Fruits and Nuts. It sounds like a nice grouping of snack food. Well, have you thought about having them together? We like to have them as individual components as well as having them together with a multitude of textures all at once.
A couple of days ago we shared our thoughts on figs and a little about what one can do with them.
A couple of days ago we shared our thoughts on figs and a little about what one can do with them.
Today, we started making a dish full of treats that will stay on the dining room table for guests, or for ourselves for the next two days (if they last that long!) while we await Pascha. With only two more days to go in our Great Lent fasting, we move into a very strict fast of minimal food. So, if we are going to consume something, we want it to sustain us, nourish us, and please us. There is no reason to eat things that you don't enjoy eating.
We talked about figs (sika) the other day, and they are lovely to eat as they are, right out of the package. But, they can be a little more special, and today, we are going to show you how by making stuffed figs.
First, let us mention that there is no formal recipe for these treats, nor are there formal rules as to what fruit or nuts to use. We are using the nuts that we typically keep in the house, and the sika that we like the most. We will, however, show you some of the different ways that you can stuff the figs to make a beautiful and interesting dish that you can use during Great Lent, or any other time that you want something different.
Choose the nuts and the figs that you like. Pictured below, we have almonds, walnuts, pecans, dried apricots, and the figs. In various combinations, these foods can fill you with protein, fiber, vitamins, and protein. The mixtures can also offer can include iron, magnesium, and potassium. With so many health benefits from nuts and dried fruits (that you can read here, here, here, and here), why wouldn't you include nuts and dried fruits in your diet?
The pictures that follow will show you the different ways that you can stuff the figs with nuts. We used the different nuts whole and in pieces, depending on the size and shape of the figs. It is true that not all dried figs have a round shape, nor do they have the same thickness. It is going to be easy to figure out what fits inside the fig once the fig is in your hand.
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Roasted Almonds
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| Walnuts |
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| Pecans |
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| Dried Apricots |
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| Various Dried Figs |
Our first method to put nuts inside of the fig was to cut the fig in half. We sliced it along the skinny side so that it opened into two discs. Then, placed the nut (almond) in the middle of the fig. The inside of the fig is soft and sticky, so the nut likely will not slide around inside. Then, we applied some pressure on the fig to "seal" it closed. That's it. It is like getting a little surprise inside the fig.
Next, we thought we would cut the fig in half the other way. We cut through the fig using the stem as the center point, making two semi-circles. This exposed a smaller area of the inside of the fig, but enough to slide a nut in place. Almonds fit well, but pecans looked like the same shape as the center of the fig, or half an apricot fit in there perfectly. If you notice, the half apricot and the half fig are the same shape! The opening was not quite big enough to completely envelop a full walnut.
Our third way of preparing the fig to be stuffed is by cutting an opening right in the middle of the fig without actually cutting through it. It is like turning the fig into a basket to lay a nut in the center. We used kitchen shears (scissors) to cut the fig, and then poked a little trench in that space. This trench made the perfect accommodation for a nut or an apricot.
Our last creation was the one we were rather proud of making. It was our fruit and nut version of Turducken. Turducken is a turkey stuffed with a duck that was filled with a chicken. The three meats are pushed together and tied, making one layered bird. We did this with a fig, an apricot, and a nut. We are trying to decide whether to call it a figrinut, or a ficonut (O.K. we didn't actually spend that much thinking out what to call our "creation". So, cut the fig in half, making the two discs. Cut the apricot the same way, cutting through the thin side to form two discs. Then, pick a nut of your liking and put that in the apricot. Place the apricot inside the fig. There you have a figrinut (or ficonut)! Just like Turducken, but vegan.
There you have it, the stuffed fig. Stuffing them with a variety of nuts, or even a variety of fruits will give you a treat that many will not expect. Of course, you could include plain dried figs, plain dried apricots, and plain nuts. But, if you have a few minutes, why not transform the noble nut into something spectacular? The beauty of something like this dish is that there is no cooking, no heating the kitchen, and no measuring. The only part of this dish that is easier than making the treats is enjoying the treats!
Chanted and narrated by Sophia Manou and Katerina Lehou
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCBHy2qY4zI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCBHy2qY4zI
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