fig Archives - Proud Italian Cook

Summer’s Last Hurrah With Fresh Figs

September 3, 2020 by Marie 1 Comment

Fresh figs are in peak season right now and if you’re a fig lover it’s time to take advantage of them as summer winds down. I’m sharing my two favorite ways to showcase them in a non-cook way with no recipe needed!

Find yourself any variety of fresh figs that are available in your area, I used black mission here for this delicious salad of figs, prosciutto and burrata.

Grab a pretty platter and arrange prosciutto slices all around, next take a couple of balls of burrata cheese, gently break it open and dot it all around.

Place sliced figs, longwise on top of the prosciutto and burrata, drizzle with olive oil and balsamic glaze and top with sliced almonds and fresh basil leaves.

A little salt and pepper and that’s it!

I promise you that you and your guests will enjoy every last bite!

For a fun and very easy appetizer you must make this version of stuffed figs with goat cheese and ribbons of prosciutto. It’s finished off with a sweet honey drizzle and topped with a walnut piece. It’s a dreamy one bite delight!

Cut the figs cross-wise from the top, halfway down the fruit and gently open it up like a blossom. Place some softened goat cheese right into the center, I used a honey goat cheese but you can also use gorgonzola and even ricotta works well, then tuck a piece of torn prosciutto right on top.

Place them onto a platter with some scattered leaves of arugula, top each fig blossom with a walnut piece or any nut of your choice then give a good drizzle of honey all over each fig, oh my this is so good!

Figs are said to be the nectar of the gods, I believe they are, enjoy them while they’re still here!

1 Comment Filed Under: Appetizers, Salads Tagged: fig, fig and prosciutto, goat cheese

20 Ideas, Inspiration and Tips for Antipasto and Small Bites

July 17, 2019 by Marie 7 Comments

This post is meant to inspire you, give you ideas with some tips along the way on creating antipasto platters and small bites for easy entertaining, last minute get togethers, holidays, weekend lunch and Sunday afternoon noshing.

These platters and boards will help you visualize all the different components that you can use in creating them because there is no exact recipe for this kind of eating, the sky is the limit!

This is easy no fuss entertaining, small portions of cured meats, cheese, nuts, crackers, fruit, berries, olives, store bought or homemade spreads and that’s just to name a few.

Small bites can consist of various different crostini, grilled veggies, stuffed mini peppers, honestly there’s no limit, the list can go on and on and the best thing is that it’s always welcome no matter what season of the year it is.

Sometimes you just need a few quality ingredients to make the most perfect and delicious bites, like fresh figs on top of prosciutto with burrata and toasted ciabatta bread.

Here’s a little bit of everything with some of my favorites like soppressata, provolone and black pepper taralli, oh and I can’t leave out my castelvetrano olives.

You can prepare this in advance or arrange it last minute, just serve up your favorite beverage to pair with this and you’re good to go!

You’ve seen those colorful mini peppers, well they make the perfect small bites. The above are filled with goat cheese and herbs, roasted and then drizzled with olive oil, all you need is some crusty bread.

Leftover focaccia bread rounds out this whole board with the other components.

I like using things that are in season, like summer tomatoes and fresh zucchini. I prepared the zucchini carpaccio style, raw with shaved parmesan and dressed with lemon and olive oil.

Grilled artichokes with lemon aioli, these will disappear in a hot minute! We have a love of artichokes in my family.

Your meats should be thinly sliced, sometimes I just order a quarter pound of everything and I can usually make a nice big board, with all the other things added like marinated artichokes, bocconcini and various olives and things to fill it up even more.

Many times just good crusty bread dipped into a simple mix of quality olive oil, a little spice, with a drizzle of balsamic is all you need to satisfy your senses, low effort with unbelievable results and everyone loves it, especially if they have their own individual dish.

Spreads are good too, here I used a spicy Nduja, which basically is a spreadable pork salumi. I also purchased an olive spread and I made a creamy goat cheese spread with pecans, noshing at it’s best!

Roasted eggplant dip, so good and so simple. Prick an eggplant and roast on a foil lined sheet pan until it’s soft, let it cool down then mash in a bowl with garlic, lemon and olive oil. Place into a serving dish and garnish with herbs, olive oil and here I used a swipe of jarred roasted red pepper sauce with a few olives, of course toast up some crusty bread for dipping.

Toasted crostini slathered with smashed peas and burrata was the star of the show here, but just think of the different variations you can make.

Quick lunch? Grab a friselle, ( a hard pre-toasted bread available at Italian markets) and top with a juicy cherry tomato salad with olive oil, fresh hand tied mozzarella, optional!

