Crave Wednesday: Prosciutto, Fresh Fig, and Manchego Sandwiches

The highlight of Thatkid's baseball season is Pony League day at Petco Park.  It's a day when all the Pony League teams across San Diego get to come to the ball field and parade around it before watching a baseball game.

Thatkid met up with his best friends and team mates outside the park.

Due to a series of unfortunate events, which you can read all about if you follow me on Twitter, we didn't actually get to see the parade of players.  Luckily Thatboy hobbled along beside them and texted me the following pictures.

We met up with them at our seats, which were right behind first base.  Thatkid used this as an opportunity to share the special snack he had brought for his friends.  He had originally wanted to bring cracker jacks, but got distracted by the neon orange-ness of a bag of cheetos.

Eventually the boys all settled into their seats, ready for the game to begin.

In addition to being Pony League day at the park, it was also Military Appreciation Day.  In honor of the honor, the US Navy Parachute Team entered the stadium from above.

After the first inning, Thatkid couldn't wait any longer for his special treat.  The fun thing about ice cream and 5 year olds is that not only do they end up wearing most of it, you wear a lot of it too!

The game was fun and exciting.  It was the last of the Padres/Giants series and the Padres had won the first two games.  But the Giants won this one.  As soon as the Giants took the lead, Thatkid switched teams and loyalties and cheered loudly when they won.

After the game, Thatboy noticed a sign that mentioned that kids could run the bases, and he brought Thatkid down to the field to stand in line and wait his turn.

 

It was an experience that he won't soon forget, as he got to round the bases of a real ball field.

 

If baseball season doesn't herald the arrival of spring for you, then perhaps the produce does.  Bright sweet strawberries have hit the produce aisles of my supermarket.  And figs!  We have fresh figs!  This might be a California thing, but I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.  (Speaking of - isn't that really a word of warning?  You're supposed to look a gift horse in the mouth to make sure it's not filled with Greek soldiers, right?)

Whatever the reason, I was quick to snatch them up.  I've been dying to try this sandwich, but fresh figs aren't available in the winter.  So it had to wait.  Really, when figs are available I put them on just about anything, from pizza to tarts. They have this unassuming nature that doesn't overpower like citrus.  Instead it just adds a sweetness, which pairs well with prosciutto, like melon without the juiciness.

With the prosciutto, manchego, and fig, this sandwich feels very "Spanish" to me.  Like something you'd eat on a spring day in Barcelona.

Prosciutto, Fresh Fig, and Manchego Sandwiches (From Cooking Light)

4 tsp Dijon mustard

8 slices Italian bread, toasted

1 cup arugula

2 oz thinly sliced prosciutto

2 oz Manchego cheese, shaved

8 fresh figs, cut into thin slices

2 Tbsp fig jam

1. Spread 1 tsp mustard over 4 of the bread slices.
2. Arrange 1/4 cup arugula over each bread slice.
3. Divide prosciutto evenly among bread slices.
4. Top evenly with cheese and fig slices.
5. Spread 1 1/2 tsps jam over each of the remaining 4 bread slices, and place on sandwiches jam side down.