The other day, whilst holidaying on the Greek island of Naxos, I came across a huge tree full of ripe, plump, eggplant-colored fruits… they were not eggplants, of course, since those don’t grow on trees, but they were sweet, jammy figs!
Greek figs are some of the best in the world and they were and are an important part of the diet of ancient Greeks and modern Greeks alike (together with olives and wine – what a life!). Dried figs can be bought in most shops in Greece and can be enjoyed throughout the year, but there is nothing like a ripe, sticky and sweet fresh fig. You’d do best to eat it fresh off the tree if you can find any, or to take home a couple of fresh figs from the farmer’s market and eat them on some warm toast with some melty Gorgonzola cheese, slightly salty dried prosciutto crudo (di Parma, di San Daniele, or other), some fresh, slightly bitter arugula and a drizzle of honey for extra sweetness – trust me, this open-faced sandwich is one heck of an end-of-summer treat!
The best season for fresh figs is from late summer to early autumn (meaning: now!) and you will be able to find perfectly ripe figs at most farmer’s markets around this time.
Even better: if you are on holiday or residing in Greece around this time, you can find fig trees full of fruits randomly standing along streets and roadsides all over Greece like I did (and you don’t need to be on an island like I was). While I would advise against eating figs from any random tree in the center of Athens, or any other large cities – you know, because of exhaust fumes, pigeons and cat pee and all that – it’s usually perfectly fine to munch on some found along the quieter roadsides, in nature, or on the islands, given that they are not on someone’s property (we wouldn’t steal now, would we?) and you leave some for other people and animals (don’t be greedy, everyone likes a free fig!).
No matter the way you may acquire your fresh figs, this sandwich is definitely a must-try once you’ve got them as it is a special treat that can (almost) only be enjoyed during the short, but sweet fig season!
Tip #1: Should you not be able to find fresh, ripe figs, you can substitute the fresh figs (and drizzle of honey) in this recipe for a tablespoon of fig-jam.
Tip #2: Not into blue cheese? Replace the blue cheese with some soft goat’s cheese, or Brie.
Blue Cheese, Figs and Prosciutto Crudo Open Sandwich
Nutrition per portion
Ingredients
- 1 thick slice of crusty bread
- Drizzle of virgin olive oil
- 40g Gorgonzola, or other blue cheese such as Blue Stilton
- 1 fresh, rip fig
- 1 slice of Prosciutto di Parma, or Prosciutto di San Daniele
- Small handful of arugula/rocket
- Drizzle of honey
Method
- Prepare the toppings: Slice, or crumble the Gorgonzola into slices, or small pieces. Thinly slice the fig. Wash the arugula and let it dry.
- Toast the bread: Place a frying pan over high heat. Drizzle a little olive oil on both sides of the sliced bread. Toast the bread on both sides until golden brown and nice and toasty.
- Assemble the sandwich: When the toasted bread is still hot, quickly place the sliced blue cheese on top so it gets a little bit melty (you can do this while the bread is still in the pan getting toasted on its final side). Top the warm bread and cheese with the slices of fresh fig, the prosciutto and a small handful of arugula on top. Drizzle the sandwich with a little bit of honey. Eat while still warm.
