Jono bought a ridiculous amount of figs this week. He got a “good deal” and so we’ve spent all weekend trying to use them. There is lots of fig jam and chutney but we also loved this little starter by Sabrina Ghayour.
Wine Suggestion: this is such a good tapas dish with the play of salty ham, sweet fruitiness and a layer of rich fat. To match we went with a Sanchez Romate Fino someone had given us and were very happy indeed.
Pan-fried figs in Parma ham – makes 16
- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for frying
- finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 4 large figs, quartered
- 1 heaped tbsp za’atar
- 8 slices of Parma ham (or Serrano ham), halved lengthways into long strips
- top quality balsamic vinegar
Put the oil in a small bowl and stir in the lemon zest and heaps of freshly ground black pepper. Rub this oil on the cut sides of each piece of fig. Sprinkle the za’atar over the figs, then wrap a pieces of ham around each one, overlap so that the pieces are almost covered by the ham.
Heat a large frying pan over a high heat. Drizzle in a little olive oil and fry the figs on both cut sides for about a minute or until the ham crisps up and browns. Serve on plates with some aged balsamic vinegar drizzled over.
(Original recipe from Sirocco by Sabrina Ghayour, Mitchell Beazley, 2016.)
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