I don’t have much of a sweet-tooth, but I do really enjoy a few scoops of fruit jam or chutney with a cheese platter and I can really appreciate a hot piece of toast or slice of crusty bread with a liberal amount of butter (or cream cheese…or peanut butter…) and a few blobs of jam as well. This slightly decadent homemade fig and port wine jam with pistachios is perfect for those occasions, but it’s also an amazing addition to grilled cheese and ham sandwiches, bowls of thick Greek yoghurt, cheesecakes, and baked camembert – occasionally I eat it straight from the jar with a spoon, it’s that good.
I used to be more into cherry or berry jams, but these fruits are rather sparse here in Greece. Sparse and expensive. Figs, however, you can find growing in abundance all over the country, along roadsides, at the foot of mountains, and even in city centres (though I would refrain from picking those). If you are a fruit thief like me, that means that you can often find some these delicious fruits for free… but always make sure they are not actually on someone’s property since that would be actual stealing. Of course, near the end of summer you can definitely find them at the farmer’s markets and supermarkets as well, which is probably the best way to acquire your figs if you don’t have a tree of your own.
This year, I found some ‘free figs’, was gifted a couple of figs by friends and bought a container of figs at the market and once your refrigerator is full of these dark purple and green beauties, you know it’s time to make fig jam (or fig chutney, if you prefer). As for the addition of port and pistachios? Well, juicy ripe figs don’t really need help with tasting delicious, but I don’t think I really have to explain that the combination of fruits, nuts and fortified sweet red wine just works (of course, you can use regular sweet red wine as well). Adding a bit of booze and a handful of slightly crunchy nuts just brings a little complexity and luxury to an otherwise kind of basic condiment, which makes this the perfect jam to make your (or someone else’s) day just that little bit sweeter.
Fig and Port Wine Jam with Pistachios (Fig Preserves)
- V
- VG
- GF
- DF
Nutrition per portion
Ingredients
- 1kg ripe fresh figs
- 400g granulated sugar, or a bit more if your figs aren’t very sweet
- 175ml Ruby port, or more to taste
- 100ml lemon juice
- 1 vanilla pod, split in half lengthwise
- 60g peeled salted pistachios, weight without shells (If using unsalted, add a pinch of salt to the mixture)
- -
- Other equipment needed:
- Small plate in the freezer
- Sterilised jar(s)
Method
Please note that the preparation time does not include the 3 hours or more needed to macerate/marinate the figs in step 2 of this recipe.- Rinse figs under cold water and pat dry. Remove the stems and cut into quarters, or smaller pieces for a smoother jam.
- In a non-reactive bowl, or heavy bottomed pot, toss figs with the sugar, lemon juice, Port and vanilla pod and let it sit in the refrigerator for a minimum of 3 hours or, longer / overnight if your figs are particularly hard and unripe. This step minimises cooking time, enhances the flavour of the fruit and draws moisture out of the fruit so you don’t need to add water.
- Once the time has passed, add the peeled pistachios and bring mixture to a boil in a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. If you want a very smooth jam, blend the figs with an immersion blender before adding the pistachios (remove vanilla pod before doing so).
- Once the mixture starts bubbling, skim off the foam and stir mixture occasionally to avoid it from burning. Simmer for 15 - 20 minutes until mixture starts to thicken slightly.
- Check if your jam will set by dripping some on the plate that has been in the freezer. If the jam sets to your liking it’s ready to transfer to a jar. If the jam doesn’t quite set, boil for another 5 minutes and check again. Please do note that this jam will set more once cooled completely, but will never be extremely ‘stiff’.
- Once the jam has cooked enough, ladle hot jam into (a) sterilised jar(s) leaving only a little space (about 1.5cm) at the top. Close the jar(s) tightly and turn upside down on a towel. Allow to cool completely. Keep refrigerated.
