Bacon-wrapped dates—a more elegant version of rumaki, the 1950s appetizer of chicken liver wrapped in bacon with a water chestnut in the middle—have taken Los Angeles by storm ever since Suzanne Goin started serving them at her restaurant, AOC. I didn’t want to copy hers, but I like them so much that I wanted to make a version for Mozza using figs, which are so abundant in my town in Italy that you almost forget they are a delicacy. Although I’ve never been served anything like these in Italy, I certainly didn’t invent the idea of contrasting the sweetness of figs with something piggy and salty: figs and prosciutto is a classic. At the Osteria, we serve these as an antipasto on a tangle of wilted dandelion greens, but they also make a great bite-size snack for cocktail hour, which is how we have presented them here.

　　

Ingredients

makes 12 fig halves

　　Wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano, for slicing

　　12 thin slices pancetta (6 to 8 ounces)

　　6 ripe figs, halved lengthwise

　　Aged balsamico condimento, for drizzling

　　Freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

Use a microplane or another fine grater to cut 12 very thin slices from the wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano.

　　

Step 2

Prepare a hot fire in a gas or charcoal grill or preheat a grill pan or heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat.

　　

Step 3

Wrap a strip of pancetta tightly around each fig half. Place the fig halves flat side down on the grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until the pancetta is golden brown and crispy.

　　

Step 4

Place the figs on a platter and drizzle with the balsamico. Place one slice of Parmigiano-Reggiano on top of each fig half, grind a few turns of fresh black pepper over each, and serve.

　　

Suggested Wine Pairing

Step 5

Nero D’Avola (Sicily)

　　The Mozza Cookbook