Recipe: To begin with cotto di fichi:

To begin with cotto di fichi:

There are many recipes for producing this concentrate, which varies from town to town. Some, from dusty old manuscripts, include difficult-to-execute steps, while the results of other more recent versions might disorient the reader. I suggest the following, which was transcribed by Miccolis and has given me excellent results.

In the second half of the month of August select the ripest figs, put them in a pot, and when it's full set it over a fire, ideally wood (as opposed to coal), and cook until their volume is reduced by half. Pour the mixture out into a pillow case (or a finely woven muslin bag), tie the bag shut, and hang it from a nail or a tree branch for 24 hours, catching the drippings in a large bowl.

Next, press the figs to extract more juice; in the past they used a press made from two boards connected by a hinge, or by turning the figs out into a basket, covering them with a circular board, and setting a weight over the board.

When you have extracted all the juice you can, set it in a pot over a low flame and cook it for another 3-4 hours, by which time its volume will be further reduced and it will have thickened. At this point let it cool and transfer it to sterile glass jars; it will keep for months without deteriorating at all.

What to use this fig concentrate for? Italian Crustoli.