Yes, another salad with figs. They are so beautiful at the moment that I have to keep finding things to do with them. This salad combines the rich, warm colours of ripe purple figs, pink prosciutto and ruby-toned radicchio with the crunch of fennel and freshness of mint.

Ingredients
Feeds 4. Takes 20 mins.

2 heads red-leafed radicchio
1 fennel bulb
4 ripe figs
20 mint leaves
8 thin slices prosciutto
150g fresh white cheese, eg, ricotta, goat’s cheese

FOR THE DRESSING

2tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1tbsp balsamic vinegar
1tsp cold water
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Trim the roots of the radicchio and separate the leaves. Wash and dry the leaves and tear roughly in two or three. Trim off the fennel root and very finely slice across the bulb. Quarter the figs.

Make the dressing in a large bowl, by whisking all the ingredients together. Lightly toss the radicchio leaves, sliced fennel and mint leaves in the dressing, and arrange on four dinner plates. Arrange the figs on top and tuck in the slices of prosciutto. Roughly chop or pinch the cheese into sections and scatter over the top. Drizzle any remaining dressing over the top and serve with Italian grissini (bread sticks) or crusty bread.

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