Fresh Fig, Pancetta and Baby Rocket Salad with Goat Cheese

I’m guessing that there won’t be much interest in this recipe as not many Kiwis have tried or eaten fresh figs and that’s fine…but if you haven’t, do give this recipe a go as the end “product” is so yummy. “Tis the season” right now (Mar/Apr) and it’s a short season, so enjoy them over the coming weeks.

Fresh sweet figs with crisp pancetta and soft goat cheese over baby rocket topped with a balsamic glaze. A beautiful salad without the fuss, using only 7 ingredients including olive oil; ready to serve in well under ten minutes, this salad will make you look like a rock star in the kitchen!

Balsamic glaze is an absolute favourite, it’s thick and sweet and you can drizzle it on salad, sandwiches or even strawberries. Good supermarkets stock it under the Delmaine brand. It pairs perfectly with figs.

I like serving this salad up individually on plates. If goat cheese isn’t your thing, a blue cheese such as gorgonzola dolce would make a perfect replacement

This can be served as a lunch, light dinner with a baguette or as an entrée for a dinner party. If you are vegetarian, you can still enjoy this salad without the pancetta

Ingredients

 Half a supermarket packet of baby rocket

8 fresh figs, washed and quartered

Approx.100 gms of goat cheese or one goats cheese log, which most supermarkets sell now

80-100 gms of flat pancetta – you can buy this in a packet at some New World stores or from Farro Fresh. Picture below of what it looks like. You can use streaky bacon as a substitute

1 packet of pine nuts from your supermarket

2 tbs balsamic glaze and more on the table for guests to add

2 tsp extra virgin oil

Baguette to serve if you like

Cooking instructions

1. Gently toast the pinenuts – keep a close eye on them as they toast very quickly. Remove/ set aside
2. Looking at the picture below, cut the pancetta crossways in half and half again, so you should have lots of strips about 4cms long
3. In a non-stick frypan, drop a small amount of olive oil and on low-med heat, gently fry the pancetta until crispy– it should take about 2 mins. Remove and place on some handee towel
4. Arrange rocket on individual plates or on a salad bowl or platter
5. Top with quartered figs, goat cheese and pancetta – drizzle some olive oil and finally the balsamic glaze.
6. Sprinkle the pine nuts over the salad
7. Serve with slices of a crispy baguette

 Serves 4