Chorizo with Figs

Chorizo with Figs, the perfect tapas dish?

Recently, friends have been re-creating some of their favorite restaurant items at home and this month I'll be capturing some of the stand-outs that you can make in your own kitchen too.

Tapas, Spain's gift to the appetizer-light snack world, are small plates shared over a glass of wine.  My favorite cities for tapas are Madrid, where night revelers visit cool grottoes dug under the Plaza Mayor for house specialties, and Barcelona which, to my mind, serves up some of the most imaginative small plates highlighting pork and seafood.

That's why when I heard about the southern Connecticut restaurant named for Barcelona, I was ready to try old favorites and new finds.   Over the years, it's become a favorite birthday spot for some dear friends in Westport which has given me a chance to sample most of the menu with them.

Chorizo with Sweet and Sour Figs was new to me. If you ever found yourself unable to stop eating those little cocktail wieners in grape jelly and mustard sauce at holiday buffets, you will love this highly sophisticated and grown up version made with far purer flavors but the same addictive appeal. 

Now that most supermarkets stock chorizo sausage and dried figs are available year round, this quick dish can be enjoyed any time of year.  It recently starred at the McNee's graduation/bon voyage party for daughter Sarah on her way to Mexico City for her first job.  Ole Sarah!

Normally, this blog only publishes original recipes but for this little masterpiece, no reinvention is needed.  As my friend Marianne says, "Just follow the recipe."  Here is Barcelona's recipe for Chorizo with Sweet and Sour Figs.

 p.s.-- loved the whole sticks of cinnamon Marianne used to garnish the party platter.