Fig salad with feta, rucola and cherry tomatoes

Figs are a wonderful winter-seasonal way to spruce up salads in the absence of fresher ingredients and especially if you're fond of sweet-sour combinations. Using them like this was inspired by The Atlantic's post about it, our approach was pretty minimalistic and the result was quite satisfying :). 

We intentionally meant to keep the ingredient list as short as possible (aiming at three and winding up with four... but still) so there will be no additional seasoning as salt is already contained in the feta and the combination of natural flavors is meant to be fully experienced and not dimmed by spicy tastes. This goes well with unsweetened tea (especially chamomile or maybe some other herbal tea, because of its hayride-recalling aroma). 

Note: if using dried figs (as we did) it's important to plan ahead and soak them at least a few hours before making the salad.

Ingredients (serves 2):

• 125 g fresh rucola leaves
• 6-7 cherry tomatoes
• a handful of dried figs (if they're fresh you can skip the moistening instructions)
• 50-75 g feta cheese

Cut the dried figs to quarters and put them in fresh cold water in a deep plate. Allow to soak over night or for a couple of hours:

When ready, remove from water and set aside to drain. Wash the rucola leaves and arrange them on plates. Top with the figs:

Cut the cherry tomatoes in quarters and add them. Crumble the feta on top. It's done, dig in!