The name of figones derives from the restaurant in Zamora, Spain where this tapa was invented, called El Figón. Figón is a somewhat outdated name for a lowly tavern. However, these cheesy pork figones soon became popular, and now you can find them all over the town and the whole province. This is a crowd-pleaser and so easy to make you’ll surely make it again and again.
Cheesy Pork Figones
Print RecipeIngredients
- Roll Ingredients
- 10 bacon slices, cut in half
- 1 cup of ground pork
- 5 sandwich cheese slices, cut in 4 strips
- Frying Batter Ingredients
- 350 grams of all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup of beer
- 1 teaspoon of olive oil
- Salt to taste
- A pinch of baking powder
- A pinch of turmeric or saffron for colour
- 2 cups of virgin olive oil for deep-frying
Instructions
Frying Batter Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients till you see no flour lumps. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes. The final consistency should be similar to pancake batter.
Rolls Instructions
- Cut the bacon slices, sandwich size, into 2 equal strips. Then cut cheese strips of half the width of the ham. Set aside.
- Arrange the pork, the cheese strips and the ham strips on top of the other.
- Roll the assembly and secure each roll with a toothpick.
Frying Instructions
- Pour the olive oil into a small pan and heat to medium, around 180 degrees Celsius. The oil musn’t give any smoke.
- Place the bowl with the batter close to the pan and coat the rolls in batter, one by one, then dip them in the oil.
- Fry the figones in batches of not more than 3 to 4 until golden and crisp. Using a slotted spoon, take them out to a plate covered in kitchen paper to eliminate some of the oil and serve immediately while the coating is crispy and the cheese is melted.
