Figs are a naturally sweet source of dietary fiber and minerals (potassium and calcium). This spread is easy to make, keeps well, and would be delicious as a snack, an appetizer for a party, sandwich spread or pizza topping.
Ingredients:
1 cup of dried figs (I used Calmyrna, but you can use any variety you like), finely chopped
2 cups of water
4 shallots, peeled and finely chopped (I used a mini food processor to get them into very small pieces)
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 Tbsp fresh orange zest (from 1 whole orange)
Juice of 1 whole orange
Sea Salt and fresh pepper
***Note: please be certain to use an organic orange and ginger root, and wash them well with soap and water or vegetable detergent before grating into your recipe***
Place figs into a small saucepan and cover with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 20 minutes, until liquid is reduced to about 1/2 cup and the figs are nice and soft. Remove from heat and set aside. Do not drain.
Heat olive oil and saute shallots over medium-low heat until they are very soft and translucent. This should take about 15 minutes. It is important to watch the heat — you don’t want to burn them. Add extra oil in very small amounts (1/4 tsp at a time) if the shallots appear to be drying out. Once soft, add to the figs.
Stir in the fresh ginger, orange and orange juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. If the spread seems too chunky, you can puree about half of it. I prefer mine to be chunky, so I did not puree it today. Experiment with it and see what you like! You could use lemon instead of orange, add capers instead of ginger, etc.
This spread works best if it is made one day ahead of eating.
Enjoy!
