You know I love me a little alliteration! But seriously that only happened by mistake! This recipe came together in the supermarket aisle – which is really how I like to build my salads – seeing what’s available and springboarding off of that!
The shelves were freshly stocked with beautiful figs, and I can never resist them, so I decided to make a salad for Shabbat to showcases them. I walked down the aisles for inspiration and I first saw the fennel. The licorice flavor would pair wonderfully, I thought, so I grabbed some. Then for some greens, bitter arugula seemed like the perfect pairing, so I added a container to my cart. Next, some alliums, and red onion is always the obvious choice.
I loaded my cart, stocked my fridge, and Shabbos morning, I started to play! I sorted through my pantry, grabbed some sunflower seeds for crunch, and toasted sesame for the nutty flavor. I spotted fig jam in the pantry so I decided to go fully on figgy and add it the salad dressing! The salad was devoured at the table, but as soon as I took a bite, I knew I had to make it again with feta cheese (our Shabbos meal was meat, so adding dairy wasn’t an option!). So I made it again on Sunday for lunch and it was salad perfection!
Fennel Fig & Feta Salad
5 oz. arugula
1 bulb fennel, thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced into half moons
4 figs, sliced
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Dressing:
1/3 cup grapeseed oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp fig jam
2 tsp silan
2 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper, to taste
Method:
You know what to do!
Related Recipes:
Fig Granita Breakfast Sundae
Charcuterie Stuffed Figs
Smoky Kale & Farro Salad with Balsamic Fig Dressing
Fennel Peach Salad with Basil Lime Dressing