Bacon-wrapped dates—a more elegant version of rumaki, the 1950s appetizer of chicken liver wrapped in bacon with a water chestnut in the middle—have taken Los Angeles by storm ever since Suzanne Goin started serving them at her restaurant, AOC. I didn’t want to copy hers, but I like them so much that I wanted to make a version for Mozza using figs, which are so abundant in my town in Italy that you almost forget they are a delicacy. Although I’ve never been served anything like these in Italy, I certainly didn’t invent the idea of contrasting the sweetness of figs with something piggy and salty: figs and prosciutto is a classic. At the Osteria, we serve these as an antipasto on a tangle of wilted dandelion greens, but they also make a great bite-size snack for cocktail hour, which is how we have presented them here.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 12 fig halves
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Use a microplane or another fine grater to cut 12 very thin slices from the wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Step 2
Prepare a hot fire in a gas or charcoal grill or preheat a grill pan or heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat.
Step 3
Wrap a strip of pancetta tightly around each fig half. Place the fig halves flat side down on the grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until the pancetta is golden brown and crispy.
Step 4
Place the figs on a platter and drizzle with the balsamico. Place one slice of Parmigiano-Reggiano on top of each fig half, grind a few turns of fresh black pepper over each, and serve.
Suggested Wine Pairing
Step 5
Nero D’Avola (Sicily)
