Ingredients
- 12 fresh Medjool dates
- 2 cups spinach
- ½ cup French feta
- 2 tablespoons Corto olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon espelette pepper
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 pound thinly sliced prosciutto di parma
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground fennel
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, freshly minced
- ¼ cup red wine
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 quart high-quality canned Italian plum tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil Pinch red chili flakes
Preparation
Split one dozen fresh Medjool dates on one side and remove the pits.
Chop spinach, add to a mixing bowl (would not recommend frozen spinach, too much moisture).
Add French feta, olive oil, espelette pepper, parmesan, salt and fennel; mix thoroughly.
Rough-chop pine nuts and fold into mixture.
Fill dates with mixture.
Wrap dates completely with prosciutto and use picks to hold the structure.
Sweat the shallots and garlic on low heat with olive oil.
Deglaze with the red wine; reduce; set to the side.
Clean red bell pepper, char over open flame on stovetop, cool down, remove most of the char, de-seed and small dice.
Using a blender, add tomatoes, shallot, garlic and red wine.
Mix thoroughly until you have a smooth consistency.
Adjust seasoning, add a splash of olive oil and fold in the red peppers, basil and chili flakes.
Serve as a bed for the dates or on top of the dates.