cheese on top and right when you're about to serve, drizzle the dressing over the salad and give it a quick toss.
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