July 22, 2014
Foods To Die For
Figs With Gorgonzola
I had my annual stress test yesterday. I normally avoid scheduling any such test in the month of July for a number of reasons, but the number one reason is because of figs. You heard me right—figs! They are at the top of my list when it comes to foods to die for.
I’m sure you’re wondering how figs could affect a stress test. It’s not so much that the figs interfere with the stress test, it’s more that the stress test interferes with the celebration of figs. I don’t like my meals ruined by thoughts of running on a treadmill and worrying if what I’m eating might affect those results.
For those who don’t know, fig trees bear fruit once a year, and the figs usually last about one month. Where I live, they usually ripen in late June or early July, and, for the following month, we feast on figs. We occasionally just eat the fruit, but more often than not we prepare them the way God must have intended them to be prepared—stuffed with Gorgonzola and lightly broiled. This is a picture of last night’s meal. My son made it for me to celebrate the passing of one more stress test. It constitutes one of the foods to die for.
As you can see, the figs and Gorgonzola are to die for, but the seafood crepes…oh my God! (By the way, I have never tasted a store-bought fig that was worth a damn, so if you don’t have a fig tree, plant one, or two.)
Foods to Die For
The figs are sliced and stuffed with Gorgonzola and then placed under the broiler until the cheese starts to melt. What you see on the plate alongside the figs are savory crepes stuffed with shrimp and tied with a chive. They are then baked in the oven until golden on the outside. And what you can’t see is the garlic aioli sauce my son makes, which is so damn good I could eat it with a spoon.
If you remember in last week’s post I talked about what foods were served in heaven. This is one of them. The only thing I’m hoping is that in heaven fig season lasts all year long.
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Giacomo Giammatteo is the author of gritty crime dramas about murder, mystery, and family. And he also writes non-fiction books including the No Mistakes Careers series.
He lives in Texas where he and his wife have an animal sanctuary with 45 loving “friends.”
What can I say…………..your right! Heavenly! I called them Italian Gold. My Grandfathers tree was babied more than his Grandchildren. He wrapped it lovingly and caring fully each winter. In Italy I was shocked to be the only one stuffing them down and the rest were “peeling” them?? Is that the proper Italian tradition of eating figs? What kind of stuffy Italian tradition is that? City folk?
HaHa. We don’t peel them. We eat them as is, picked from the tree, or, preferably stuffed with cheese. OMG, I can’t get enough of them.