ANYONE FOR AUBERGINES?

I'm probably not as adventurous with aubergines as I could be, but that might change after my programme on Sunday, September 7, because Jane Hagan – our foodie and south-west correspondent – will be sharing some of her recipes for her favourite vegetable with us.

Join us from 10am and you could be serving up something different for Sunday lunch!
And if you missed hearing her delicious fig recipes (or couldn't write them down quickly enough!), here they are:

The Most Excellent Fig Salad
Ingredients:
Black figs, halved
Extra virgin olive oil
Garlic, roughly chopped
Zest of an orange, or grated peel
Oregano, fresh or dried
Pine nuts (piñones)
Flake chillies
Balsamic vinegar
Rocket leaves (arugula)
Parmesan cheese, shaved
Black pepper, freshly milled.

Dress rocket leaves in a shallow bowl with a little extra virgin olive oil and a splash of Balsamic.
In a large open pan or wok, sautée the garlic in good hot oil until it colours a little and then add the figs, oregano, chilli flakes, pine nuts and orange zest. Allow the figs to cook a little and soften, moving them a bit but not too much or they can lose their shape.*

At this point, make sure the pan is good and hot and add a little more olive oil and a generous amount of Balsamic vingegar (keep face away from the pan, as the vinegar fumes are most invasive!)

Once the vinegar has lost that sharp smell, turn fig mixture onto the bed of rocket and serve with a topping of shaved Parmesan. Enjoy with crusty bread as a delicious starter or accompanying BBQ'd lamb.

* Note: All this can be done in advance and left at this point to be finished off quickly for a dinner party.

Figs in Syrup
Ingredients:
¾ kilo of fresh whole white figs
1 kilo white sugar
pinch of cinnamon

Place all the ingredients in a large stainless steel pot. Add a couple of tablespoons of water and bring ingredients to the boil. Keep in boiling (to form a syrup) for 25 mins, being careful not to let the sugar burn.

Leave to cool overnight in the pot. Next day, bring to boil again for a further 25 mins.

Bottle in sterilised jars and eat within 3 months. Delicious with the wonder Bellver Hazelnut or Almond ice cream!

Note: To sterilise jars, I wash them in hot soapy water (do not dry with tea towels) and put into a cold oven. Heat it up to 100 degrees and when the jars are cool enough to handle, fill and seal as soon as possible.

Fig Relish (works best with black figs, but white ones can be used as well)

Ingredients:
Fresh figs, quartered
Red onion, chopped
Garlic, roughly chopped
Chilli powder – to taste
Soy sauce – a dash
Balsamic vinegar
Port – in equal measure with Balsamic vinegar
Black pepper, freshly milled

Place all ingredients into stainless steel saucepan or pot and bring to boil. Let mixture
bubble fairly vigorously to reduce the liquid to a thick consistency (this can take up to about half an hour). When it reaches that point as it can burn very quickly and spoil the flavour, so this isn't something to leave on the stove and ignore!

You can enjoy this immediately but I find the flavour improves if left a couple of days in a glass jar in the fridge. Eat within a month or freeze. The relish is delicious eaten with cold cuts and cheeses.

Figs baked with soft goat's cheese

Ingredients:
Black figs halved (white figs would probably work as well)Soft goat's cheese (found in supermarkets in small pyramid-shaped plastic containers)
Extra virgin oil

In a caserola or ovenproof ceramic bowl with lid, place the figs in first and plonk the goat's cheese on top. It doesn't have to be neat – this is easy food! Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil over the top and put lid on. Place in a good hot oven (190 degrees) for about 20 minutes.

Serve with good bread and jamon serrano.

Recipes courtesy of Jane Hagan of Santanyí

Jan Edwards