Galloping Figs

Copyright 2011 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

This post took four years in the making. I learned of this recipe in 2007 during the first season of Lidia's Italy and I have been hooked ever since but I always either miss the season when figs are available or I just forget about this recipe altogether. The first time I saw this episode of Lidia's Italy, I missed the first few minutes so by the time I had the television on, the galloping part of the recipe was already happening. To my dismay, finding the recipe was an even harder task but I'm glad that it is available in the accompanying cookbook of the show. 

Today proved to be fortuitous as I managed to find ripe figs in the grocery store and I got really excited. I have no reason to splurge on them but I guess now is the time to finally give this recipe a go. I don't want this to be another recipe that got away from me. I usually tweak the recipes I use but I'll try to stick to the recipe as faithfully as possible. This won't be too hard as the steps in making this fig sauce are very basic and simple. I'm definitely looking forward to hearing the galloping sounds which is why the dish is named as such. 

As a side note, the  reheating step after the figs have cooled down for an hour is a very tricky step. The recipe calls for another 30 minutes of simmering but by the time the figs have cooled down, the syrup is already quite thick and will be prone to burning. I therefore kept the heat to a low and kept a close watch on how the figs were going along. You can decide on how thick you want it but I wanted my figs quite on the thick side as you can see from the picture below. 

*Galloping Figs - Adapted

2 lbs ripe figs

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup water

3 tbsp lemon juice

2 bay leaves

strips of lemon zest

Copyright 2011 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

1. In a deep saucepan,  
    melt the sugar in the  
    water and lemon  
    juice over low flame. 
    When the syrup starts  
    to bubble, arrange  
    the figs (slice off the 
    tips) in the pan and  
    make sure that they  
    are quite snug. 

2. When the figs start 
    to release their  
    juices, add the bay leaves and the lemon zest and start to increase  
    the heat to medium until the pan is bubbling steadily. Cover and
    let it bubble for another 30 minutes or until the figs have softened. 

3. Turn off the heat and let the figs cool for about an hour.  The figs will 
    shrink in size so don't be alarmed.

4. Reheat the figs and let it steadily bubble at low heat. Simmer until  
    the syrup gets thick. Cool to room temperature and serve over a   
    bowl of ricotta cheese or vanilla ice cream. 

Copyright 2011 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

So after about 4 years and two hours later, I finally get to taste the galloping figs over softened vanilla ice cream. My other dilemma now is when to try it paired with ricotta cheese. I guess I'll know by tomorrow. All I can say right now is that it is definitely worth the wait. As for the verdict, well, it tastes like jam but not as sweet and the tartness of the fig balances well with the sweetness of the ice cream. Definitely a keeper!

   
* Bastianich, L.M., Manuali, T.B., Lidia's Italy: 140 Simple and Delicious Recipes from the Ten Places in Italy Lidia Loves Most. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. New York: 2007