The lush taste of figs gives a delicious touch to salads. Here we give you an exquisite recipe along with tricks and ideas to cook with figs and enjoy them to the fullest.
- Ideas for cooking with figs
- 3 recipes with easy and delicious figs
- 1. Fig and feta cheese salad
- 2. Figs with oatmeal and yogurt
- 3. Fig and zucchini lasagnitas
- Curiosity about figs
When figs are in season it is difficult to resist them. The normal thing is that raw figs are consumed, as is, as a fruit, but the truth is that they are a very versatile food, whose exuberant flavor remains in any elaboration. A recipe with exquisite figs is the fig and feta cheese salad, which you will find below with a dressing that gives it a very original touch, but we can include them raw in many other recipes or even use them in recipes with cooking. An example is the fig and zucchini lasagna that we also present below.
We will also give you many ideas to use figs in your recipes, from the type of elaborations in which you can include it as the foods with which it best combines.
Let’s start with the best tricks and tips for cooking with figs and then move on to the recipes.
IDEAS FOR COOKING WITH FIGS
Fresh figs are juicier, lighter and aromatic, and therefore suitable for consumption as is or with few manipulations, either in salting or for desserts. If they are eaten in a certain amount, it is convenient to peel them. With a small knife is cut by the part of the corner and without cutting everything, it pulls the skin that will come out easily.
Dried figs are more nutritious and sweeter and are delicious after long cooking, with more intense dressings and in more elaborate pastry recipes.
Both can be used in elaborations and savory or sweet recipes. Below you will find ideas and suggestions to do it and thus take advantage of your season if you are going to use them fresh.
RECIPE IDEAS WITH SALTED FIGS:
- In salads, fresh figs combine very well with green leaves, pasta, potatoes, couscous, cheeses, pickles and nuts. Aromatic vinegars such as raspberry vinegars will be a delicious complement.
- Rosemary, oregano, arugula, watercress, olive oil and Modena vinegar, combine very well with fig, as well as in general soft and aromatic herbs, better than more intense spices.
- Instead of as an ingredient in salad, it can be used to make a dressing. To do this you have to mash it in garlic, rosemary, soy sauce, lemon and oil, or with yogurt and cucumber.
- The fig also gives very good results in more elaborate cooked sauces.
- You can use figs as a filling, mixed with other vegetables, and sautéed cereals. They will be delicious inside eggplants, peppers, zucchini or tomatoes, and of course, in empanadas, salty and sweet crepes and in the form of croquettes, alone or with other ingredients.
- With eggs on the plate, scrambled or in an omelette, the fig is deliciously succulent, for the sweet touch it brings, and that can be accompanied by cheeses, crumbled bread or black olives, in addition to aromatic herbs.
- On hot or cold toasts and pizzas it is a surprise. The roast enhances its aroma and flavor. Accompanied by cheeses and virgin olive oil it is irresistible.
- For cooked garnishes, obviously, dried figs are king, because in addition to resisting cooking well, the result will be mellow and much juicier. They accompany well the hearty recipes of lasagna, seitan, tofu and other pasta recipes with sauce.
RECIPE IDEAS WITH SWEET FIGS:
As for the sweet chapter, here are more ideas and tips:
- With figs it is very easy to preserve, with syrups flavored with cinnamon or vanilla, spicy chutneys, jams, jellies and sweet sauces.
- In cake cakes, gypsy arms, cheesecakes and so on, they will fit like a glove.
- For ice cream, figs are a really special option, as evidenced by one of the most classic recipes, biscuit.
- The smoothies and sweet creams, made with yogurt and juices, are always tasty and are simple to prepare, to solve a dessert in a short time. Of course, honey and nuts are its inseparable companions.
3 RECIPES WITH EASY AND DELICIOUS FIGS
So, you can put into practice some of the previous ideas, we leave you three recipes that have figs as the protagonist. The first is the promised fig and feta cheese salad, which here we propose to prepare with bitter leaves that combine wonderfully with figs, arugula and endive, and season with a vinaigrette with a touch of soy sauce and rosemary.
FIG AND FETA CHEESE SALAD
INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4):
- 8 ripe figs
- 200 g Greek feta cheese
- 1 bunch of fresh arugulas
- 1 endive
- 20 almonds
- 6 tablespoons virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Modena vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ground rosemary
- salt
PREPARATION (20’+5′ COOKING):
- Wash the figs well or, if you prefer, peel them and cut them into two halves.
- Cut the cheese into small cubes and chop the arugula and endive.
- Fry the almonds in a little oil. Drain and salt.
- Arrange all the ingredients in a salad bowl, mix in a bowl the soy, vinegar, rosemary and oil, and season the salad with this.
VARIANT
It is worth using aromatic vinegars, such as raspberry or tarragon, which complement the sweet taste of figs.
Other equally tasty alternatives are to add mozzarella cheese and watercress, as well as some soft mustard to the dressing.
This salad is best if the figs are previously peeled.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
- Protein: 77 g
- Carbohydrates: 76 g
- Fat: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 45 mg
- Calories: 361.
FIGS WITH OATS AND YOGURT
INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4):
- 8 fresh figs
- 1 tablespoon almonds
- 1 tablespoon hazelnuts
- 1 tablespoon walnuts
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts
- 4 tablespoons oat flakes
- 400 ml soy yogurt
- 80 ml honey or maple syrup (optional)
PREPARATION (25′ + 15′ COOKING):
- First, the night before preparing this recipe, soak the oat flakes in water.
- Toast the oat flakes in an oil-free skillet, over low heat.
- After 10 minutes add the nuts and roast everything five more minutes, slowly. Grind slightly, just enough to chop everything a little, but retain the texture.
- Put in cups or bowls the fig quarters, drizzle with yogurt and crown with oat granola and nuts.
VARIANT
This dessert can be combined with a good homemade cake, or you can add other seasonal fruits,
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
- Protein: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 77 g
- Fat: 9 g
- Cholesterol: 77 mg
- Calories: 154
FIG AND ZUCCHINI LASAGNITAS
INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4):
- 8 figs frescos
- 1 large zucchini
- 150 g mushrooms
- 200 g vegan mozzarella cheese
- 1 bunch fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons black olives
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and black pepper
PREPARATION (25′ + 20′-30′ COOKING):
- Cut figs, zucchini and mushrooms into thin slices.
- Maja or crush chopped fresh basil, chopped black olives, garlic and pine nuts. Add the oil and salt.
- Spread with this figs, zucchini and mushrooms and alternating them, make individual piles in a baking dish smeared with oil.
- Finish with the mozzarella and black pepper and put in the preheated oven at 170 ºC for about 20 minutes, until the mozzarella is au gratin.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
- Protein: 14 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Fat: 26 g
- Cholesterol 45 mg
- Calories: 357.
CURIOSITY ABOUT FIGS
In our country dried figs were very popular during the Andalusian era, in which a large number of recipes for breads, nougat, cheeses, syrups, stuffed pasta, sauces, jams, stews and preserves were made with them, and their acceptance was good until the 60s of the last centuries.
At that time, it was said that they could be related to the proliferation of whitefly that harmed other crops, and farmers were encouraged to uproot fig trees, at the same time that at the table they were displaced by new, more attractive products.
But from the 90s, the taste and demand for fresh figs emerged again with force and has not stopped growing until today. Currently the market is not able to supply it and figs must be imported from Turkey every year.
There are more than 700 varieties of figs in the world, although in Spain the red’s neck figs stand out, a delicious variety with denomination of origin.
