Friday Foodie Fix
This week’s Secret Ingredient for Friday Foodie Fix is Figs! A sensual fruit that has long been associated with temptation. In ancient Rome and Greece they were the chief source of sustenance for the original Olympians. Figs are rich in calcium, potassium, phosphorus and iron plus they are packed with dietary fiber.
When choosing your figs see that they have a little give but not squashy and they have no bruises, black spots, leaking, splits or wrinkling on their skin. Store them uncovered on a tray or plate in the refrigerator for 2-3 days but bring them to room temperature before eating them.
For more information on figs, you might want to check out The Produce Bible.
The first time I cooked with figs it was Rachel Ray’s recipe for Montalcino Chicken with Figs and Buttered Gnocchi. Well this was obviously before I started living gluten and dairy free. But I think I’m going to head back to this idea but use Book of Yum’s recipe for Dairy Free Gluten Free Arugula Herb Gnocchi Salad but pair it with figs and chicken.
Now if you’re not sure about figs and think you might like to try them in a different state than cooked with chicken, check out Pickled Figs by The Gluten Free Girl. After you read that post you’ll be running to your farmers market and grocery story hunting for figs. But if you’re good with eating them cooked with chicken, check out my version of Ali’s-The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen- Roasted Balsamic Chicken with Figs and Onions. We’ll make sure Ali leaves her original recipe below so it’s easy for everyone to find.
Remember to leave as many links as you like to your original recipes. You can use older recipes I just ask that you please add an update to your older post that you have submitted it to Friday Foodie Fix and a link back to here. If you don’t have a blog please leave your recipe in the comments section. You can always check out current and past secret ingredients under the Friday Foodie Fix tab, along with the rules.
Next week’s Secret Ingredient is ……………Pomegranates!
I adore figs; oddly enough, I don't much care for fresh, raw figs. I know, who am I? Roasted or dried figs? Definitely. This reminds me, maybe I will make fig cookies today! Thank you for the idea and interesting info on figs.
Cinnamon Quill- I think I'm with you on the cooked verses raw but pickled sounds good. I hope you'll share some recipes. I'd love to hear about fig cookies. They sound delicious.
I LOVE figs – when I was in Napa we ate at Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen and they made me a special dessert b/c I couldn't eat anything else on the menu. They picked figs right off the their fig tree growing in the kitchen's garden. It was incredible.
So wish we could have met up in San Francisco – I was thinking of you!
Amy- wow, figs from their tree. I'm so jealous of both the tree and fresh dessert. I hope you had a good time at the Build a Better Burger contest. I can't wait to see the show. I hope you will let us know when it airs. I'm guessing you can't say who won. I'll be looking for you!
I love figs! I'm sure I would like them cooked, but they never make it that long around here. My girls and I just adore them! Oddly enough, I'm having a hard time finding them this year. We live in California and shop at Farmers Market and Trader Joes. I've seen them at Cost Co, but they are no where near as good as the ones from Farmers. I'm hoping to plant my own trees soon.
Live in CA and can't find figs. I think they must have shipped them all here. It's coming to the end of the big fig shipment so maybe more will hang out in CA. Good luck.
I tried so hard to find fresh figs locally, but no dice. All I have are photos of the fig appetizer that my girlfriend made. I was going to make that and tweak it a bit. Oh, well, next time … I did see another fig post somewhere else … will try to get them to join in the FFF.
Shirley
Shirley- Sometimes the fig gods just hide them from us. You'll find some eventually. If not let me know and we'll ship some down to you.