Roasting Figs in Fig Leaves

If you like figs, you will really enjoy this post. I found the pic below of roasted figs wrapped in fig leaves that chef Alex Guarnaschelli posted on her Facebook page recently. She described them this way - "These are baked figs from Italy. They are wonderfully chewy and seedy and sweet and taste like candy and dirt and earth and diamonds and emeralds and cake." 

Besides the taste description, what a cool look they have wrapped up in fig leaves! I knew immediately that I had to try to duplicate them at home. We love figs, and in fact, have two fig trees in our backyard. Fig season is winding down but there were enough ripe ones to pick to make this experiment do-able.

There's not much information available on the exact process but basically fresh figs are baked in a warm oven (170 - 200 degrees) for 12 hours where their flavor is concentrated and they become very sticky. Then they are pressed together into a ball and wrapped in fresh fig leaves to be baked again for several hours in a warm oven. I figured the fig leaves would add to the unique taste but was unsure if any herbs, spices, flavorings were added. And maybe wine or a liqueur of some kind? Since there is no information available on these kinds of details, I decided to add a few that made sense - a pinch of ground fennel seeds, a drizzle of honey, orange zest and a splash of red wine.

I also found this interesting video that shows a commercially made fig ball being opened - 

Here are our figs after being roasted overnight in a covered ceramic crock with the fennel, honey, orange zest and wine. They shrunk quite a bit but they did not dry out and become hard. The kitchen smelled great by the way -

I picked and washed 9 good looking fig leaves, fanned them out in a circle and piled the figs in the middle with their juices. 

Wrapped the leaves around the figs and tied with some cotton yarn (thanks Lisa). And placed the "ball" back into the crock for the second low and slow roast. 

The fig ball back out of the oven after a 5 hour bake - 

Here is the fig ball being opened. The figs were plump, moist and chewy. The taste was everything I had hoped for - earthy, sweet, figgy with hints of orange and anise, maybe not the "diamonds, emeralds and cake" that chef Alex described but that's OK, because I'm glad they didn't taste like cake. Really very nice and will definitely make more next year.

It's Fig Season!

If you like figs and you have the space I hope you have a fig tree or two... or three. Because figs are so perishable you are never going to be able to eat a fig that tastes as sweet and delicious as the ones you can grow yourself. The fresh ones that you can get this time of year at a grocery store, as good as they are, were picked under-ripe days ago. But if you grow your own, well damn, you can just walk out and pick one off the tree just like that.

Some cool things to make using figs - 
Fig preserves
Agrodolce figs
Roast figs wrapped in bacon or prosciutto
Figs stuffed with goat cheese
Fried figs
Figs stuffed with pistachios and candied orange peel
Chicken breast (or pork chop) stuffed with figs and goat cheese
Pork chops with a balsamic fig sauce
Fettuccine with figs
Fresh fig galette
Grilled fresh figs on rosemary skewers
Cucidati - Italian fig cookies. 
I will be adding recipes for these and more over time, check back often.
   
Fig Preserves - EASY!
Think about how good this will be on a bacon or  sausage biscuit!

About 4 cups of fresh figs

Cut figs into quarters

Make a simple syrup - 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer

 Add the figs

Add the zest and juice of one lemon.  

Simmer the figs in the simple syrup with the lemon zest and lemon juice until nice a thick - for about 45 minutes.

Spoon into sterilized glass canning jars, add lid and ring. Return to the pot of hot water. Simmer the filled jars for 10 minutes.

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Fig Preserves with Orange

Same as above but use the zest from one navel orange instead of the lemon zest but still include the lemon juice.

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                                      Agrodolce Figs - Sweet and sour figs 
  
3 cups of ripe figs
1 tablespoon honey
1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar 
1 teaspoons fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
Water as needed

Simmer the figs in honey, balsamic vinegar, rosemary, a bay leaf and a little water for about 45 minutes. As the sauce thickens add a little water to keep it loose.

 Should look like this when done

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Fig and goat cheese stuffed chicken breast

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Fig Infused Balsamic Vinegar

Fig infused vinegar, why not? It's is easy – you can use a distilled vinegar, or a red or white wine vinegar, but for best results, an inexpensive balsamic works best. Just chop your figs (about a pound for every quart of vinegar), add the vinegar and figs to a large saucepan, and simmer it for about 20 minutes or more, until the figs have lost their form and become mush – strain and bottle. This will be thicker than the original vinegar, and is supposed to be – but if it’s too thick for you, add either more vinegar or, if it has a strong vinegar taste already, add water to thin it. Store in the refrigerator – it will keep indefinitely.

