Family Memories and Figs

My grandmother's 87th birthday was this past weekend, and I spent my Wrightsville Beach time celebrating her wonderful life.  Especially at 87, my grandmother is an amazing woman with tons of energy.  I wanted to capture some of her life stories on tape so that I could continue to share them with future generations in the decades to come. 

During my interview, I focused more on the personal stories and less on the family history.  My grandmother has experienced a lot: a loving 50+ year marriage, motherhood, the passing of loved ones, the Great Depression, WWII, Vietnam, Integration.  I loved hearing about how all of these life events affected her personally.

As I interviewed my grandmother, I began to realize just how large of an impact one's 20's have on an individual... even many decades later.  I asked her, what was the most exciting time in her life?  She said that she loved it when she and my grandfather were dating, and he would fly his plane over her house (he was in the military.)  In regards to my grandfather, she described him as "a man of principle who [she] admired greatly."  As for the secret to a happy marriage? Patience, and a willingness to do the things that your spouse likes to do.  "Mac loved to fish and hunt.  I had never done any of those things before, but I hunted and fished and ran and jumped over fences because that's what he liked to do."

I so enjoyed listening to my grandmother's memories.  We can all learn from our elders' experiences, and I encourage you to take some time to document stories from your grandparents.  For instance, my grandmother said that she barely felt the weight of the Depression, because her family had an extensive garden...they never were short on food.  If only we all continued to grow our own food; we could have certainly save a lot of money during these tough economic times.

For the following recipe, I used home grown figs from my friend Jordan's garden!

Fig and Prosciutto Pizza
Cornmeal (for sprinkling)
1 lb. package purchased pizza dough
2 cups (generous) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (about 8 ounces)
6 small fresh figs, cut into 1/4- to 1/3-inch-thick slices (Jordan's figs, if you're lucky enough!)
2 Tbsp. fig balsamic vinegar, divided
8 thin slices prosciutto (from two 3-ounce packages)
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
8 cups arugula

Preheat oven to 450°F. Sprinkle large rimless baking sheet generously with cornmeal. Roll out dough on floured work surface to 12x10-inch rectangle; transfer to prepared sheet. Sprinkle Gorgonzola over dough. Sprinkle with pepper. Place figs in medium bowl; drizzle 1 tablespoon vinegar over. Set aside.

Bake pizza until crust is golden brown on bottom, 15 to 20 minutes. Immediately drape prosciutto slices over, covering pizza completely. Arrange fig slices atop prosciutto. Bake until figs are just heated through, about 1 minute. Transfer pizza to cutting board. Whisk remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar and oil in large bowl; add arugula. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Mound salad atop pizza. Cut into pieces and serve.