Cook and be merry: Fig Salad with Walnuts and Mint
Lynne Hemer is a Manhattan Beach chef. For printable copies of her recipes visit www.cookandbemerry.com
Good to Grill
California figs are harvested in the late summer and early fall, and I found them at every farmers market I visited in the last month. These that I found at the Torrance Farmers Market were so beautiful, I wanted to eat them fresh, so I created this salad with walnuts, mint and lemon vinaigrette, which complement their subtle sweetness and soft texture.
The fig tree’s fruit is technically a syconium, an enlarged, fleshy, hollow receptacle with multiple fruitlets on the inside surface. The flower is not visible, as it blooms inside the fruit. The small orifice (ostiole) visible on the end of the fruit is a narrow passage which allows a specialized wasp, the fig wasp, to enter the fruit and pollinate the flower, after which the fruit grows seeds inside.
The common fig probably originated in southern Arabia. Ancient records show the Sumerians (2900 B.C.) and Assyrians (2000 B.C.) were familiar with it. It slowly spread from there to Syria and the Mediterranean coast by seafaring Phoenicians and Greeks. Figs supposedly reached China in 127 A.D. and Cuba in 1526. Figs first entered the U.S. at Parris Island, South Carolina in 1575 and quickly spread throughout the area. Thomas Jefferson imported fig trees from France.
Figs came to California via Spanish missions in Mexico, and were spread by the Franciscan missionaries. The first California figs were planted in 1769 in the gardens of the Mission at San Diego. California ranks third in world fig production after Turkey and Greece, and ahead of Spain and Portugal. Figs made their first commercial product appearance in the 1892 introduction of Fig Newtons® Cookies.
This BBQ Bacon Wrapped Shrimp recipe is my all time favorite for grilling. You can serve them as an appetizer or as a main course. The marinade is red from the paprika and cayenne, sweet from sugar and has zing from the lemon juice, curry powder and cumin. Combined with the smoky notes from the bacon, this is an irresistible combination.
If you are putting these out as an appetizer, they won’t last long. I made them for a family gathering once and I noticed that everybody had disappeared. I searched and they were all standing around the platter with the BBQ Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp. They weren’t talking, just chewing. They did that until the shrimp were all gone. I had to muscle my way in to grab a few for myself. Anyway, I just want you to be ready for this phenomenon.
Fig Salad with Walnuts and Mint
Makes 4 servings
- 12 ripe figs
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/3 cup raw walnut halves, very coarsely broken up, or more to taste
- 1/3 cup mint leaves, sliced very thinly length-wise
- Kosher or sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
1. Cut figs into quarters and place on serving plates.
2. Combine olive oil, lemon juice and honey in a small bowl. Beat with a spoon.
3. Sprinkle walnuts over fig quarters. Drizzle dressing over each fig quarter.
4. Add a light sprinkle of salt and black pepper over top.
5. Sprinkle mint over figs. Serve.
BBQ Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp
6 First-Course or 3 Main-Course Servings
- 1 pound of bacon, thin center-cut style
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on or off (20-25 count)
1. Cut the slices of bacon in half. In a large heavy skillet, partially cook the bacon over moderate heat to render some of the fat without allowing the pieces to crisp. Remove the slices as they are done and drain on paper towels. They will still be floppy and look unappetizing. They need to be soft so you can wrap them around the shrimp, and you will finish cooking them on the grill. Exercise whatever self control is necessary for this procedure.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the paprika, cayenne, curry powder, cumin, coriander, salt and black pepper. Stir in the olive oil, sugar and lemon juice. Add the shrimp and toss well to coat. Let marinate at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, light a charcoal fire. Remove the shrimp from the marinade, reserving the marinade. Wrap a half-slice of bacon around each shrimp and thread on a skewer. Overlap the ends of the bacon on the tummy of the shrimp, poking the skewer through that point and out through the back. You can also use a toothpick to individually secure the bacon. if you are using a wire basket or other means to keep the shrimp from falling through into the fire.
4. Place the skewers on a sheet pan covered with aluminum foil and drizzle the remainder of marinade over the shrimp.
5. Brush your grill rack with a little oil and set it about 5 inches from the glowing coals. Grill the shrimp skewers for about 5 minutes, until the bacon begins to be crispy. Turn skewers over and grill until the bacon is browned, and the shrimp is opaque throughout. Serve hot or warm.