I always keep a couple of bags of friselle in my pantry, they keep for a long time and when company drops in I can whip something together really fast and top them with different things I might have in my fridge.

Melon wrapped in prosciutto with mixed greens, feta and a rich balsamic dressing, who wouldn’t love this?

Or this?

Or this? I told you I love sopressata, artichokes and those beautiful hand tied fresh bocconcini, if you can find some, grab a big container for sure!

How about some good old store bought fig spread, swipe on some crusty bread with a bit of cheese and an apple slice, the perfect bite!

Thin grilled slices of eggplant topped off with a caprese salad, grab a hunk of bread and a glass of wine, need I say more?

There’s no limit to creating the perfect bite, they’re always crowd pleasing with something for everyone to enjoy. Simple, easy and impressive, fun to make like creating art on a board, the perfect nibble for everyone!

Follow me on Instagram to see what else I’m cooking up during the week.

7 Comments Filed Under: Appetizers, Party Foods Tagged: charcuterie board, crostini bar, eggplant dip, fig, foccacia bread, frisele, prosciutto and melon, small bites

Stuffed Pork Chops with Apple and Fig Stuffing and a Creamy Cider Sauce

October 22, 2017 by Marie 7 Comments

Stuffed pork chops turn traditional pork chops into something very special, especially when they’re filled with apples and dried figs. This combination was made for each other with hints of fresh sage tucked into the filling along with a creamy cider sauce, this recipe has FALL written all over it!

The sauce is dreamy mix of apple cider, broth, Dijon mustard and mascarpone cheese, when all those flavors come together, along with the fig and apple it intensifies the taste of the stuffed pork chops in all it’s glory.

The quality of your pork has a lot to do with this dish as well, I use a heritage breed of pork, thick cut and bone in, it really does make a big difference, it’s so juicy and never dries out. For the stuffed pork chops you’ll want at least 1 1/2 inch thickness so as to make a nice pocket for all the stuffing.

Most butchers will be happy to cut the pocket in for you if you ask, but it’s also very simple to do yourself.

This meal is elegant enough to serve for a special dinner and easy enough to make during the week.

I like to serve a nice platter of roasted veggies on the side with the pork chops, here I used cauliflower, shaved brussels sprouts, baby rainbow carrots and some delicata squash which by the way can be done way ahead of time, even the day before.

Take your pork chops to the next level with this perfect fall meal, I promise it will become a family favorite.

Follow along with me on Instagram to see what I’m cooking up during the week.

Stuffed Pork Chops with Apple and Fig Stuffing and a Creamy Cider Sauce

Author: Marie

Ingredients

2 bone in, thick cut good quality pork chops about 1½ inch thick with pocket cut in for stuffing
1 apple, skin on chopped
4 dried figs, chopped
2 dried figs sliced to place into cider sauce
1 small stalk celery, sliced
½ onion, chopped
small handful mushrooms, chopped (optional)
3 fresh sage leaves, chopped with extra for garnish
1 garlic clove, chopped
½ to ¾ cup breadcrumbs
salt and pepper to taste
CIDER SAUCE
¼ cup apple cider
¼ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons, smooth Dijon
2 tablespoons, mascarpone cheese

Instructions

To prepare the pork chops, either have your butcher make the pocket or you can easily do it yourself by slicing each chop from the fat side almost to the bone with a sharp knife, make it wide enough so you can place alot of stuffing inside. salt and pepper both sides of chop and inside pocket.
In a small saute pan with a knob of butter cook the celery, garlic and onion until soft as well as the mushrooms if using them.
Add to the pan the sage, figs and apples, toss, then add the breadcrumbs, if it looks dry add a teeny bit of broth to moisten.
Stuff your chops with the mixture and secure it closed with a regular wooden skewer ( you can see mine in the photo). You might have extra stuffing depending on how big your chops and pockets are.
Heat oven to 375
In a heavy bottom cast iron skillet drizzled with olive oil, or any pan that is oven proof ed, brown your pork chops until crusty and golden on one side then gently flip them over crusty side up, place a few sage leaves on top of each and put the whole pan into the oven.
Cooking times will vary according to ovens but the internal temp should read near 145.
Remove pan from oven, onto stove top and place pork chops on a plate loosely covered with foil.
Then with a whisk deglaze bits with broth, cider on low temp, then whisk in Dijon until incorporated then lastly the mascarpone, whisking until the sauce is nice and creamy.
Turn off the heat, add in the sliced figs to the sauce and return the chops into the pan, spooning a little cider sauce on top of them.
Serve immediately with a side of your choice!