Garden Recipe: Tomato, Fig, and Cheese Salad

Eye of the Day|Garden Salad|Fig Cheese Tomato Salad

Garden Recipe: TOMATOES FIGS CHEESE

We have had a tiny fig tree in our back yard for seven years…so maybe we are graced with four or five velvety, crunchy, voluptuous figs each summer.  This year it is veritably FILLED with figs.  It’s still a tiny tree, but it’s trying harder this time. Daydreaming of my favorite garden fruits and vegetables (figs and tomatoes) makes me want to eat this until October.

Eye of the Day|Garden Recipe|Fig Cheese Tomato Salad
The main ingredients.

Ingredients

  • 1 T Balsamic vinegar
  • ¼ t fine sea salt
  • ¼ c really good olive oil
  • 3 T pine nuts
  • 1 perfectly ripe large tomatoes
  • ½ lb (or more!) ripe figs, cut in quarters
  • 1 oz crumbled Roquefort cheese
  • 1 t fresh thyme leaves
  • Black pepper

Whisk the vinegar and salt together, then slowly whisk in the olive oil.  Toast the pine nuts in a small skillet until light golden.  Spread tomato slices on a large plate and scatter the figs and pine nuts over the tomatoes.  Sprinkle with the cheese and thyme then drizzle with the dressing and finish with freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Photo Credits:
Roquefort Cheese, Creative Commons, Roquefort Cheese by Cyn Furey is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Figs, Creative Commons, this year, i have discovered an appreciation of figs by snickclunk is licensed under CC by 2.0
Tomatoes, Public Domain Dedication, Tomatoes by Image Party is licensed under CC0 1.0

Essence of Summer Salad

Eye of the Day|Essence of Summer Garden Salad|

ESSENCE OF SUMMER SALAD

You’re going to need something else from your garden to go with your cocktail, by the way.  Gardens are so wonderful…

  • 1 lb tomatoes, large,  small and tiny, yellow, pink, red, black, green.  Large ones cut in quarters or eighths.
  • 1 med. cucumber, sliced or cubed, peeled or not
  • Pickled onions from following recipe, drained
  • 1 pkg good feta, crumbled
  • 2 c. cubed, perfect watermelon
  • ¼ c. chopped mint
  • ½ c. whole basil leaves

Toss all ingredients except feta together, pour on ½ the dressing, toss then taste.  Add more if you wish.  Strew feta.  Eat.

Dressing

  • ¼ c. rice vinegar
  • 2 T fresh lime juice
  • ¾ c. peanut oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 t sugar

SHAKE IT UP OR WHISK IT UP.

Pickled Red Onions

  • 1 sm. Red onion, halved then sliced thin
  • 1 c white wine vinegar
  • ¼ c sugar
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes

Bring vinegar and sugar to simmer until sugar dissolves, pour over onions and add red pepper flakes, let it sit at least 30 minutes then refrigerate and cool.  These will last in your refrigerator forever.

Image Credit: Watermelon Salad by Eric Petruno is licensed under C.C. 2.0