Fresh Fig, Caramelized Onion, and Salami Pizza

The quest for ways to make use of my bumper crop of huge fresh figs continues . . . .  Let's see, I've done Spicy Fig Jam, made Fig Newtons (of a sort, basically a shortbread cookie bottom and top with a Fig and Blueberry Jam kind of concoction in between), and now:

TA DAAHH!  Fresh Fig Pizza! (and looky, up there at the top of the photo, yet MORE figs -- every time I go outside there are another couple of figs ready to pick from my NOT VERY LARGE fig tree -- I can't even imagine what it will be like when this tree is bigger -- I guess I'll be hanging bags of figs on the mailbox).

This turned out really yummy, and made two 9x13 pizzas.  I made enough crust for two pizzas, and pre-baked in 9x13 glass pans with cornmeal in the pans, at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes.  I use the glass pans because it's easy and we are not particularly picky about pizza crust -- a true connoisseur may prefer to use a pizza stone or other favorite pizza crust technique.

Essentially I made up a batch of slow cooked caramelized onions (with just a bit of balsamic vinegar added towards the end), then sautéed chopped figs and salami (in retrospect I think just placing sliced figs on the crust and giving the salami a quick sauté would have worked, but sautéing it all together created a kind of salty sweet juicy melange that will be yummy as a bread topping -- which is indeed what was talked about on The Splendid Table on Sunday, which is where I got the idea).  Any kind of salty meat would work instead of salami -- ham, bacon, prosciutto, or whatever -- and indeed, I think other fruits would work instead of the figs.

SOOO, I sprinkled some goat cheese and some mozzarella (because I didn't have much goat cheese) on the baked crusts.  Layered on some caramelized onions, the fig and salami sautee, and some halved olives (I think artichoke hearts would be good in lieu of olives), and sprinkled some parmesan on top.  This went back in the 425 oven for another 15 minutes.  We let it cool about 5-10 minutes.  I have to say it was not the kids' favorite pizza -- but I thought it was really really good.  It would be very good at room temperature, and like I said, the fig and salami topping would be delish on a sturdy bread that cook soak up the juices.

Salt, sweet, fat, and bread -- that's like the four food groups, right?

Linking to Tuesday Garden Party; Sunny Simple Sunday