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Dried Fig Jam with Mastic, Aniseed, and Walnuts

The flavors here are rich and exciting.

Ingredients

2 pounds dried figs
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups water
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon ground aniseed
3 tablespoons pine nuts
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon pulverized mastic (optional)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Chop the figs roughly.

    Step 2

    Boil the sugar and water with the lemon juice for a few minutes, then add the figs, and simmer gently until they are soft and impregnated with the syrup, which should have thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir constantly to avoid burning.

    Step 3

    Add the aniseed, pine nuts and walnuts, and the mastic if you like. (To be properly pulverized, the mastic must have been pounded or ground with a pinch of sugar.) Stir well, and cook a few minutes longer.

    Step 4

    Pour into clean glass jars and let it cool, then close tightly.

Cover of Claudia Roden's The New Book of Middle Easter Food, featuring a blue filigree bowl filled with Meyer lemons and sprigs of mint.
Reprinted with permission from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, copyright © 2000 by Claudia Roden, published by Knopf. Buy the full book on Amazon or Bookshop.
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