Autumn Salad
If charcuterie was a salad, this would be it! Take a look at this beauty, with so many delicious ingredients — luscious figs, delicate prosciutto, and little bocconcini bites in a bed of fresh arugula. Honestly, salads get such a bad rep for being boring, but a lot of the times they are one of the most flavorful meals I make!
Video Tutorial
I noticed so many of you are celebrating Friendsgiving this year. This one is for you! Whether you are hosting or bringing food to a potluck, this salad is very easy to put together. I am also sharing lots of tips and tricks to make this dish easily accessible for party goers.
And for those of you celebrating Thanksgiving with family this year, add this as one of the appetizers while waiting for the turkey. Lol I promise it will be a hit! Even that one bougie, judgemental aunt Susan will be smacking her lips.
Recipe — Autumn Salad
with Arugula, Figs, Prosciutto and Bocconcini
Serving Size: 6
Ingredients + Directions
Make the Balsamic Vinaigrette
Honey - 2 tbsp
Kosher Salt or Sea Salt - 1/2 tsp
Fresh Ground Black Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 1/4 cup
Balsamic Vinegar - 2 tbsp
Dijon Mustard - 1 tsp (optional)
Add all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk thoroughly until they are all well combined.
Alternatively, you can add all the ingredients in a small mason jar. Close the lid lightly and shake well to combine. Store at room temperature.
Assembling the Salad
Arugula - 6 cups
Figs - 10 - 12, cut in half
Prosciutto - 12 oz
Bocconcini - 8 oz
Balsamic Vinaigrette
In a large serving platter, layer the arugula, then figs, prosciutto, and bocconcini in however artistic ways you like, or as seen on the video. Drizzle the salad with balsamic vinaigrette right before serving.
How to prepare it for a party
This is a recipe estimated for 6 servings, so adjust it according to how many people you are serving. If it’s a large party like a potluck or a friendsgiving, I highly recommend using a standard size cupcake liner with a small scoop of arugula, one fig cut in half, one slice of prosciutto and one bocconcini per person. And then have a bowl or jar with the vinaigrette for the guests to drizzle on their mini salad bites.
It’s grab and go and makes it easier to assemble and serve. The pandemic isn’t over yet either so this also makes it so less hands are on the food and you can narrow down how many people you are making it for.
Substitutes
Figs — California is just entering autumn and figs are in season. But if you live in a part of the continent that’s already heading into winter, you may not have access to fresh figs. Good substitutes would be — thinly sliced apples or pears, nectarines, peaches, strawberries and roasted grapes.
Prosciutto — This brings a salty element to the salad so try to go for a substitute that wields a lot of flavor like other meat or cheese with texture, or crunchy and salty flavor profiles.
If you don’t eat pork or you are vegetarian, you can substitute for another type of cheese like smoked gouda or grilled halloumi.
If you want to add a crunchy and salty element, you could also add roasted chickpeas or nuts like pecan, almonds or walnuts.
If you don’t like the taste of prosciutto, you can substitute for other meats like cooked pancetta or dry-cured meat like speck, guanciale, or capocollo.
Bocconcini — Translated to “small mouthful", bocconini is just small mozzarella cheese balls the size of an egg. You could use any type of fresh mozzarella available to you - burrata, ciligene, ovolini or even a giant mozzarella ball torn into little chunks.
If you don’t like mozzarella, other cheese options are — goat cheese, gorgonzola, feta, thick shaved parmesan, as well as brie.
If you do recreate our recipe, be sure to
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