Fig, Manchego, and Jamon Serrano Tapas

Here's a fun and simple recipe for a great Spanish style tapas or appetizer. This recipe gracefully combines the sweetness of fresh mission figs with serrano ham, a cured spanish ham (some stores will refer to this by its Spanish name - Jamon Serrano). Add in a little manchego cheese to balance out the sweet and salty flavors and you have a simple, tasty treat!

Here's what you will need:

20 mission figs
15 very thin slices of serrano ham
4 oz of manchego cheese

Take the figs and cut off the thin tip, and then slice them in half, lengthwise. Take small pieces of manchego cheese (slightly larger than pea size) and place it on top of each fig. Take the slices of serrano ham and cut it into 3 strips lengthwise and wrap one strip all the way around each fig crosswise. Lay out the ham wrapped figs on a baking sheet or dish and cook for 8 to 10 minutes at 400.

Serve with a nice Spanish red from Rioja, Ribera del Duero, or Toro. See review of the 2006 Bodegas Sabor Real Toro below for a great selection!