Читать книгу Made in Italy: Food and Stories - Giorgio Locatelli - Страница 69

Figs are so sexy, aren’t they? When you open them up they have that beautiful lattice work between the flesh and they seem almost alive. With their sweetness and the sweet fattiness of the ham you have a combination that has entered our taste code and one that we will always love – it is the same with ham served with the best, sweetest melon. Even in a restaurant such as Locanda, when either fruit comes into season and we offer it with a plate of ham, that is all people want to eat. And don’t say it’s a simple dish: because first someone has to produce that brilliant ham.

This is barely even a recipe. Just peel the figs – or you can leave the skin on – and cut them into quarters, then arrange on plates with slices of Parma ham. Mediterranean figs, in season from the end of August until the end of September, are the best, as they are picked from the tree when they are ripe and then transported quickly. This means they are juicier than ones that come from further away, which tend to be harvested while they are still green.