fig salad with homemade vinaigrette

When I go to supermarkets I always skip the salad dressing aisle. I have tried a few pre-made dressings before. However I never found anything I like. It’s not about the price, which often does seem too much for what you’re getting. To me store bought salad dressing never looks or tastes ‘natural.’ It has strange colors, tastes too sweet, and, boy, can they add a bit more guar-gum to make it even slimier? I look at it and all I can think of is the mucus that slugs secrete…slugs in my lettuce. Yuck!

I wonder if people have forgotten the magic of a simple vinaigrette, made with a good olive oil, along with fresh black pepper, garlic, salt and vinegar or some lemon juice? This is so easy to make; it’s fresher and leaner and really tastes good. And it comes with the added advantage of having no chemical ingredients!
Oh well, I think I might be biased against store-bought salad dressing. Maybe it’s from my childhood? One advantage of growing up in the country is that we had plenty of organic tasty lettuces, herbs and a lemon tree right in the backyard. That tree bore fruit year around. And since everyone was friendly in that small town, when we didn’t have our own vegetables, our neighbors allowed us to “shop” in their backyards too. It was fun. Each neighbor sort of specialized in one or another kind of vegetable or herb, so we could trade sometimes.

But even now, living in the City, I prefer to eat my salads with pretty much the same way as when I was a kid. All you need really is a few basics: salt and black pepper, olive oil, vinegar (red wine vinegar is my favorite), lemons or limes if you like and fresh greens. Of course you can mix it up and get creative with other seasonal produce, olives, capers, canned or grilled tuna, etc. The only limit to it is your own imagination.

I do think it makes sense to stick with ingredients that are in season. They often taste better, tend to travel less and are generally cheaper. Last week we bought two pints of mission figs grown right here in sunny California. It’s the height of fig season so they were bursting with flavor. We ate a bunch of them straight and put the last three in this super uncomplicated salad.

Ingredients:

Salad

3 fresh figs cut into thin slices
1 head of red Boston lettuce or a bunch mesclun, cleaned thoroughly
Several slices of fresh red onion, rinsed in cold water

Dressing

Juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp red wine vinegar (my favorite’s Regina brand)
2-3 tbsp Arbequina olive oil
2-3 tbsp water
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

How to:
Place dressing ingredients at the bottom of a large bowl, add onion and fig slices. Give it a quick mix then let stand for about 1 minute. Add lettuce and toss. Serve it right away.