Traditionally, figs get stuffed with walnuts and are laid out to be served among the array of sweet and savory bites during the Christmas season, which stretches out until Epiphany for the Greeks. In other words….that’s when we take down the Christmas tree. These figs are extraordinary, easy to make and they look fabulous on a platter.
What’s sets these apart from other “stuffed figs” is the outer layer, made from water, sugar, ground star anise, cocoa powder, semolina flour, tea biscuits and ground walnuts. This mixture is thick, a little sticky but it’s the “somethin-somethin” that makes these sublime. Aristotle wrote, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” and this was true when making these.
Walnuts are good for you, a healthy snack and sure…taste good. Figs are even tastier, fresh or dried and yes…perhaps even an aphrodisiac. The semolina, tea biscuit, ground star anise and walnut mixture tasted okay and while I was chilling it to firm-up, I was concerned this recipe would be mediocre. That all changed when I assembled the stuffed figs, froze them and carefully sliced them in half to reveal the pretty cross-section of the walnut, fig and biscuit/walnut mixture.
Although the figs are the star of this recipe, walnuts are found in three stages: once stuffed inside the fig, a second time ground in the paste with the semolina and tea biscuits and one more time as the balls of stuffed figs are rolled in (you guessed it) ground walnuts before being complete. Other than placing these in the freezer to set overnight, this is an easy recipe and once you’re going to make over and over. I know I will!
Sublime, Sexy Walnut-Stuffed Figs (Σύκα Γεμιστά με Καρύδια)
approx. 20 dried Greek figs
20 walnut halves
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground star anise (using Ouzo or anise flavoured alcohol will soften the mixture, making it harder to handle)
1/3 cup fine semolina flour
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1/3 cup ground Petit Beurre tea biscuits
1 1/4 cup ground walnuts
approx. 3/4- 1 cup of ground walnuts for coating
- Place a medium-sized pot on your stovetop with the water and sugar and bring to a boil then add the ground star anise and semolina, cocoa powder and take off the heat and stir for for a minute then add the ground tea biscuits and walnuts and stir-in. Allow the mixture to cool and place in the fridge for two hours.
- In the meantime, snip the stems off your figs (discard) and gently open the top of each fig with your finger and then squeeze a walnut half in each fig.
- When the ground walnut/biscuit mixture has cooled (hardened), grease one hand with vegetable oil and place a heaping tablespoon of the mixture (yes it is a little sticky) in one hand and flatten it then place a fig in your palm and enclose it with the mixture in the form of a ball. Now roll each ball in the reserved ground walnuts and place on a large plate/platter.
- Cover and place in the freezer overnight or until ready to serve. To serve, remove from the freezer and carefully slice each stuffed fig in half and place in decorative paper cups and serve.
- You may cover and refreeze any leftover stuffed figs but I doubt they will last long.
15 Responses
Those look gorgeous and really divine!
Cheers,
Rosa
I have never seen this concoction here and I am going to make it; I just bought a kilo of walnuts, sublime, from a farmer in the West Bekaa valley. Fig and walnut preserve is traditional here, but I love this candy!
Peter πέρασα να σου ευχηθώ Καλά Χριστούγεννα, καλές γιορτές!
Με υγεία και αγάπη!
Φιλιά!
What a beautiful (and sexy)-looking appetizer! I adore figs. Is there something special about “Greek” figs… like I need to look especially for those?
Lori, Greek figs are without any preservatives (read the labels of other dried figs) and hey, supporting my peeps.
I have been looking for star anise, ground or otherwise, for a couple of weeks now. Nada. Google tells me to try Asian stores but am unlikely to make it to Chinatown any time soon. Any idea what grocery chain may carry it?
Olena, ask for star anise at Loblaws or any other major supermarket…ethnic spices..they’ll have it.
Truly stunning Peter! And what a combination!…divine!
Looked at this last night and thought these figs were genius. Made a simpler version today – nuts, a tbsp of honey, a tbsp of ouzo and freshly-ground nutmeg microwaved and stuffed into small Greek figs, which are then frozen and halved. Excellent result and the entire thing took me 10 minutes to make. Thanks for the fab idea! It will make the cheese plate shine!
holy smokes wow! these do look and i bet taste sublime and tres sessy. i love how you made a crumble crust for them. they make homemade truffles look like child’s play.
Here is something you can make for a snack anytime you want, and takes only ONE second:
Take a dried fig, open it up and stuff a walnut inside! LOL! The flavors together are sublime, and it is so sweet that there is no need for any embellishments. Also, they really help your blood sugar and hunger (just two or three will do the trick) if you are fasting for the Nativity Fast of the Greek Orthodox church…Also, it is extremely healthy and won’t mess up your diets and figures ladies! :-)
Angeliki, although watching what we eat is very important, let’s not forget it is Christmas time and a little indulgence is good…I encourage it!
Of course you are correct, Peter, and your recipe sounds delicious as a festive dish for guests!
Dear Peter recently made your recipe but when do you add the cocoa powder? I threw it in with the semolina, is this the right time? They were great.
Hi Ruth, good eye and good insitinct…yes, the cocoa is added with the semolina. Enjoy them over the Christmas holidays!