Dried figs stuffed with almonds and aromas is a very delicious Calabrian recipe to preserve these delightful fruits in a jar with a fragrant and crunchy filling of almonds, cinnamon, wild fennel seeds, bay leaves, and lemon zest.
This year I also tried sun-drying these delightful fruits picked from my father’s tree so I prepared and put aside for Christmas some figs naturally on the stick, these jars with stuffed figs and some jars also with grappa syrup and lemon.
It’s a good method handed down from our grandmothers, to preserve and then enjoy these delightful dried fruits all together with family during the wintertime, especially at Christmas, perfect also as a homemade gift!
Unlike fresh figs, drying makes figs quite caloric, so you shouldn’t overdo it even though one leads to another!
Figs are a rather sweet fruit that ripens in September, when they are harvested and consumed fresh or preserved. These fruits, in fact, are only available at the end of the summer and cannot be found fresh at other times of the year, except dried.
Therefore, those who want to enjoy and have them available even after the summer must learn to preserve figs in a correct way.
During this period you can find them already dried at the fruit vendor or the supermarket, and if you want to stuff them and make them crunchy and fragrant, follow the recipe!
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- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer
Ingredients for Dried Figs Stuffed with Almonds and Aromas
- as needed dried figs
- as needed almonds
- as needed cinnamon sticks
- as needed fennel seeds
- as needed lemon zest
- as needed sugar
- as needed bay leaves (leaves)
Tools
- Baking sheet
- Oven
- Jar
Preparation for Dried Figs Stuffed with Almonds and Aromas
For the preparation of this procedure, start with the collection and drying of the figs.
This should be done in the summer. Once you have collected the figs, put them in the sun for several days on a rack, turning them to dry on all sides.
You must cover them with a perforated cloth to let the air through, collect them in the evening to avoid moisture, and put them back in the sun the next day, until they wither.When the figs are ready and well-dried, blanch them in boiling water with a little grappa for a few minutes, drain them, dry with a cloth, and then place them on a baking sheet to dry in the oven at 350°F for about 15-20 minutes, depending on their size, turning them during cooking.
When they take on a nice golden appearance, turn off the oven.Roast the almonds in the oven for a few minutes, calculating that one goes into each fruit.
When the figs have cooled a bit, cut them in half, and stuff them.
Put one almond inside each fig, some fennel seeds, and lemon zest pieces, close by pressing with fingers.
After stuffing, place the figs inside a sterilized glass jar, making sure to arrange them in layers and press them slightly so as not to leave air inside. Also, put a few fennel seeds, a cinnamon stick, some bay leaves, and sprinkle with a little sugar between each fig.
Close the jar well and store the figs in a dark pantry; if done well, they keep for many months.
For good preservation, it is important that the water inside the figs has completely disappeared; stuff and put them in jars only if you are sure the figs are well dried, otherwise they will mold.After drying both in the sun and in the oven, the figs can also be stored alone in a paper jar and eaten simply like that or used for other desserts.
They can also be stored in jars and filled with a grappa and lemon syrup, excellent to enjoy caramelized like this.
Anna recommends…
To flavor dried figs, you can also use orange or tangerine zest (which must be organic), or walnuts instead of almonds if preferred.
You can also coat the figs with dark chocolate for an extra touch of indulgence.
For other recipes with figs click here!
