Sticky Roasted Figs on Goats Cheese Bruschetta

Look, figs!

This is my way of apologising to you (person who has stuck around in my absence) and to The Littlest Anchovy: my little home on the web, my inspiration and my neglected offspring (of sorts).

Amongst other things, I recently started studying at night. The last time I was a student (apart from a semester of basic  Spanish six years ago) we were all freaking out about technology turning on us and Cher taught us to believe in life after love with her innovative voice manipulating skills. The Blair Witch Project was (and remains) the scariest movie I have ever seen and I was drinking Midori with lemonade - I also thought Gin tasted like poison.

If I haven’t painted a vivid enough picture, let’s just say that it was a long time ago.

I have had some teething problems trying to fit everything together in my life. I was somewhat prepared for it but I was not ready for the fear of losing something dear to me by not visiting here as often as I would like.

To that end, I have brought you some figs that I manipulated like Cher’s voice in that 1999 anthem that I loved back in the day.

Like Cher’s voice in the song, the flavours twist and turn but there is no mistaking that they are a celebration of the original.

I am dead-set certain that these figs would not have come to be if it were not for The Littlest Anchovy.

If I had never started this blog, I would not have developed the intuition to know that resting sliced figs on a bed of rosemary and thyme before cooking them would ensure that the flavour of the herbs would softly infuse the figs.

I would never have had the inclination to generously drizzle them with honey and balsamic vinegar and gently roast them until they were caramelised yet still held their shape. I would never have thought of figs as something that could be savoury and can be at home on a cheese board or rested upon goat’s cheese and toasted baguette.

And I absolutely would never have volunteered to make something for a friend’s cocktail party – which is where these figs were devoured.

The Littlest Anchovy has developed my intuition in the kitchen and in other areas of my life; it has given me confidence and an arsenal of go-to recipes. In a roundabout way, it has inspired me to better myself by going back to study something that I have wanted to do in a long time.

So I am prepared to juggle – I might drop the ball now and then but I promise that I will never be far away - and I will never mention Midori and Lemonade again.

But there will be Gin.

Sticky Roasted Figs on Goats Cheese Bruschetta

These figs are also perfect paired with a blue or goats cheese as part of a cheese board.

Makes 32 pieces of bruschetta

8 large, ripe figs quartered lengthwise.

1 bunch rosemary

1 bunch thyme

Balsamic vinegar

Honey of your choice

1 log of goats cheese

1.5 baguettes cut into rounds about 1cm thick.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Truffle salt or sea salt - optional

Preheat oven to 150C

Layer the rosemary and thyme over the base of a large baking tray. Place the figs, cut side up onto the herbs in once layer.

Drizzle the honey and balsamic vinegar over the figs – do not drench the figs.

Bake for around an hour before transferring the figs to a plate and bringing them to room temperature. Make sure you spoon some of the syrup that has collected under the herbs over the figs!

Toast the bread lightly on both sides and spread about a teaspoon of goat’s cheese on each piece. Top each bruschetta with a fig and top the figs with a few droplets of extra virgin olive oil and a small pinch of salt.

Pasta with Bread Crumbs and Anchovies

So check it out everyone - I made pasta from scratch. 

As I mentioned here I received a pasta maker for Christmas from my lovely sister-in-law.  

Here is what went through my head on Christmas day when I opened my gift:

1.  Ooh a pasta maker!
2. Carbs.
3. This is going to be hard.
4. I am not supposed to be eating pasta after the 1^st of January…
5. I can make ravioli!
6. I think this might be a little out of my skill range…
7. I like pasta.
8. Squid ink linguine!
9. Carbs.
10. Ooh it's so shiny!
11. Maybe I can have pasta only on the weekends and on public holidays and my birthday and birthdays of friends and family…
12. It would be simply rude not to use it!

It turns out that I was wrong about three and six – it’s easy as pie. All you need is flour and eggs. Bonus: it’s actually quite fun.  If you needed to find a rainy day activity with kids, I think that pasta making would be a great idea.

I don’t think you need a pasta maker to enjoy home made pasta, but you would need a rolling pin, patience and a lot of elbow grease. Italian Nonnas for centuries can probably attest to this.

I made my pasta the Jamie Oliver way. He gives incredibly comprehensive instructions, which I followed to the letter. Read all about it here.

The dish that resulted from my efforts comes from the winner of a giveaway that I held a couple of weeks ago, where I asked my readers to suggest a dish incorporating a jar of truffled anchovies kindly given to me by Tania from My Kitchen Stories via Lario International as the prize. Bel from ”Ooh Look!” suggested a simple dish of pasta with anchovies and bread crumbs. I sincerely wanted to make every suggestion from the giveaway, but I felt that Bel’s dish would be the perfect way to highlight the anchovies and give the new pasta maker a whirl - win-win.

Cripes, this is good - so unabashedly simple and packed with amazing flavours. I made the breadcrumbs from scratch with day old sourdough and herbs from the garden – I felt this dish deserved home made bread crumbs, just as I felt that the truffled anchovies deserved fresh pasta.  I think that you owe it to yourself to use the best of what you can find (or afford) when making a dish like this. 

I am looking forward to trying out different types and flavours of pasta such as gluten free, buckwheat, squid ink or spinach. And it’s all good, as long as I only make it on the weekends and on public holidays and my birthday and birthdays of friends and family…

That’s not cheating…right?

Pasta with Bread Crumbs and Anchovies
adapted from The New York Times
For The Pasta
200g 00 Grade Flour
2 large free range eggs
A good rule of thumb: 100g of flour to 1 egg per person. 

As previously mentioned, I used Jamie Oliver's method in creating the raw, home made pasta. Here is the link. 
I cut my pasta sheets into fettuccine because that is what I love the most. 

For The Bread Crumbs(approximate measurements)
About half a loaf of day-old sour dough bread - which will make about 1.5 cups of crumbs.
1/4 cup olive oil 
sprig of rosemary
sprig of thyme

Blend the bread(crust and all)along with all the other ingredients in a food processor until you have a fine, yet rustic crumb.
Heat a fry-pan over a medium heat and add the crumbs. Continuously stir until crispy and golden. Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel until needed. 

And The Rest
3 tablespoons olive oil
Approximately 8 Anchovies (truffled or otherwise), chopped
A bunch of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper to taste

Boil a large pot of salted water and add the pasta. For home made, it will take about 4 minutes until al dente. For dried paste, cook according to the packet instructions. 
While this is happening:
Heat the oil in a fry-pan and cook the garlic over a medium heat for a couple of minutes. Turn the heat down to low and add the anchovies and mash with the back of a spoon. Turn the heat off and rest until your pasta has cooked. 
Scoop out about 1/4 of a cup of pasta water and add it to the pan with the garlic and anchovies. Turn the heat on low to reheat.
Drain your pasta and toss it through the anchovy/garlic oil. Toss through the chopped parsley and 1 cup of the breadcrumbs.
Serve topped with rest of breadcrumbs divided between the bowls and a little extra chopped parsley.