My mom had a generous neighbor with 2 figs trees in his backyard.  He wasn’t a great fan of the fruit so, come fall, we were often overloaded with bounty from the trees.  Mom was particularly taken with pickling the figs, especially when they were on the firm side.  I, on the other hand, loved nothing better than to stuff my face with the luscious fruit.

This fall seemed to bring a good amount of both green and black figs to market.  Unfortunately, they have not been reasonable enough to preserve in great quantities so I generally have served them “au naturelle” with some wonderful cheese and fruity bread for dessert.  However, my local Italian market guys will often offer me a “special” on Saturday night since they are closed on Sunday so I can do a little more than just eat the nectarous fruit.  The following recipe keeps well – you could also preserve it – and is terrific as a garnish for roasted meat or poultry as well as a great accompaniment to all kinds of curries.

Fresh Fig Relish

Makes about 1 pound

3 pounds fresh ripe figs, washed, stemmed, and cut, crosswise, into thin slices

2 cups sugar

½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest

½ teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

6 whole cloves

2 whole allspice berries

1 cinnamon stick, chopped into pieces

½ cup sherry wine vinegar

1 cup toasted slivered almonds

¼ cup dried currants

Combine the figs with the sugar in a large mixing bowl, tossing to coat.  Stir in the orange juice along with the orange and lemon zests.  Cover and set aside to marinade for 3 hours.

Tie the cloves, allspice, and cinnamon pieces in a cheesecloth bag.

Transfer the marinated figs along with all of the juices to a heavy saucepan.  Add the spice bag and place over medium heat.  Bring to a boil; then, lower the heat and add the vinegar.  Simmer for about 30 minutes or until quite thick.

Remove from the heat and stir in the almonds and currants.

Store, covered and refrigerated, for up to 1 month.