Oh look, another recipe for a dish Angela was super intensely craving from a restaurant but couldn’t be bothered to change out of pyjamas to go get! *jazz hands*
Ok, that makes me sound really lazy. I mean, I am… but if food is involved I will probably find a way. I am a foodie after all. We’re fuelled by cravings!
This will often end up with me trying to recreate said dish in my kitchen; the advantage being that I can make more than a fancy restaurant portion and not get judged for eating all of it by myself! Win.
On this occasion my super intense specific cravings were for the bacon wrapped dates I had at the Duck & Waffle stand at Taste of London last year.
https://www.instagram.com/p/4Uq8KqSXQJ/?taken-by=wizmikal
Stuffed with linguiça (smoked, spicy sausage) & manchego cheese… and absolutely delicious! The perfect combination of sweet, savoury, spicy and smoky! All the S’s!
However, I figured they’d be pretty simple to recreate (and for less of the cost!), so decided on just making my own at home! Slightly different, but just as tasty.
And I didn’t even have to leave the house.
Pyjamas are my default setting.
Firstly I pitted my dates by making a cut along one side of the date and pulling out the pit. You could of course buy them pitted to save you the trouble!
I then added my fresh chorizo (the soft, need-to-cook kind – with casing removed), smoked paprika and lime juice to a food processor and pulsed to a chunky paste.
I stuffed each date with a teaspoon of the chorizo paste and 1 small cube of Manchego cheese, before squeezing shut to hold the filling in.
Then I wrapped this with a piece of streaky bacon and secured with a toothpick.
I then baked these at 180°C for 8-10 minutes on each side till the bacon was cooked and crisp.
to make the glaze, I mixed the maple syrup and vinegar together then brushed onto each date, before returning to the oven for a further 2 minutes to go all crackly and sticky!
- 20 Medjool dates
- Manchego, cut into small cubes
- 75g fresh chorizo, skins removed (the soft kind, not cured)
- pinch of smoked paprika
- a squeeze of lime juice
- 10 rashers streaky smoked bacon
- 3tbsp maple syrup
- 3tbsp apple cider/balsamic vinegar
- Preheat oven to 180°C.
- If not pitted, make a cut along one side of the dates to remove the pits.
- In a food processor, pulse the chorizo, smoked paprika and lime juice to a chunky paste.
- Stuff the dates with a cube of Manchego and 1tsp of the chorizo paste.
- Squeeze the date shut, holding the filling in.
- Cut the bacon rashers in half to give 20 pieces.
- Wrap each stuffed date with a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick.
- Place on a lined baking tray and roast for 8-10 minutes until the bacon is crisp. Turn the dates over and roast for another 8-10 minutes until the other side is crisp.
- Remove from the oven.
- Mix together the maple syrup and vinegar and brush onto each date.
- Return to the oven for another 2 minutes until golden brown and sticky.
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