Fig, Hoch Ybrig Cheese, and Balsamic Caramelized Onion Sandwich

Some people look at a mud puddle and see an ocean with ships.  -Zora Neale Hurston


I've been conditioned to think of Tallahassee, Florida every time I see or eat figs, and today was no different.  It all began in the summer of 1990.  My two aunts had convinced my grandmother to allow my two brothers and me to come back to Tallahassee, Florida with them after we had begged and pleaded to no end.  We loaded up my aunt's infamous Chevrolet Spectrum, that she had driven anywhere the wind blew her, and made the long drive to Monday Court, Tallahassee.  It was a peculiar place reminiscent of Zora Neale Hurston's Florida.  One of our neighbors was an elderly black lady with snow white hair who would disappear into the woods collecting spanish moss for her home-brewed tea.  The neighborhood kids were a rowdy bunch who cursed their elders, threw fireworks at cars driving by, and once, they literally stirred up a hornet's nest.  There was also a fig tree behind our house, and I wish I had known the joys of this sandwich back then, but we neglected them, leaving them to ripen and fall off the tree.  The overly ripe figs then became play objects for the neighborhood kids as they ran around the neighborhood smashing figs on people's backs.  Before returning to Mississippi that fall, we would experience the joys of city life, the glory of the beach, and the magic of Walt Disney World.

It's funny how things change.  I was at a conference in Annapolis, Maryland two weeks ago and the vegetarian option for lunch one day was a fig, caramelized onion, and goat cheese sandwich on ciabatta bread.  To be quite honest, I didn't exactly jump for joy and I was disappointed that there wasn't a more substantial option.  I sulked for all of three seconds and got over it.  And, I'm so glad I did.  Who would have thunk it, but this combination is fiyahhhhh!!!  I couldn't wait to come home and recreate the sandwich.

I went to the Wine Source for a bottle of wine and ended up buying everything I needed for the sandwich right there.  The cheesemonger recommended Hoch Ybrig as a great cheese for sandwiches and grilled cheeses, and I grabbed a container of Dalmatia Fig Spread and a mini baguette from their specialty foods section.  I then came home and used the leftover pearl onions I bought for the Three-Mushroom Bourguignon to make balsamic caramalized onions, and--voila!--dinner is served.

Fig, Hoch Ybrig Cheese, and Balsamic Caramelized Onion Sandwich

Ingredients:

• 1 mini-baguette or ciabatta bread
• 1 pat of softened butter
• 1 piece of Hoch Ybrig cheese
• 2 tablespoons Dalmatic fig spread
• 1/4 cup balsamic caramelized onions

Directions:

Adjust oven to low broiler setting.  Slice the baguette in half, and if preferred, pinch out a portion of the inside bread.  Butter the bread and place the cheese on one half of the baguette.  Place on a baking sheet and insert in the oven, about 5" below the broiler.  Broil until the cheese is melted, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Add fig spread and balsamic caramelized onions.  Carefully fold over to seal.  Enjoy!

Balsamic Caramelized Onions & How to Make Food Less Spicy

Did you get heavy handed with the pepper?  Is your favorite ethnic take out food unusually spicy this week?  Did that jalapeno pepper turn out to be a lot hotter than you originally thought?  Well, fret not! Cooking is an art and you can fix just about anything that isn't burnt.

After having quite a bit of Mexican Pesto leftover from the Hominy and Corn Chowder with Mexican Pesto, I thought I'd remix it by throwing it in the blender with some chipotle peppers and sun dried tomatoes.  I then used the pesto as a sauce for a box of whole wheat spaghetti.  When I tasted the final product, it was hot!  Like, so hot that my nostrils were tingling and I had to add cheese, drink milk, and take breaks to finish eating it.

That night, I went back to the drawing board and thought about how I would salvage this dish. As mentioned in this article, How to Make Hot Peppers Stop Burning, I knew I had the following options:

• Add dairy products such as milk, yogurt, cheese, or sour cream: The casein in dairy products breaks down the capsaicin in spicy food.
• Dilute:  Adding more food will change the ratio of spice to food and reduce the spiciness of the dish.  
• Acid: Acids such as citrus fruits, vinegar, and tomatoes will help to neutralize the alkaline activity in capsaicinoid.
• Carbohydrates: This includes bread, rice, pasta, crackers, tortillas, beer (it's made from grains), potatoes, corn, and sugar.  According to Dr. Helmenstine, "Carbs provide a barrier between your mouth and some of the capsaicin so less of it contacts your tongue, lips, etc. The sugars in the carbohydrates may also help to lessen the activity of the capsaicinoids" (2012, How to Make Peppers Stop Burning).

For my pasta, I decided to add balsamic caramelized onions for sweetness and acid.  I added about 3/4 cup of grated carrots glazed in a tablespoon of vanilla Greek yogurt for my dairy component and to dilute the dish with vegetables.  I added another box of whole wheat spaghetti to dilute the dish with more pasta (carbohydrates).  I added a large can of crushed tomatoes for more acid.  I also added sauteed spinach, diced olives, diced artichokes, and julienned red bell peppers to further dilute the dish.  The final dish was hearty, flavorful, and it wasn't even the least bit spicy.  I offered some to a friend who dropped by my house.  She added hot sauce to hers and raved about how good the spaghetti was.  Oh, the irony...

The methods applied here have universal application for making food less spicy. 

Balsamic Caramelized Onions

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves, chopped
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

In a large skillet, melt the butter and olive oil.  Add the onion and oregano, cover and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add 2 tablespoons of water to the skillet and cook over moderate heat until the onion is caramelized, about 10 minutes (add a few extra tablespoons of water to the skillet if necessary).  Add the balsamic vinegar and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until has evaporated, about 10 minutes.  Season the onion with salt and pepper.

Note: Balsamic caramelized onions are great in sandwiches and pasta, on pizza, mixed in with vegetables, or as a side dish.