You can use this as you would regular balsamic vinegar - sauces, salad dressings, over ice cream, marinades, the figs give it a sweeter more complex flavor. 

For Summer - Three Unusual, But Delicious, Pasta Sauces

Here are three interesting, easy and light summer pasta dishes we really like  -  

Linguine with fresh figs

Spaghetti with Cantaloupe Sauce       

         

Lemon Spaghetti with Shrimp                         

Here are the recipes:

Linguine with Fresh Figs

Ingredients

1 pound linguine

1/4 
cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

1
 medium shallot, minced (about 3 tablespoons)

1/4
 cup heavy cream

1 cup fresh figs, stemmed and chopped 

2 
teaspoons finely grated zest and 1/4 cup juice from 3 lemons

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Salt and ground black pepper

2
 tablespoons shredded fresh basil leaves

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta to boiling water; cook, stirring frequently, until al dente. Reserve 1¾ cups cooking water, drain pasta into colander, and set aside.

In a large skillet heat 1 tablespoon oil until shimmering. Add shallot and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook until shallot is softened, about 2 minutes. 

Whisk 1 1/2 cups of reserved pasta cooking water and the cream; add figs and stir to combine; bring to simmer and cook for 2 minutes. 

Remove skillet from heat, add the pasta, and stir until coated. 

Stir in remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, cheese, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Cover and let pasta stand 2 minutes, tossing frequently and adjusting consistency with remaining 1/4 cup reserved pasta water if necessary. 

Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve, drizzling individual portions with olive oil and sprinkling with cheese.

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Spaghetti with Cantaloupe Sauce and Grilled Herb Chicken

Ingredients 

1 medium sized cantaloupe cut into 1/2 inch cubes 

3 tbsp butter

Juice of one lemon

1 tbsp tomato paste

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese

Salt & pepper

Cantaloupe cut into 1/2 inch chunks

On medium-high heat cook cantaloupe with the butter and generously season with coarse salt and cracked black pepper until melon is very soft and most of water has cooked out - about 15 minutes. Start the water for the pasta.

Add the tomato paste, the lemon juice and the heavy cream (and some red pepper flakes if you like). Stir together and turn off heat. 

    When the pasta is done, drain it and toss with the sauce and stir in the grated parmigiano

                                     Suggested side - Grilled herbed chicken breasts

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Lemon Spaghetti with Shrimp

For the Shrimp:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

3/4  pound, 31/35 shrimp (medium shrimp), peeled w/tail on, cleaned and patted dry

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the Pasta:

1 pound spaghetti

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

2/3 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1 tablespoon lemon zest

Optional - 2 tablespoons fried capers*

  

In a medium sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat. Season the shrimp with the salt and pepper. In a single layer, add the shrimp to the preheated pan. Cook for 3 minutes per side or until pink and cooked through. Set aside.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the olive oil, Parmesan, and lemon juice in a large bowl to blend.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the lemon sauce, the shrimp and the reserved cooking liquid, adding 1/4 cup at a time as needed to moisten. Season with the salt and pepper and stir in the basil. Garnish with lemon zest and fried capers.

*To fry capers, drain, rinse and dry the capers very well. Heat 1/4 inch vegetable oil in a small straight sided skillet over medium high heat until it shimmers when you swirl it. You can make sure it is hot enough by adding one caper to the oil. If it immediately starts to sizzle and pop, the oil is hot enough. Add the capers to the hot oil and fry for about 10 to 15 seconds or until they have popped open are golden brown and crispy.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the capers to a paper towel lined plate and allow to drain before using.

                                                

Ischia Fig Tree

Just finished planting the new Green Ischia (pronounced: Isk' -ya) fig tree. Got it from Ison's Nursery in Brooks, GA. (www.isons.com)

This is our third fig tree. We also have a Brown Turkey and a Black Mission. I am excited about this new addition. Green Ischias are named for Ischia, an island in the bay of Naples, Italy.The fruit has greenish-yellow skin with red interior. Because these figs stay green in color when ripe, they have great resistance to birds. The color helps to camouflage the ripe fruit. Ischia ripens from late July to August. Maybe not this first year but next we should be eating some of these delicious figs.

The fruit is yellowish green with a red interior. Pretty cool!

It came bare rooted.

In the ground, double trunked and standing all of 39"tall. Since Ischia fig trees need an alkaline soil, lime needed to be added to the soil mix.