The recipe for this dessert that lingers between sweet and savory, is from Musa Dagdeviren’s book. Instead of dried figs I once used fresh over-ripe figs and the result was a lighter, exquisite cream. I like to sprinkled the bowls with walnuts toasted with brown sugar, salt, and rosemary.

Makes 6-8 servings

1 quart (liter) full-fat goat’s milk

9 ounces (250 grams) dried figs, or 12 ounces (350 grams) fresh figs, hard tops and ends trimmed

About 2 ounces rosemary-scented toasted walnuts (or pecans) with sugar and salt (see Note) coarsely chopped

Bring the milk to a boil then let cool to 122 F (50 C).

In a large bowl combine 2 cups of the milk with the figs and with a stick blender mash the figs until they absorb all the milk, then slowly add the rest of the milk and stir for a few minutes.

Serve into 6 or 8 bowls and let rest at room temperature for about 1 hour, then transfer to the refrigerator for 24 hours before serving.

Sprinkle generously with the walnuts or pecans, if you like.

NOTE:

In a bowl toss the walnut or pecan halves with 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoons brown sugar, and 2 teaspoons rosemary leaves. Transfer to a baking tray and roast in a 375 F (200 C) oven for a few minutes, until fragrant and toasted. Be careful because they burn easily.  Let cool and keep in an airtight jar.

The post Fig-thickened Fresh, Creamy Goat’s Cheese appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.

Photo by MANOUSOS DASKALOGIANNIS 

I got the recipe from the North of Greece and I particularly love to bake it in the winter, but also all year round, as I am fed up with the common baked gigantes in tomato sauce that all taverns serve.

From my first book The Foods of Greece

Serves 6 

1-pound gigantes, extra-large beans

2 tablespoons dry oregano, preferably Greek

2/3 – 1 cup good olive oil

2 onions, coarsely chopped

½ – 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper, or red pepper flakes, to taste

6-8 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped (as many as you like)

1 1/2 cups chopped dill

1 cup dry white wine

Salt

Soak the beans in water overnight. Drain, place in a pot and cover with plenty of cold water. Bring to a boil, skim, reduce the heat, sprinkle with one tablespoon of oregano, and simmer for 40 min or more, until the beans start to be tender.

Drain, and keep the liquid.

Preheat the oven to 300 F (150 C).

Heat the olive oil in a skillet and sauté the onions for about 8 min. until translucent. Add the Aleppo, or pepper flakes and the garlic, the rest of the oregano and the wine, and cook, stirring for 1 minute then remove from the heat. Add 1 ½ teaspoons salt and pour the sauce into an ovenproof glass or clay casserole. Add the beans and toss with half the dill, and about 1 ½ cups of the bean cooking water.

Cover with the lid or with double aluminum foil and bake for about 1 hour, until the beans are very soft, and most of their liquid has evaporated. Check once during cooking, and if need be, add more cooking liquid.

Uncover the beans, drizzle with olive oil and bake another 10-15 minutes to caramelize the top, then sprinkle with the rest of the dill and serve warm, or at room temperature.

The post Baked Giant Beans with Garlic and Dill (Gigantes Skordati) appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.