Autumn Salad with Fig and Pear
All About Autumn
I can’t imagine a better autumn salad. Not just for the taste but the beautiful autumn colors on your plate ranging from yellow to dark red. It also happens that pears, figs, walnuts and red onions are all harvested in autumn. And of course, they also appear on our veggie fruit list in October. The best part is that this recipe is super easy to make. You simply have to shred, slice and cut and it’s ready to enjoy.
A Pear Made in Heaven
As I already mentioned it is the season for pears and the make a perfect match for this salad. I used the Conference, which is the most popular in the Netherlands. The maritime climate in the Netherlands makes it perfect for the cultivation of pears. My other favorite pear variety is Doyenne du Comice. Whichever you decide to use, you can use them raw like in this salad, or cooked in red wine like I did in my Duck Breast with Poached Pears recipe. Pears have a high level of antioxidants and are a source of vitamin C, vitamin K and copper.
Fickle Figs
Most figs you can get in the Netherlands are imported from Turkey. And like the title says they are very fickle. The perfect ones are highly perishable and should be eaten within one or two days of buying. A tip is to not wash them until you are ready to enjoy them. We already have a few recipes up with figs for example in cakes, Lactose Free Mascarpone and Fig filled Pastry, Sticky Honey Fig Cake. Or as an appetizer Baked Fig with Prosciutto di Parma. I’m also working on a fig chutney recipe, coming soon! Something to look forward to. Figs are rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron and copper. They are a good source of antioxidant, including vitamin A and K that contribute to health and wellness.
Autumn Salad with Fig and Pear
Ingredients
- 2 little gems shredded
- 1 medium pear I used Conference peeled, deseeded and thinly sliced
- 2 figs quartered
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
- 80 gram Serrano ham shredded
- 50 gram walnuts shelled and chopped
- 30 gram Pecorino Romano optional, grated
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Make vinaigrette for salad first. Put honey, balsamic vinegar, olive oil with a pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl and stir until its consistency is homogeneous.
- Put it aside until you set the salad together.
- Put shredded little gem salad, thinly sliced pear, quartered figs, thinly sliced red onion, chopped walnuts, grated Pecorino Romano into a big salad bowl and mix them very gently.
- Add the vinaigrette and mix with the salad carefully.
- Place shredded Serrano ham to top of the salad and serve with toast. Enjoy!