Prosciutto Wrapped Fig Salad

It seems that the older we get and the further we travel, the harder it gets to stay close to those people that were important to us when we were young. 

 As opposed to seeing each other at practice, work or in class, you now have to SCHEDULE time to see each other. 

 And it’s hard. 

 But some hard things are totally worth it. 

 When I left high school, I never thought about my group of high school friends as life-long. I think that’s pretty much the opposite of most high school girls. 

 I didn’t realize then how lucky I was to have that group of young women. 

But they saw something I didn’t. They saw a group of special young ladies who would stick together. And remarkably, we did. 

 Yes, I realize that I only graduated seven years ago, but aren’t those times some of the hardest to stay in touch? 

 Last weekend I was reminded how lucky I was when we scheduled a wine tasting weekend in Temecula.

Even though we were short one (or one and half since she has a bun in the oven), the weekend was a blast. We shared stories, wine, good food and apparently even germs because we were all sick this week. 

Every last one of us. 

 The weekend was beautiful and much needed. We were even able to pick fresh fruit from the estate we were staying at. 

 Which of course to me meant a great new recipe. These figs were picked right off the tree outside of the house we were staying in and they made the perfect Tuesday night salad after a fun filled weekend. 

 You will need…

6 Black Mission figs, cut in 1/2

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, plus extra for dressing

Crushed red pepper flakes, optional

12 slices prosciutto

1/2 log goat cheese

Extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups baby arugula (you can sub a spring mix if your store is out of arugula like mine was)

1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, shaved with a vegetable peeler

Salt 

Start by preheating the grill to a medium-high.

Drizzle each fig half with vinegar and fill each fig center with goat cheese.

Sprinkle a couple flakes of crushed red pepper on top of the goat cheese and wrap each fig with a slice of prosciutto.

Make sure your boyfriend focuses on your wrapping of the fig and not on everything else.

Brush the outside of each fig very lightly with olive oil.

Put the figs on a cooler spot of the preheated grill. The idea here is that we want to grill the figs gently to cook the fig all the way through but to still get the char on the outside.

Grill the figs on all sides so the prosciutto is starting to become crispy and the fig feels soft when squeezed, about 5 to 6 minutes.

While the figs are grilling, in a large bowl, toss the arugula with a little extra-virgin olive oil, some balsamic vinegar and the Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Taste the mixture, and add salt, if needed.

Arrange the greens on individual serving plates or a serving platter and top with the figs.

Drizzle a couple of drops of balsamic on each fig and serve.

Enjoy with your best friends. But wash your hands and don’t share your germs!

Love and Beer Floats

Angela