LIVINGLIVING
Recipe total is 52.3g carbs total. If 6
servings it's 8.7g carbs per person. This
is based on figs being medium sized,
50g each.
Carbohydrate information supplied by Cook
and Count Carbs from Health Apps.
Fig, mozzarella and basil salad, serves 6
Carb content
Ingredients
the juice of one lemon
several tbsp extra virgin olive oil
handful mint leaves
handful basil leaves
some wild rocket
9 figs halved
3x 125g balls mozzarella, torn
some balsamic vinegar or glaze to serve
Method
Mix the lemon juice and olive oil to make
a dressing, season with salt and pepper.
Put the herbs, rocket and halved figs in a
bowl then toss with the dressing. Arrange
the cheese on a large serving plate.
Scatter the fig salad on top. Drizzle lightly
with balsamic glaze and serve.
How to pick a fig
Fresh figs should be purchased only a day
or two before you want to eat them. Look
for figs that have a rich, deep color and
are plump and tender (but not mushy),
with firm stems and free of bruises. They
should have a mildly sweet fragrance. If
they smell sour they may be spoiled. They
ripen from green to red to yellow to brown,
the change is due to the breakdown and
disappearance of chlorophyll, which had
made them green to begin with. Ripe figs
should be kept in the refrigerator where
they will stay fresh for about two days.
Slightly under-ripe figs can be kept on
a plate at room temperature away from
direct sunlight until they ripen.
Dried figs will stay fresh for several
months and can either be kept in a cool,
dark place or stored in the fridge. They
should be wrapped up or in their own
container as exposure to air may cause
them to become hard or dry. Dried figs can
simply be eaten by themselves without
any ado, used in recipes, or simmered for
several minutes in water to make them
plumper and juicier.
Figs vary in color, taste and texture
depending upon the variety, of which
there are more than 150. Some of the
most popular varieties are Black Mission
which have blackish-purple skin and pink
colored flesh; Kadota which has green
skin and purplish flesh; Calimyrna with
greenish-yellow skin and amber flesh;
Brown Turkey with purple skin and red
flesh, and Adriatic, the variety most often
used to make fig bars, which has a light
green skin and pink-tan flesh.
*Serraclara A, Hawkins F, Perez C, et al.
Hypoglycemic action of an oral fig-leaf decoction
in type-I diabetic patients. Diabetes Res Clin Pract
1998 Jan;39(1):19-22. 1998. PMID:13430.