Uniquely Maladjusted: Bringing France to Seattle

Over the weekend I went grocery shopping at the multitude of different stores it takes to magically keep my house stocked on all of its essentials (you know, like chocolate PB, apples, tofu, kale…). Anyhoo, upon walking into Trader Joe’s I was sidetracked by the display of black mission figs kitty-corner to the mammoth watermelons. Now, figs taste good on just about bloody everything. Pizza. Pasta. Bread. Greens. Beans. Squash. I digress. My initial plans for a chunky heirloom tomato sauce over pasta crumbled under my lack of self-control in front of the figs.

So, shock horror, I picked up a pound of those puppies along with a few leeks. A match made in France by French chefs. Hey! If you can’t go to Paris, bring Paris to ya. This morning I made a ridiculously tasty sauce out of the figs and leeks that my family and I had for dinner over some butternut squash ravioli. Perfect complement to the drizzly July day Seattle is having!

I typed up the recipe for all those who are interested… It would serve well over any pasta. We paired it up with a side of green beans and French beluga lentils. Drool.

Provençal Fig Sauce

I know the list of ingredients looks extremely intimidating!!!! But, for me, I had everything already sitting in my pantry’s arsenal except for the figs and leeks. The idea is to create a montage of sweet, sultry, French flavors. Thus, this little sauce requires spices and slow cooking (patience is optional). Feel free to neglect any of the “extra” spices or tweak them as necessary to meet your pantry’s capabilities. J

Ingredients:

1lb dark figs

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2-3 tbsp olive oil (separated)

Cinnamon + clove (optional—but super savory)

Salt + pepper

2 large leeks

2 cloves garlic

3 sprigs fresh tarragon

¼ cup chopped parsley

¼ cup white wine

2 tbsp tamari

Veggie broth

Directions:

Preheat your trusty oven to 350deg F and line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper. You can use a standard cookie sheet, but be prepared to scrub oozy fig off of it later!

Slice the figs into thick rings and mix the balsamic vinegar and 1 tbsp of olive oil together in a medium mixing bowl. Toss in about a 1/4tsp of the salt and pepper combo and as much cinnamon and clove as you are willing to try. (I like a hearty tsp of cinnamon and ½ tsp of clove, but the rest of family would be much happier with just a healthy shake of each). Toss the sliced figs in the bowl with the “dressing” and smooth out onto the lined jellyroll pan. Roast in the oven for about 20-25min until they are soft, but still hold their shape.

Now to the leeks! Chop those leeks up and get them caramelizing with the leftover olive oil in a pan. TO CARMALIZE: put a dry pan on the stove top over medium heat for a minute or two. (This warms up the pan so the oil won’t seep into the metal pores and cause all of the lovely leek goodness to stick). Lower the heat to medium low and pour 1-2tbsp of olive oil into the pan followed by the chopped leaks. Keep stirring the leaks around every few minutes to evenly caramelize. If the leeks begin to stick or become tooooo dry, add some of the veggie broth and stir around.

While caramelizing, chop the garlic, parsley and tarragon. As soon as the looks begin to resemble the color and consistency of the roasted figs, add the 1/4cup white wine and tamari**. Stir leek mixture around until most of the wine evaporates then add the chopped garlic, parsley and tarragon. Add the roasted figs and little veggie broth (1/2cup or so). Try to break apart some of the large chunks of fig with a soon/spatula. Once the mixture is simmering, cover pan with a lid and allow to simmer for about 15min. Uncover and add veggie broth if the sauce now resembles a paste and mix to a sauce consistency. Ready to serve!

**A note about my tamari. While I do use tamari frequently, I tend to prefer the flavor of Coconut Aminos. It has a more subtle, richer flavor and overall, WAY LESS salty than your typical shoyu or tamari. Just more to my liking….