Dried but Not Done: The Magic of Fig Mostarda

Written By Steven Biggs - Fig Expert

Ever hankered for figs, but didn’t have any fresh figs at hand. Or at your local shops.

In this episode, we’re talking about a tasty and simple way to turn dry figs into a tasty condiment. Never a bad thing.

Our fig facilitator is chef and recipe developer Signe Langford from Port Hope, Ontario.

If you want a charcuterie game changer, tune in for this simple, sweet, spicy recipe.

For recipe sneak peaks from the books Signe and I are writing about olives, lemons, and figs, click here.

Fig Leaf Mostarda Recipe

Mild Maple Fig Mostarda

Mostarda is a sharp and sweet preserve originating in Italy. It’s perfection with cheeses, charcuterie, or cooked meats. It can be made with a variety of fruits, but this version calls for dried figs.

Some mostarda are very spicy; this one is mild, because we use a typical North American Dijon-style grainy mustard.

Any sort of dried fig will do; or any combination of figs.

Ingredients

  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil

  • 1 large shallot or small red onion, finely chopped

  • 9 oz (1 ½ - 2 cups) dried figs; destemmed, coarsely chopped

  • 2/3 cup Madeira; Marsala or medium-sweet sherry will do in a pinch

  • ½ cup apple cider or white wine vinegar

  • ¼ cup maple syrup, dark is best for flavour; honey works too

  • 2/3 cup water

  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

  • Pinch of pepper

  • 1/3 cup grainy, Dijon-style mustard

Directions

  • Into a saucepan over medium-low heat, add oil and shallot or onion; stir and cook for about 4 minutes or until translucent.

  • Add figs and Madeira; simmer, stirring often until most of the liquid has evaporated and figs have softened.

  • Transfer figs to a blender, add vinegar, maple, water, salt and pepper; blend until almost smooth.

  • Return to saucepan, add mustard, stir to incorporate. Transfer to sterile jars; allow to cool covered. Store in fridge for several months.

For an extra piquant fig mostarda, follow the recipe above, but add 1 teaspoon dry English mustard powder or wasabi powder to the simmering figs and Madeira.

For an extra crunchy mostarda stir in 2 teaspoons of lightly toasted yellow mustard seeds at the very end.

Steven Biggs - Fig Expert

Recognized by Garden Making magazine as one of the "green gang" of Canadians making a difference in horticulture, Steven Biggs is a University of Guelph-trained horticulturist, former college instructor, and award-winning broadcaster and author.

He has been teaching gardeners how to grow figs in cold climates since 2011. But his interest in figs took off much earlier, in 1993, while working at a nursery with the UK National Collection of figs.

He’s the author of the first book about growing figs in cold climates, the award-winning Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t. His articles about growing figs have appeared in Fine Gardening, Garden Making, and Edible Toronto.

When not in the garden, you might catch him interviewing fig experts for his Fig Culture podcast.

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