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California pepper fig salsa spears. Quinoa salad with roasted cauliflower and figs. Mission figs sausage sliders. Grilled cheese with fig-onion jam. Griddled fig and prosciutto. Filet mignon with spiced fig Not Ketchup. Lamb daube with orange zest and California Figs. Hot damn!
Clarissa Dickson Wright, of Two Fat Ladies fame, wrote, “I’m often in a situation that I have to prepare a pudding for guests, only to find that the only thing I have in my cupboard is a box of dried figs.”
While I am sure a fig pudding would be delicious, the menu at last week’s California Fig tasting was flippin’ fig-tastic! I was thrilled to attend the special fig-centric tasting featuring dried California figs hosted by super bloggers, Erika Penzer Kerekes of In Erika’s Kitchen and Judy Lyness of Two Broads Abroad.
The California Fig Advisory Board brought the figs, Mirassou Winery brought the wine, and Erika and Judy brought the party with their fig-inspired menu. Here is the recipe for California Pepper Fig Salsa Spears, but if you follow the link to California Figs you can find hundreds of recipes featuring both fresh and dried figs. Did you know figs are grown almost 100% in California? We are just entering into a long fig season, so pace yourselves in your indulgence. Hope you enjoy and have a figgin’ great day!
Pepper and Fig Salsa on Endive Spears (adapted from California Fig Advisory Board)
Recipe by Judy Lyness, Two Broads Abroad
Ingredients:
8 dried Golden figs, diced
8 dried Black Mission figs, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 medium shallot, peeled and diced
1 jalapeno pepper, stems and seeds removed, diced
1 green onion, thinly sliced
6 basil leaves, finely chopped
Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
½-inch piece of fresh ginger
Salt and pepper
2 endive bulbs
Instructions:
1. Place figs, red pepper, shallot, jalapeno, green onion, basil, lemon zest, and lemon juice ingredients in a bowl.
2. Scrape the ginger on a fine Microplane zester over the bowl of ingredients. The result will look like a puree. Mix the salsa to combine, then season with salt and pepper.
3. Cut the ends off the endive and separate the leaves.
4. Fill each endive spear with a tablespoon of the salsa. Arrange on a platter. Serve immediately.
