Eleni brought us about 5 kg of choice, fresh figs from her village, near Kalamata.   I tried to give some away, but nobody seemed to want them.  Consequently, I’ll keep a few in the fridge, so we can enjoy them  at our own ease, and with the rest I’ll bake a cake, cook a main dish and make pickles and jam.

                              

                               FRESH FIG CAKE WITH SPICES

             I was inspired to make this cake, by a banana cake that I used to bake often, when the children were young . It is a lovely, rich cake and keeps fresh for over a week.

300 g (1½ cup) caster sugar

115 g (½ cup) butter, at room temperature

2 eggs

320 g (2½ cups) self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/8 tsp ginger powder

1 cup fresh fig pulp

56 g (about ¼ cup) yogurt

2 tbsp brandy or rum

½ cup walnuts, chopped and dusted with 1 tbsp of the flour mixture

         Sift the flour, with the baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices and mix well together.  Also combine the fig pulp with the yogurt, brandy or rum.  

   

         Whip the butter and sugar until light and creamy.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Sift the flour over the batter in 3 parts alternately with the fig/yogurt mixture and mix well, after each addition.  Finally fold in the walnuts.    

         Place the batter in a round baking tin, lined with baking parchment, brushed with butter.   Bake in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F), for about 45-50 minutes or until a skewer, inserted in the middle of the cake, comes out clean.

         

  

                              

                         CHICKEN WITH FRESH FIGS AND BACON

          This is a dish for special occasions.

6 chicken breasts, skinned, boned and cubed

2-3 tbsp flour mixed with 1 tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 tbsp olive oil

10-12 rashers lean bacon

1 large onion chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tbsp mustard with honey

350ml (½ a bottle) good quality, dry white wine, a Chardonnay would be wonderful

360ml-480ml (1½-2 cups) tasty chicken stock or more, if necessary
2-3 sprigs of fresh tarragon or

1-2 sprigs of fresh sage

12 or more firm, fresh figs, stemmed and peeled

Salt and pepper
1 tbsp or more sugar
5-6 tbsp wine
360 ml (1 1/2 cup) chicken stock or more if necessary
1 tbsp butter
A sprig of the same herb used for the chicken

120 ml (½ cup) or more cream

            

            Dredge the chicken pieces in seasoned flour, and set aside.   In a large, shallow saucepan sauté the bacon in 1 tbsp olive oil, remove and reserve.

           Shake off the excess flour from the chicken pieces and fry in batches in the same saucepan, until slightly brown, adding olive oil, whenever needed.  Transfer the chicken to a heated dish   Lower the heat, add the onion and garlic and simmer until the onion changes colour.  Stir in the mustard, return the chicken pieces to the saucepan, pour in the wine, and with a spatula scrape the bottom of the saucepan to avoid sticking.  When the wine reduces a little, add the chicken stock and the herb of your choice.  Cover and simmer gently until the chicken is almost ready 12-15 minutes.

           Meanwhile season the figs with salt, pepper and sugar, and cook in a separate saucepan, with  3-4 pieces of bacon, a little wine, chicken stock, a small knob of butter and the herb, until cooked, but not falling apart. Taste and add a little more sugar, if necessary.    

         Discard the herbs from the chicken, spoon the figs over, they should be partly submerged in the sauce, add the bacon and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add pepper and very little salt, if necessary.  At this stage you could cover and refrigerate it until the next day.

          Just before required, heat the food thoroughly, pour in the cream and swirl, taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.   Serve the chicken and figs on a hot platter, sprinkled with freshly ground black pepper, and accompanied by what we used to call “smashed potatoes with cream”!

                                   SMASHED POTATOES WITH CREAM

1 kg (2 lbs) or more mealy potatoes, peeled and sliced

Enough water to just cover

1 whole garlic clove

1 sprig of sage or tarragon, whatever used in the main dish

Salt

2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup or more, cream

1 tbsp snipped chives

             Boil the potatoes with all the ingredients, except the cream and chives.  Remove the garlic and sage or tarragon and strain thoroughly.  Return the potatoes to the saucepan and heat, in order to remove any possible moisture. Before serving, pour the cream over the hot potatoes and stir, and check for seasoning.  Serve sprinkled with chives and freshly ground black pepper.

   

                                                        PICKLED FIGS

          This pickle goes well with roast, grilled or boiled, meat or poultry.

½ kg (1 lb) ripe, firm figs, stemmed, peeled and thickly sliced

240 ml (1 cup) good quality wine vinegar

250 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) caster sugar

2-3 tbsp honey

2 cloves

1 small cinnamon stick

1 small chilli pepper, optional

Salt to taste

          Place the sugar, honey, vinegar, chilli (if using) and spices in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar melts, and simmer for 2-3 minutes.    

          Add the figs to the honey and vinegar mixture and simmer gently for 2 minutes or so.   Carefully, pour everything into a glass bowl, cover with cling film and set aside for at least 8 hours.

          The next day, transfer the figs carefully to prepared jars, with a slotted spoon.     Remove the chilli, if using, and reduce the sugar and vinegar solution by a third.  Strain the hot vinegar syrup over the figs and seal the jars immediately.   Be patient for a week to ten days before tasting.

  

     

   

                                                               FIG JAM

             The common fig tree (Ficus Carica) is renowned for its luscious fruit, which also contains many nutrients and antioxidants, beneficial to the human body.  Figs can be eaten fresh, dried or cooked.   Here is a recipe for an unusual fig jam that I had promised on a previous post.

1 kg (2 lbs) figs, peeled and chopped

750 g (1 lb 5 oz) caster sugar

1 liqueur glass of brandy or rum

1 cinnamon stick
A twist of lemon rind

A pinch of salt

           Place all the ingredients in large bowl and stir well together.  Cover the bowl with cling-film and refrigerate, overnight.

          The next day, bring the fruit to a bubbling boil, in a heavy saucepan.  Then lower the heat and simmer gently for 20-25 minutes, stirring often with a spatula, to avoid sticking.  Discard the cinnamon stick and lemon rind, and pour the hot jam into prepared jars. When cold, cover with rounds of greaseproof paper and seal tightly.