Sicilian prickly pear jam “Fichi D’india”

Also this year our holiday in Sicily went by in a blink of an eye, every time I leave Sicily I leave a piece of my heart there, but every time I bring back home all the culinary goodies from this beautiful island ! A bit of Sicily in Varese. I have to thank Franca and Emanuele who offered us the Sicilian sun in a crate ! A whole bunch of “ fichi d’india “ such a delight !

Ingredients.

• 2 kg of figs ( cleaned)
• 700 g sugar
• A splash of Zibibbo (Sicilian dessert wine)
• 1 lemon ( zest and juice)
• 5 cm of ginger

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Start by peeling the prickly pear. One thing you need to keep in mind while preparing the fruit is that it is covered with tiny little needles. These tiny spines are so thin that you may not feel them when they penetrate your skin, they are almost invisible that’s why it’s so difficult to get them out. So beware and wear rubber gloves while peeling of the skin

Once you removed the skin, cut the fruits into small cubes,put them in a large pot and cook them, add a splash of zibibbo, stirring from time to time until they are softened.

When they are softened pass them trough a vegetable mill, to eliminate the seeds.

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Put everything back into the pot and add the sugar,once it has boiled add the lemon( zest and juice) and the ginger and let simmer for 40 minutes stirring occasionally.

When the jam has reached the right consistency, put the jam in the previously sterilized jars, close them and leave them upside down until they cool completely.

Your prickly pear jam is ready to be placed in your pantry

Done.

Buon appetito !