Fichi in Sciroppo

Figs in Syrup

These little darlings are so wonderful, that like me, you may find yourself getting up in the middle of the night for a treat! Many recipes for figs in syrup call for the addition of vanilla or cinnamon, and sometimes rum or a liqueur. All give you a wonderful product, but this recipe does not include any taste profiles other than what the figs have to give.  

When I learned to make these in a restaurant in Italy there was no recipe to follow, just the method, so I've done my best to calculate the amounts needed. 

I like to serve these lovelies with fresh made ricotta or with Parmigiana Reggiano, walnuts and prosciutto as an antipasto, but my all-time favourite is with Gelato di Crema. I'll post the recipes for the ricotta and gelato in the coming days.  Hope you enjoy these sweet treats as much as I do!

Ingredients

• 1-2 lemons, just the zest
• 1 kilo of ripe figs 
• 300-350 grams sugar
• 1 cup of water

Method

1. Make a small cut in the bottom of the figs and snip off the tops (stem end) of the figs.
2. Zest the lemons with a vegetable peeler, then slice into pieces small enough to insert into the bottoms of the figs
3. Insert the lemons pieces into the cuts made in the figs
4. Place some of the sugar on the bottom of a non-reactive pan and place the figs on top, cut side down. Cover with the remaining sugar.
5. Allow to macerate for a day or two in a cool, dry place. Cover loosely with tin foil. Half way through the process, gently turn the figs being careful not to tear the skins. You will not see a lot of juices resulting from the maceration, but you should see some at the end of a day or so.
6. When maceration is done, heat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit 
7. Pour the cup of water into the pan, being sure to saturate all of the sugar. 
8. Place the figs uncovered in the oven for 24 hours. Check on the figs during this time and if you think they are becoming too well cooked, cover loosely with tinfoil
9. At the end of 24 hours, the fig juice and sugar will have combined to produce a lovely syrup
10. The lemons slices in the figs will have become tender and translucent.
11. Prepare your canning supplies while the figs are still hot.  
12. Ladle into hot, sterilized jars.  Process 10 minutes in a hot-water bath.
13. If you choose not to process, particularly if you decide to make a lesser amount, place the figs in jars and refrigerate.