Chorizo-Stuffed Dates with Piquillo Pepper Sauce

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

8 shallots, thinly sliced

8 ounces (about 1 cup) roasted piquillo peppers with any juices (or use any roasted red peppers)

2 cups whole peeled canned tomatoes

Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

16 Medjool dates (pitted)

8 ounces of fresh chorizo sausage (not cured), casings removed

8 slices bacon

Directions

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add peppers and tomatoes and cook on low heat for about 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until the liquid in the sauce has mostly evaporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Let sauce cool slightly, then transfer to a blender and process until smooth. Thin with warm water to reach desired consistency if necessary. You want a thick sauce but not so thick that it mounds on the plate.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Stuff dates with chorizo, using about 1/2 tablespoon of chorizo per date. Cut bacon slices in half lengthwise and wrap a slice around each date.

Place stuffed dates on a small baking sheet and bake 15 minutes, or until chorizo is cooked through. Turn broiler to high and broil for 2 to 4 minutes, or until bacon is dark brown and crisp.

Spread sauce on each plate and place 3 dates on top. Serve warm.

Nutrition

Calories: 529
Total Carbohydrates: 48 grams
Cholesterol: 62 milligrams
Total Fat: 32 grams
Dietary fiber: 6 grams
Protein: 15 grams
Saturated fat: 10 grams
Sodium: 756 milligrams
Trans Fat: 0 grams