Fig season has officially started. All over the Algarve, fig trees are full of ripe fruit waiting to be picked. The perfect time to head outside, gather some figs and turn them into something delicious. This time, Sérgio shares his recipe for homemade fig and Port jam.

Last week, my great cooking amigo Ronald sent me a message saying he had just picked some figs and that there were still plenty of ripe ones left in their garden. So, without hesitation, I dropped everything, went with Astrid and a large box, to Ro & Sil at Quinta L-Jeiro for fig picking. The result? A wonderful harvest of 5.5 kg of fresh Algarve figs!

Algarve figs

We always like to welcome our guests with a homemade local delicacy to enjoy with bread or a cheese platter, such as our homemade nêspera jam or chutney. Our stock of last year’s fig jam was running low, so it was time to make a fresh batch. This time, we’d love to share our recipe for fig and Port jam with you.

Recipe: Fig & Port Jam

Ingredients for 2 liter jam

• 1.5 kg fresh figs
• 300 g cane sugar
• 700 ml Ruby Port
• 12 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (buy a quality one, you will taste the difference)
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

How to make

• +/- 30 minutes + 2 hours reducing time
• Wash all the figs with water.
• Remove the stems and cut the figs into small pieces.
• Add all the ingredients to a heavy-bottomed pan.
• Stir everything together and heat over medium heat.
• Once the mixture starts to boil, reduce the heat to low.
• Let the jam simmer gently until it reaches the desired consistency. Stir regularly to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. For me, this took about 2 hours.
• To test if the jam is ready, place a small spoonful on a plate and draw a line through it with a spoon. If the line stays visible and doesn’t immediately run together again, the jam has reached the right consistency.
• Sterilise your jars by boiling them in water for about 10 minutes.
• Fill the jars right up to the rim with the hot jam.
• Seal immediately and the jars will vacuum themselves.
• Stored properly, the jam can be kept for a long time outside the refrigerator until opened.

Serving tip

This fig and Port jam is delicious on fresh bread with cheese or served alongside a cheese board.

Enjoy 😋