Figs and goat's cheese salad with grape vinaigrette, praline and wafer
Ingredients:
Salad
Grape
Aceto di Modena (vinegar)
Goat's Cheese
Sugar (100gr)
Flour (20gr)
Albumen (the white of an egg)
Figs
Hazelnuts (a bunch)
Almonds (a bunch)
Walnuts (a bunch)
Preparation:
of the Praline:
Mince the hazelnuts, the almonds and the walnuts. Fry them with 50gr of sugar. Cook until they get golden coloured. Spread the paste you get over oven paper. Let it get colder.
of the wafer:
Mix the egg whites with the flour and 50gr of sugar. Spread the paste over oven paper and cook in the oven until it gets golden. Let it get colder.
of the vinaigrette:
Mince the grape and strain it. Fry it with a bit of Modena's vinegar and two spoons of sugar.
of the figs:
Cut the figs in halves. Place a piece of goat's cheese on top of each one of them. Grill them until the cheese melts.
Place it all nicely in plates.
Les figues
Figs are one of the oldest fruits in the world. Actually, in the Sacred Writings, in the Genesis, is the second fruit mentioned, after the apple. Adam and Eve, after eating the forbidden fruit, run to hide themselves with fig leaves. [" (...) they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves." Holy Bile, Genesis, 3:6] Even though, in many artistic representations of the couple in the Middle Age, they were depicted with grape leaves; this is a mistaken fact.
The Mediterranean cultivation is: olive, almond, grape and fig.
For 10.000 years, the fig has been a valued fruit for many civilizations: Phoenicius, Greeks, Romans...
In the Greek mythology we find that to Tantalus, the son of Zeus, once in Hell, they are bringing closer to him a branch of figs that he can never reach.
Les figues
Figs are one of the oldest fruits in the world. Actually, in the Sacred Writings, in the Genesis, is the second fruit mentioned, after the apple. Adam and Eve, after eating the forbidden fruit, run to hide themselves with fig leaves. [" (...) they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves." Holy Bile, Genesis, 3:6] Even though, in many artistic representations of the couple in the Middle Age, they were depicted with grape leaves; this is a mistaken fact.The Mediterranean cultivation is: olive, almond, grape and fig.
For 10.000 years, the fig has been a valued fruit for many civilizations: Phoenicius, Greeks, Romans...
In the Greek mythology we find that to Tantalus, the son of Zeus, once in Hell, they are bringing closer to him a branch of figs that he can never reach.
In the origins of Rome, we find that Romulus and Remus are drinking the milk of the Lupa Capitolina (Capitoline's She-Wolf) under the shadow of a fig tree.From the European countries, Spain is the biggest fig producer and exporter. The regions where it is most cultivated are: Illes Balears, Extremadura, Païs Valencià and Andalucía. In Catalonia, the province of Lleida is the biggest producer.
Turkey is the biggest producer in the world.
We can find the common figs, which give the fruit once a year, between August and October. Also we can find the "breva" figs, which give fruits twice a year: June-July (which are called Saint John's figs (Figues de Sant Joan, in Catalan), figaflor (in Catalan) or breva (in Spanish), and the second time in the end of summer and beginning of Autumn.
In Spanish we find the saying "De higos a brevas" (From figs to brevas) which means "Once in a while, from time to time". So it means the period between around September and June, i.e. when the common fig grows and when the breva fig grows.
Fresh figs are not very caloric (80kcal/100gr) but they are very rich in: fiber, calcium, potassium and magnesium.When we dry them we are multiplying their caloric and energetic value (274kcal/100gr).
They are very digestive, laxative, a very good revitalizer and with lots of vitamins from the B group.
Recipe and most of the information about figs, got from my sister Rocío.
I have the recipe in Catalan if anyone wants it.
No comments:
Post a Comment