Roasted figs (or tomato) with Parma ham and goat's cheese

This recipe suggestion is one of Mary Berry's (CBE) who has some great recipes in her many cookery books, and of course she is one of the stars in the hit TV series 'The Great British Bake Off.'

This dish does make a lovely starter for six people, but if you don't want to use figs it also works well with medium sized tomatoes - see below.

If you want to get ahead:

Refrigerate the goat's cheese for an hour before assembling.

You can prepare the figs up to the end of step 6 up to 12 hours ahead.

You will need:
2 x 100g rolls firm goat’s cheese, such as Capricorn
6 fresh figs *
12 slices Parma ham

To serve:
rocket or salad leaves
balsamic vinegar
olive oil

Method:
1. Pop the goat's cheese in the freezer for about an hour or so until it's firm.
2. Preheat the oven to 220 ̊C, 200 ̊C fan, Gas 7. Cut off the pointed stem at the top of each fig, then stand the figs upright on a board. Cut a cross in the top of each one, but don't cut right down to the base.
3. Trim the ends off the cheese and discard, then cut each roll into three slices. Cut each slice in half to give semi-circles. Cut half the semi-circles in half again to give quarters.
4. Lie each slice of ham out flat and trim off any excess fat.
5. Put a semi-circle of cheese into each fig where you've made the cross. Use the quarters to fit in either side, so the complete cross is filled with goat's cheese.
6. Wrap each fig in a piece of ham, then wrap it in another piece, working in the other direction. Squeeze the ham together at the top.
7. Roast for 8 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the ham is crisp.

Recipe idea from here

* When figs are not in season, how about using skinned, medium-sized, slightly under-ripe tomatoes prepared in the same way. Spoon a teaspoon of pesto over the cheese and tomato before wrapping it in the Parma ham.

Rocket is a very 'English' leaf, and has been used in salads since Elizabethan times. It has a strong, peppery flavour, and the leaves have a slight 'bite' to them. If you see 'rucola' or 'arugula' for sale or on a restaurant menu - it's the same thing.

Availability:
Available year-round in supermarkets. Rocket is incredibly easy to grow, in fact, it could take over your whole veg patch.

Choose the best:
Look for perky dark-bright green leaves. Avoid those that look slimy, yellowed or browning, as they're past their best.

Prepare it:
Just rinse and go.

Store it:
Store in the bottom part of your fridge, in brown paper or a perforated bag. It will last for a maximum of 2 days.

Cook it:
Mix with other salad leaves, if liked.

I hope you may give this recipe suggestion a try ... we try and bring a variety of recipe ideas to this blog, and not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.

All the best Jan