Seasoned to Taste: Figgy Pizza

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“I don’t give a fig” is a dismissive phrase, suggesting that something is completely unimportant to you. But if you don’t give a fig for figs, you’re missing not only a great taste treat, but also a nutritional powerhouse with significant health benefits.

OK, so they’re not the most beautiful fruits to be found. But these wrinkly babies are packed with so much dietary fiber, minerals and nutrients it’s no wonder fig fans refer to them as the “the fitness fruit.” Low-carbohydrate, anti-oxidant and fatty acid-rich, figs also offer more potassium, calcium and iron than any other fruit and many vegetables.

Long before chemical analysis was available, the Sumerians were using figs for medicinal purposes. Figs are the most mentioned produce in the Bible, and fig leaves were what Adam and Eve reached for to cover their personal fruits as they left the Garden of Eden. Figs were eaten by ancient Olympians in training, courtesy of the goddess Demeter, who revealed “the fruit of autumn” to mortals. Flash-forward a millennium or more and Spanish priests are bringing the variety eventually known as “mission” figs with them to their San Diego outpost in the 1750s, and Smyrna figs were imported from Turkey in 1892, the same year a commercial cookie with figs first appeared on the market. And figgy pudding had become a staple of English Christmas celebrations.

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So we’ve got good nutrition, and we’ve got history, but the most compelling reasons we should give a fig about figs are their remarkable taste and texture. Sweet flesh and crunchy seeds make for a versatile addition to dishes both savory and sweet. Fig puree made from 8 ounces of dried figs and ¼ to 1/3 cup water or fruit juice pureed in a blender can be used as a sweetener or fat substitute in many baked goods.

But dried figs are also a useful pantry staple, just sitting there waiting for the night you’re trying to get dinner on the table and have no time for a trip to the store. Tossed into salads or pasta or spread on toasted bread or pizza dough, figs add richness with no fat, and a hint of sweetness without refined sugar.

At the Oak Café in Brooklyn, we were so impressed with crispy bruschetta topped with ricotta and fig preserves that a recipe for fig pizza seemed the next logical step. This quick-to-fix pizza uses commercial pizza shells (available at your grocer’s or in the Lincoln area from Le Quartier bakery), but your own pizza dough would be an even better base. The bite of spicy arugula offers a counterpoint to the figs and caramelized onions, and the bright greens, dark figs and creamy white of ricotta create a visual treat as well. As in all homemade pizzas, you can change the ingredient proportions to your own tastes. Finishing the fast-baked pizza with a drizzle of good balsamic vinegar will convince even the skeptics that figs can be scrumptiously satisfying. And who knows, maybe come holiday time they’ll be singing, “Oh, bring us some figgy pizza and bring it right here.” A far cry from the days of “I don’t give a fig!”

Deena’s Caramelized Onion and Fig Pizza

Pizza dough for 1 pizza

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 yellow onions, chopped

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 cup arugula leaves, packed

6 dried figs, sliced

4 ounces low-fat ricotta, crumbled (or substitute goat cheese)

Preheat oven to 450. Heat oil and sauté onions with salt until brown. Add sugar and balsamic vinegar. Cook for 10 minutes until caramelized. Spread onion mixture over dough, leaving an edge for the crust. Top with arugula, figs and crumbled cheese. Place in oven for 15 minutes or until crust is golden. Remove from oven, drizzle balsamic vinegar on top. Slice into sixths and serve.

Source: Deena Kastor, Runner’s World

Lynne Ireland lives to eat and welcomes comments and questions from others who do (or don’t.) Contact her at savor@journalstar.com.