Friggin Fig n Chicken

Now, right now, it is fig season in the south. They are ripening quickly and begging to be picked and eaten! So get out there and pick some!

This is my second recipe using figs this season.

That name up there, that is the name my husband came up with. However, I think I will go with
Chicken with Figs Coulis and Vegetables...

6 chicken breasts
2.5 cups fresh figs
3 heaping cups spinach
2 heaping cups button mushrooms (sliced)
15-18 small red potatoes, fingerling potatoes or yukon gold
Olive oil
1 Tb water
1.5 Tb Balsamic vinegar
2 Tb Butter
salt and pepper

Preheat oven 450 degrees.
Salt and pepper chicken, drizzle oil in iron skillet and heat. Add chicken, cook until golden on one side and flip. After both sides are golden, place skillet in oven to finish cooking chicken 10-15 minutes.

Slice figs longways and remove stems.
To make Coulis: Measure out 3/4 cup of figs and add to food processor. Add 1.5 tsp salt, pepper to taste, balsamic vinegar, and water. Process until smooth. Add a drizzle of olive oil and process until combined.

Wash potatoes, place in a pot and cover with water, add 2 tsp of salt. Boil until just tender, not until soft. Drain and set aside.

Wash spinach and mushrooms. Slice mushrooms, cut potatoes in half and peel if you wish. Drizzle pan with oil, add mushrooms, cook until golden. Add potatoes and the rest of the figs. Saute. When figs soften add spinach, salt and pepper. Saute until spinach begins to wilt. Remove from heat.

Arrange vegetables on a platter. Place chicken breasts on top. Drizzle with Fig Coulis. Serve!

Figs

Figs were once considered the fruit of the gods. They were fed to athletes in ancient Greece to increase speed and strength, considering their high sugar content it was kinda like a pre-cursor to a PowerBar!

My family and I are opportunists.  When we see a fruit tree by the side of the road we have to stop and eat some while standing under it or gather what we can to take home. Loquats, pears, blackberries, and especially figs have been collected from abandoned houses, sides of busy highways, and from decorative trees restuarants plant and never harvest. My brother-in-law who lives in Hawaii lives in a virtual Eden of surplus avacado, banana, mountain apples and mangoes. It's in our blood (and I married into their blood line, sooo...).

We have two fig trees in our yard. They are fairly young and produce only a handful of fruit each season. So we keep an eye out in our county for ripening figs. Yesterday, tired, hot, and hungry, we saw a huge, I mean HUGE fig tree in between two beachhouses. No one had picked this tree! The figs were heavy and the size of eggs. My 9 year old and I jumped out, grabbing a toy basket my 7 year old passed me. We began picking figs hand-over-fist. To reach the juicest ones at the top I put my daughter on my shoulders (which turned my 5 foot 4 inch reach into about 5 foot 10 inch reach). Finally we hopped back in the car with our bountiful basket.

We ate about 10-12 in the car...


Last nite I decided to make fig crostini for my vegetarian mother-in-law (from here on out we will call her MIL) and I, the kids would be dining on box mac n cheese made by the 9 year old. Here's how it went.

 

 













 Fig Crostini
Figs (1/2-1 for each slice of baguette)
Baguette (5-6 slices per person if this is the entree)
Goat Cheese
Walnuts
Fresh Thyme
Olive Oil


Wash, dry and slice figs in half from top to bottom.
Slice baguette. Bruch with olive oil and toast.
Drizzle olive oil on skillet or grill. Place fig halves open side down on hot skillet. Heat for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Spread goat cheese on toasted baguette slices.
Slice fig halves longways again, place 2-3 fig section on goat cheese baguette. Sprinkles with walnuts and tyhme leaves.

Warm, creamy, tangy, sweet, crunchy...Amazing, simple summer recipe.

Next time I would have some good quality balsamic vinegar on hand, I plan to reduce it in a pan to thicken it and drizzle a little on top.