There are a handful of moments on the culinary calendar that feel like striking gold: rhubarb in January, peas and broad beans in spring, summer cherries and tomatoes, and, for just a few short weeks in late-summer, figs. Typically, they might be torn over yoghurt and granola for breakfast or baked into a tart with frangipane, but they belong in the savoury kitchen, too. Combined with salt, savoury ingredients and a little vinegar, a good fig will bring a gorgeous sweet-sour note to your dinner table.
Polenta with sweet-and-sour figs and pecorino
As the warmer months come to an end, I like to cook with both comfort and freshness in mind. Rich, buttery, warming polenta is offset with a vibrant, bright, jammy topping of onions, rosemary and torn figs. Shave over some pecorino for a funky, savoury twang, and you’ve got a dish that’ll scratch that late-summer itch.
Prep 15 min
Cook 45 min
Serves 4
For the polenta
250ml whole milk
150g coarse cornmeal
30g butter
For the sweet-and-sour figs
Olive oil
2 red onions, peeled and thinly sliced
10g rosemary (2-3 sprigs), leaves stripped and finely chopped
Sea salt and black pepper
20g brown sugar
20ml aged balsamic vinegar
6-8 ripe figs
Pecorino romano, to serve
Put 600ml water and the milk in a pan, then whisk in the cornmeal. Set the pan over a medium heat and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Turn down the heat to low and let it tick over, stirring every now and then – if things start to get a bit too thick, add a splash of water to loosen. You don’t need to stand there whisking away the entire time; just check in on the polenta every five to 10 minutes, and give it a good stir.
Meanwhile, set a frying pan on a medium heat and add a shot of olive oil. Add the onions, half the rosemary and a pinch of salt, then toss in the warm oil and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until the onions are starting to caramelise. Add the sugar and vinegar, and continue cooking until the onions are jammy. Tear the figs in half, drop them into the pan, stir to coat, and finish with the remaining rosemary.
Once the polenta has had 45 minutes or so in the pan, whisk in the butter. This is the moment to adjust the texture; I like my polenta gently to relax into the bowl. If it’s too thick, add a little water or milk; if it’s too thin, keep cooking. Spoon the polenta into warm bowls and top with the jammy onions. Use a mandoline or cheese grater to shave some pecorino over the top and serve.
Roast chicken legs with beans and figs
A chicken leg is, for my money, the ultimate midweek ingredient. With very little effort, it really sings and can be cooked with little hands-on time. This traybake uses slightly under-ripe figs, orange, fennel seeds and capers to create a chicken and bean dish that’ll fly into your weekly rotation. When out of season, swap the figs for dried fruit such as apricots, dates or prunes.
Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr 15 min
Serves 4
4 skin-on, bone-in chicken legs
Fine sea salt
3 onions, peeled and cut into wedges
4 tbsp capers
5 garlic cloves, peeled, gently squashed with a knife, but left whole
Peeled zest of 1 orange
1 tbsp fennel seeds
Olive oil
700g jar cooked white beans, not drained
6-8 slightly underripe figs
2-3 tbsp sherry vinegar
15g fresh oregano
Extra-virgin olive oil
Heat the oven to 245C (225C fan)/480F/gas 9½, and season the chicken legs with salt. Put the onion wedges, capers, garlic, orange zest and fennel seeds in a roasting tin that’s just big enough to hold the chicken legs in a single layer, then drizzle generously with olive oil, season with salt and give everything a good mix. Sit the chicken legs on top, slide into the oven for 25 minutes, then turn down the heat to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4 and roast for another 25-30 minutes, or until the chicken is very tender.
Take the tin out of the oven and lift out the chicken legs, leaving all the cooking juices behind. Add the beans and their liquid to the tray, then cut the figs into 1cm slices and toss them in, too. Sit the chicken back on top and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes, until the juices have reduced and thickened.
Take out of the the oven, set aside the chicken and finish off the beans with the orange juice and a splash of sherry vinegar. Scatter fresh oregano over the top and mingle with the beans. Divide the beans and figs between four plates and top with a roast chicken leg. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and serve.
-
How I Cook: A Chef’s Guide to Really Good Home Cooking, by Ben Lippett, is published by HarperCollins at £26. To order a copy for £23.40, visit guardianbookshop.com
