figs

I posted a photograph of figs recently and I was surprised by the amount of questions I got. I have to admit that I take figs completely for granted. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE them. But since we have about 12 fig trees here in Umbria, my biggest challenge when dealing with figs is that we have WAY too many of them, in WAY too short a season.

Due to the high volume of fig-related queries, I thought a fig post would be in order. So without further ado here are some of the questions I got, and as well as a few  answers:

How do you eat a fig?

I found this one the most surprising since my immediate response is ‘Well, you just eat it!” But then I realized that if you’ve never actually held a fig in your hand, then it could be a bit confusing. You can and should eat figs raw. If you have a very ripe fig then there is nothing better.

To peel them or not?

Depends. The riper the fig, the thinner the skin, and so you won’t even notice the skin. And if it is very thin, then you probably won’t even be able to peel it off. In any case, the skin is totally edible.

What is your favorite way to eat a fig?

Like I said before, as it. Preferably standing beneath the tree you picked it from. But if that’s not possible, try to buy figs that are soft to the touch. There is nothing as boring as an unripe fig.

Here are a few easy ways to enjoy fresh figs that don’t require any recipe:

Figs and Prosciutto:

Figs are super sweet and so pair perfectly with salty prosciutto. My favorite way to serve them is to make a cross cut in the fig, from the top, without cutting all the way through. Then roll up a piece of prosciutto loosely, kine of like a rose, and nestle it in there. Figure on 3-4 per person as an appetizer.

Fig Panino

If you have access to pizza bianca or focaccia, slice it horizontally, then layer a slice of prosciutto and a couple of very ripe figs on top. Smash it down and enjoy.

Fig Salad

If your figs are sort of unripe and on the firm side, then just cut them in quarters and add them to a green salad.

Dried Figs

Domenico always dries as many as he can in his dehydrator, which is one of the best investments he ever made.

If you have enough figs to actually cook with, then here are a few recipes:

Fig Cake: My recipe for Strawberry Ricotta Cake was originally made with figs in my book The Italian Table. Use this recipe but just sub in figs.

Fig Compote: Lightly stewed figs are good on anything, but especially this simple cake.

Fig Jam: Even though I personally prefer tart jams, like apricot, I always make at least a dozen jars of fig jam to use in crostatas or else to give away at the holidays.

Fig Gelato I recently made this gelato and it was insane. My friend Anissa sent me the recipe:

500 gr figs, halved

175 gr sugar

300 ml heavy cream

300 ml milk

Put it all in blender, chill, then churn in your ice cream maker.

Fig Bread: And if you’re really drowning in ripe figs, then just take your favorite banana bread recipe (this is one I love) and sub in figs instead of bananas.

Fig Frittata The oddest  dish I ever had was when my friend Salavatore came over and made a frittata with totally unripe figs. They were hard, almost the texture of zucchini. I can’t say it was my favorite thing ever, but it was good and I’m very glad I got to try this old fashioned recipe.

If you have a favorite fig recipe let me know and leave it in the comments below. Thanks!

 

If you’d like to join me here in Umbria to cook things like freshly picked figs, I’d love to have you. Visit this page for all of my tours for 2021 and 2022.

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