There are figs going cheap everywhere at the moment and we’re trying to find lots of things to do with them. This salad by Thomasina Miers is delicious and full of autumnal flavours.
Wine Suggestion: if you feel like wine with your salad choose a fresh, unoaked white. There’s plenty of options but we like Jean-Michel Gerin’s le Champine Viognier from the northern Rhone which sits nicely with all the components here.
Roasted red onion, fig, blue cheese & walnut salad – serves 4
- 2 red onions, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 4-5 tbsp olive oil
- 1-2 tsp soft brown sugar
- 6 ripe figs, sliced in half widthways
- 75g walnuts
- juice of ½ a lemon
- 1 head radicchio, finely shredded
- 100g watercress
- 120g blue cheese, we used Gorgonzola as we had some for another dish
Heat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
Scatter the onions over a large baking tray, season generously and drizzle with a tablespoon of the vinegar and olive oil to coat. Toss with your hands, lightly scatter with brown sugar, then roast for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, put the figs cut side down on a different tray, and season with salt, pepper, a little brown sugar and a drizzle of olive oil. Roast in the oven with the figs for another 10-12 minutes or until the figs are slightly softened and releasing their juice and the onions are crisp at the edges.
Drizzle the rest of the vinegar over the figs. Put the walnuts in a small baking tray and roast for 5 minutes. Roughly chop.
Pour the juice from the fig roasting tray into a small cup, then whisk in 2-3 tbsp of oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. Season to taste.
Arrange the leaves on a large plate, top with the red onions and figs and dot around the cheese. Scatter over the walnuts and drizzle over the dressing.
(Original recipe by Thomasina Miers in The Guardian.)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 
Leave a Reply