Happy Wednesday everyone! Do you get bored of repeating the same old recipes but life is so hectic that you just don’t have the time to a) find a recipe, b) read said recipe, c) get all the super special ingredients from around 3 different shops and then you notice that it takes 2hrs to simmer. Argh! That’s what typically happens to me. We always eat healthily but seem to be stuck in a rut with the same old recipes over and over.

However, fret not, here’s an Annie fool-proof recipe that can be prepared in next to no time with screaming kids clinging to your leg, whilst sorting out the laundry, reading emails and painting your nails. Well, maybe not quite like that but seriously, I did this last week and got a big thumbs up from the cowboy though he did call it ‘girlie’ initially.

It’s a vegetarian salad from Yottam Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem cookbook and it’s best eaten with fresh figs though I have to say the ones I bought from the supermarket were really tasty though probably not as big as fresh ones would be.

OTTOLENGHI SWEET POTATO AND FIG SALAD

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4):

4 small sweet potatoes (1kg in total)
5 tbsp olive oil
40ml balsamic vinegar (you can use a commercial rather than a premium aged grade)
20g caster sugar
12 spring onions, halved lengthways and cut into 4cm segments
1 red chilli, thinly sliced
6 fresh and ripe figs (240g in total), quartered
150g soft goat’s cheese, crumbled (optional)
Maldon sea salt and black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 240°C/220°C Fan/Gas Mark 9. Wash the sweet potatoes, halve them lengthways and then cut each again similarly into 3 long wedges.

Mix with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, 2 teaspoons of salt and some black pepper. Spread the wedges out on a baking sheet, skin-side down, and cook for about 25 minutes until soft but not mushy. Remove from the oven and leave to cool down.

To make a balsamic reduction, place the balsamic vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 2–4 minutes, or until it thickens. Be sure to remove the pan from the heat when the vinegar is still runnier than honey; it will continue to thicken as it cools. Stir in a drop of water before serving if it does become too thick to drizzle. Arrange the sweet potatoes on a serving platter.

Heat the remaining oil in a medium saucepan and add the spring onions and chilli. Fry on a medium heat for 4–5 minutes, stirring often, making sure not to burn the chilli, and then spoon the oil, onions and chilli over the sweet potatoes.

Dot the figs among the wedges and then drizzle over the balsamic reduction. Serve at room temperature with the cheese crumbled over.

More tasty salads by Nigel Slater, Jamie Oliver and Yottam Ottolenghi can be found on my previous post ‘Summer Salads’. Enjoy!

 
PHOTOGRAPHY | Jonathan Lovekin
 
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