I Am a Chef - Stuffed Figs in Memory of Sebastiano!

Sebastiano Montalto, born in 1885 in Ferla, Sicily, died in 1958 in Lorain, Ohio... my grandfather.  In 1906 he left his home in a small mountain village in the province of Siracusa, a place where there was hunger and lack of work but a place where the Mediterranean climate provided a welcoming habitat for such delicacies as "le arance" (oranges) and "i fichi" (figs), to settle on the often snow-covered shores of Lake Erie.  An orange became something that was imported from Florida or California and was found in the toe of a Christmas stocking.  A fig became something coaxed from a tiny tree in the backyard of Giovanni Rosso, his father-in-law, a tree that was coddled and cared for, that was tucked away each winter by gentling pulling its main trunk toward the ground and then covering it with old newspapers, hay and burlap with the hope that it would survive the winter and maybe, in the summer, yield a few figs that would recall the memories of "home" in Sicilia.
Sebastiano never returned to his home in Sicily, not even for a visit, but in 1957 he did visit our family in our new home in Hawthorne, CA.  He loved California...it reminded him of Sicily.  He greatest delight was the day we took him to visit a friend whose backyard contained a giant fig tree. They propped a tall ladder against the trunk and Sebastiano climbed the ladder and picked juicy ripe figs.  With his eyes aglow, he stuffed the figs into his mouth while the juice ran from his lips and the tears ran from his eyes...caught up in the memories of his youth and his home in Sicily.

Sebastiano Montalto - 1912 Lorain, Ohio

My friend, Lynn, gave me a bag of figs from her tree on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.  She wanted me to have them before the birds got them.  One way I like to prepare them is stuffed with Gorgonzola cheese and wrapped in a piece of prosciutto...a finger-food that can be eaten as an appetizer, placed to dress a salad, or just as a nibble while enjoying a glass of chilled white wine.

Stuffed Figs

They are so easy to prepare.  Clean the figs and remove the tiny stem piece.  Gently cut the fig in a cross, 2/3 of the way down the length of the fig, leaving the bottom intact.  Place a nice sliver of cheese in the created opening.  Cut pieces of prosciutto slices into inch-wide strips and wrap each stuffed fig with a length of prosciutto.  Place on a cookie sheet under the broiler for about 5 minutes, until the cheese begins to bubble and the prosciutto begins to crisp.  Cool slightly, pop into your mouth and wait...for the burst of flavor!  Lift your glass of wine and say, "Saluti, Sebastiano!"