Monday, January 14, 2008

Comfort Food Monday

We have a guest blogger today!

Tijen from Zen in the Kitchen submitted this for Comfort Food Monday. It looks so yummy! I'm thinking with pre-dinner drinks, or possibly at the end of a meal....



I have colorful memories from the Bodrum Farmers' Market. I lived in Bodrum (a coastal town on the Aegean region of Turkey) for about two years and visiting the weekly market (was on Friday) was one of the most thrilling things to do. I always love the variety of the goods and the amazing people (mostly women) who bring them to the market. Usually it is something from the garden or something they made just that morning, or a day earlier.

These figs are among the many things I used to buy from the market. From Elif Ana, an elderly woman, very funny, very chatty, who was one of the most successful sellers in the marketplace. I could never forget the flat breads she used to bake. Bread with olives and nettle! So tasty! Each week, she would beg me to buy figs as well, baked with sesame seeds and almonds. She was so smart to offer one to taste, she knew I would not resist after that tasting that sweetness.

It is easy to make these figs. All you need is good dried figs, some sesame seeds and almonds. You open figs from the bottom, but don't separate. Dip them in sesame, both sides. You put an almond on one side and close the other side, as if they've never been opened. Then put them on baking paper and bake at about 170C (350F) for 10 minutes. Let them cool. You can keep them for a while in a glass jar. It would make a good gift as well! (Recently, I saw similar figs at Arthur Avenue Market in the Italian neighborhood, Bronx, NY. Have you seen these figs in other countries too?)


Thank you so much Tijen!

If you have a recipe you'd like to submit for Comfort Food Mondays, please email me!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks Barb!
I'm going to Bodrum, where I had this wonderful treat, in a week. I hope I'll find my lovely woman, who used to sell these on the friday market. I hope all your readers will enjoy this!