Giving a fig
Recipe Harriet Boucher, Images Brydie Thompson
If you have the good fortune of access to a fig tree, you can enjoy the delights of figs — fresh, roasted, in chutney or a multitude of other ways. Fig leaves can be used to wrap cheeses and for cooking, adding subtle aromas of coconut, vanilla and more. Here are several ways to use figs of the season.
Fig Chutney
Recipe Harriet Boucher, Images Brydie Thompson
Serve this chutney on a cheeseboard, in a sandwich, or with the salmon wrapped in fig leaf as seen here. It’s a great way to use up an abundance of figs and to enjoy them throughout the year.
Ingredients:
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups figs, fresh or frozen, stems removed and quartered
1 apple, diced
1 large white onion, chopped
⅓ cup raisins
⅓ tsp salt
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
Soak raisins in a bowl of hot water for 10 minutes, then drain. In a saucepan add all of the ingredients, including the soaked raisins.Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and cook for about an hour, stirring frequently. Put the chutney into a jar and store it in a cool dry place.
Salmon Wrapped in Fig Leaf
Recipe Harriet Boucher, Images Brydie Thompson
This method of cooking is based off the French term ‘en papillote ’— enveloped in paper. Except instead of baking paper, we are using a fig leaf. This helps keep moisture in and the fig leaf adds a subtle coconut aroma to your fish.
Ingredients:
4 fillets of salmon, 80–100g each
4 large fig leaves
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
Preheat your oven to 180°C. Drizzle the salmon with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Wrap each piece of salmon in a fig leaf and place on a lined baking tray. Transfer to the oven, and bake until cooked through, 10–12 minutes. Unwrap salmon and serve on top of the fig leaf with a side of fig chutney.
Reprinted with permission from Nourish Magazine.
