Fig and Walnut Salad with Ginger Pomegranate Vinaigrette
It’s deep yet bright, and modern yet classic. If nature could pat itself on the back, it might just do that if it got a taste of this salad.
The dried figs bring a sweet warmth to a salad that is balanced by salty Parmesan cheese which is highlighted against the earthy and subtle walnuts. It’s all tied together with a vinaigrette that brings out the complexities of flavors and textures. The salad is fairly versatile in that the dressing leans a little Asian but can also pair with most American, European, and Middle Eastern food.
I recently received a DM from someone asking what I thought about a flavor combination in a salad dressing. I thought it would be delicious and unique. Salads are a really great place to play with flavors. If the dressing clashes with the salad ingredients, change out the salad ingredients. Most dressings can be corrected by balancing fat and acid and either muting or elevating other flavors.
Some flavors play better with others so here’s my tip. Start smelling everything. You can open a few different spice containers and smell them together. Only add one ingredient at a time and taste after each ingredient. You’ll see how the flavors interact. If you aren’t sure about two ingredients together, use a small amount of your base dressing as the guinea pig. You can also check out The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. It acts almost like a dictionary where it lists ingredients and what flavors go well with it.
Ginger Pomegranate Vinaigrette Ingredients
1 Tbl minced garlic
1 Tbl white wine vinegar
¾ c neutral oil (grapeseed, sunflower, avocado oil)
½ c pomegranate molasses
⅓ c orange juice
1 Tbl minced ginger
⅛ tsp salt
Ginger Pomegranate Vinaigrette Directions
Add 1 Tbl minced garlic and 1 Tbl white wine vinegar to a jar with a tight fitting lid. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes.
Add ¾ c neutral oil, ½ c pomegranate molasses, ⅓ c orange juice, 1 Tbl minced ginger, and ⅛ tsp salt. Screw the lid on the jar and shake until well combined. Taste. Add more vinegar if you want it brighter (you most likely won’t want that) or more oil if you don’t want it so tart. Add salt if it tastes flat.
Fig and Walnut Salad with Ginger Pomegranate Vinaigrette Ingredients
For 1 dinner salad or 2 side salads
4 Tbl Ginger Pomegranate Vinaigrette
3 c of mixed salad greens
½ c sliced dried figs
3 Tbl chopped walnuts
2 Tbl Parmesan Cheese
Fig and Walnut Salad with Ginger Pomegranate Vinaigrette Directions
Drizzle 1 Tbl dressing on the bottom of the plate. Add 1 c of greens and drizzle it with 1 Tbl dressing. Repeat two more times.
Spring ½ c of dried figs on top of the greens followed by 3 Tbl of walnuts and 2 Tbl of cheese.
Notes
For a fruiter dressing, omit the garlic.
You can use any vinegar you have. You won’t pick up much on the flavor, but it’s needed to cut some of the garlic harshness.
In the summer, you can use fresh figs and ricotta cheese in place of dried figs and Parmesan.
I will almost always opt for toasted or roasted nuts. When it comes to walnuts, I prefer the sweeter, more subtle raw version.
