Corfiot Salad with Figs, Walnuts and Kumquat Dressing

Corfiot, in case you were wondering, is the adjective meaning from Corfu. Given the fact the Greeks call the island Kérkyra, I have no idea where our terminology comes from. Never mind. We ate very well there, as you may have seen in a recent edition of Tom Eats! This was a very unusual salad which we enjoyed very much, and have tried to recreate.

Ingredients, obviously, represent a challenge. Let's start with figs. You can use fresh, but getting good ones in the UK is difficult, The version we enjoyed had little spoonfuls of semi dried figs. By that I mean the seeds, not the leathery exterior of the skin. It's very easy to make your own. Cut the figs in half and place skins side down on a lined baking tray. Put your oven to its lowest setting and leave the figs overnight for 6 - 8 hours. (The only photograph I could find had fresh figs - use your imagination.)

We brought home some preserved kumquats, but the recipe I found calls for fresh. That will give you quite a sharp dressing. You might want to adjust the amount of honey. Similarly, if you use preserved kumquats, you may wish to omit the honey altogether.

You don't want the walnuts too small, so if you have bought walnut pieces, as opposed to whole ones, don't bother to chop further.

Finally, cheese or no cheese? Personally, I don't think it needs it, and our version in Corfu didn't have any. This recipe does. Your choice. Use a mix of salad leaves with a variety of colours and textures,

Corfiot Fig, Walnut & Kumquat Salad

Ingredients (serves 2–3)

For the salad:

100g mixed salad leaves; 4–5 fresh figs, quartered (or chunks of semi dried figs); 40g walnuts, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped; 30g soft goats cheese or feta (optional);  few mint leaves, torn.

For the kumquat dressing:

4–5 kumquats, fresh or preserved (see above)finely sliced and seeds removed; 1tsp honey (you might omit this if using preserved kumquats); 1tsp Dijon mustard; 1½ tbsp red wine vinegar; 3 tbsp good olive oil; s & p.

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Place the sliced kumquats in a bowl. Add the honey, mustard, and vinegar. Stir well to dissolve the honey. Add  the oil and a pinch  of salt and pepper. Mix well until emulsified.

Let it sit for about half and hour to let the flavours merge. Stir again before serving.

To assemble, put the leaves in a bowl and top with the leaves and the walnuts. Pour the dressing over and mix well. Scatter the figs over the top, and the cheese if using. Finally, sprinkle the mint leaves on top.