Figs are the fruit of the season. In Italy, they are mainly harvested between August and September, with most of the cultivation concentrated in the South. Did you know that over 90% of the national production comes from the regions of Calabria, Puglia, and Campania?
A true Italian’s August wouldn’t be complete without some fig-based recipes on their plate. Here are some delicious and simple recipes and ideas to make the most of seasonal figs and enjoy them to the fullest.
Buon appetito!
Fig crostini
Let’s start with a simple appetizer that embodies Italian flavor, not only with figs but also with good prosciutto. The mix of sweet and savory is what makes this very simple recipe so beloved. Besides figs, you’ll need a bit of honey, thinly sliced prosciutto, stracchino cheese, and some bread.
To prepare:
- Cut slices of bread to your preferred thickness. Drizzle with oil and rosemary, and bake at 200°C for a few minutes.
- Spread a generous amount of stracchino, add a slice of prosciutto and a fig wedge.
- To sweeten it up, I recommend adding a drizzle of honey.
As for Italian prosciutto, you can find many varieties at the market in Italy, but the most popular ones are definitely the DOP prosciutto from Carpegna, the DOP from Parma, and the IGP from Norcia.
Fig preserves
You can find them made with almost every kind of fruit. For those who love them, fig jam pairs well with fresh or aged cheeses. If you want to opt for Italian cheeses, I recommend the aged Casciotta d’Urbino DOP, pecorino (in its various varieties), and Fontina DOP.
To make your own fig jam, for about 500g you’ll need:
- 1 kg of peeled figs
- 1 lemon
- 250 g of sugar
After peeling and roughly chopping the figs, place them in a saucepan and add sugar and lemon. All you have to do is stir occasionally while cooking everything over medium-low heat, stirring often, don’t forget!
When the jam takes on an amber color and the consistency becomes more gelatinous, you can remove it from the heat. If you like it chunkier, you can leave it as is, but if you prefer a smooth jam like marmalade, you can blend it with an immersion blender.
And there you have it, your fig jam, easy and quick!
Fig cheescake
The last recipe for today is probably the most loved when it comes to fig desserts.
Here are the ingredients for a medium-sized cheesecake, enough for 6-8 people:
- 300 g of simple biscuits
- 100 g of melted butter
- 500 g of ricotta cheese
- 100 g of whipping cream
- 100 g of fig jam
- 1-2 tablespoons of honey
- Figs to taste and jam for decoration
To prepare the base, crush the biscuits in a mixer and add the melted butter. Pour the mixture into a pan lined with parchment paper and refrigerate for 30-40 minutes.
To prepare the cream, pour the fig jam (perhaps using the recipe above) and ricotta into a mixer. If you want it sweeter, you can use 1-2 tablespoons of honey. Then fold in the whipped cream and add the mixture to the cake base. Let it rest in the freezer for 2 hours.
Now that your cheesecake is ready, decorate it with fig jam and top it with fig slices.
Buon appetito!
