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Chorizo Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates: A Taste of Avec in Your Kitchen

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This recipe for chorizo stuffed bacon wrapped dates is close to my heart. One of my favorite places of all time is a sweet little restaurant in Chicago called Avec. For most of the twelve years, I lived in the windy city, I celebrated my birthday (and too many other special occasions to count) with family and friends at this single communal table west loop spot, noshing on simple but expertly prepared Mediterranean dishes with wines from France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Greece.

By the end of the evening, our table would inevitably have the feel of a still-life painting— a slightly disheveled array of wine and water glasses, kitchen towel napkins, wooden boards, and shareable plates, like bright lemony salads and wood-fired focaccia with the insides spread with farmers cheese and brushed with truffle oil. However, my favorite dish to order was their signature dish: chorizo stuffed bacon wrapped dates roasted until the bacon was crisp and the dates melted like caramel in your mouth.  

A delightful appetizer

With the beginning of fall sports season, I thought it was the perfect time to share the version of this dish that I make when I feel nostalgic for my twenties. Or, when the time calls for a perfectly balanced and delightful appetizer that can pass as the perfect game-day snack just as easily as a complete meal, especially with a simple green salad on the side.

Vegetarian variation

If you wanted to make a vegetarian version of the stuffed dates. I would consider stuffing the dates with fresh goat cheese instead of the chorizo. I love to combine tomato and chile for the sauce, but mole or a straightforward New Mexican-style red (or green) chile sauce would be wonderful too.

Level it up

When serving these delectable morsels as an appetizer, don’t hesitate to enhance the experience with a selection of Marcona almonds and olives on the table nearby. Their complementary flavors and textures elevate the entire spread, ensuring an unforgettable dining experience reminiscent of the cherished moments at Avec.

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Chorizo Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates: A Taste of Avec in Your Kitchen

Chorizo Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates plated with sauce
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Recreate the magic of a beloved Chicago restaurant with this recipe for chorizo stuffed bacon wrapped dates. Filled with chorizo, wrapped in bacon, and roasted to perfection, these mouthwatering bites are perfect for fall gatherings or game-day snacking. For a vegetarian twist, try stuffing with fresh goat cheese and pair with your favorite chile sauce.

  • Author: Marianne Sundquist
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4-8 servings
  • Category: appetizer
  • Method: bake
  • Cuisine: Chicago

Ingredients

for the dates:

  • 16 medjool dates
  • 1/4 lb. fresh chorizo sausage
  • 8 slices of bacon, sliced in half crosswise

for the sauce:

  • Drizzle of olive oil
  • 5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 c. red chile puree (whatever heat preference you prefer)
  • 1 c. crushed tomatoes
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 F. and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. To prepare the dates, make a slice lengthwise down the center of each date, just to the pit. Remove the pit, keeping the date intact. Stuff some sausage in the center of each date and wrap each date with a piece of bacon. Place the bacon-wrapped date on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour, or until the interior of the date reads at least 160 F on a thermometer. This is to ensure that the chorizo is fully cooked.

Making the sauce

While the dates are baking make the sauce: In a saucepan over medium heat add the olive oil. After a minute add the garlic cloves and onion and saute until they are just starting to turn golden brown, around ten minutes. Turn the heat to low and add the red chile puree, crushed tomato, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Simmer for ten minutes more and turn off the heat.  After a couple of minutes, carefully blend the sauce until smooth.

To serve: Pour sauce into the bottom of a bowl or platter. Place the cooked bacon-stuffed dates on top of the sauce. Enjoy!

Red Chile & Caramelized Onion Dip

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In the last few weeks, I have found myself at birthday parties, block parties, and picnics at the park. So this week I wanted to make a homemade dip/spread that would be perfect for crackers, sandwiches, crusty bread, charcuterie, and all the vegetables you can think of. This creamy, red-chile spiked caramelized onion dip is even good with apples, and yesterday, I found myself smearing some on a piece of hot smoked salmon. 

Caramelizing the onions

The secret to a good homemade caramelized onion dip is all about the onions. After around fifteen minutes of cooking, the onions will change to a light caramel color. It’s only natural that one would think you have reached your cooking destination and turn off the heat. But let me assure you, there is far more caramelized traveling to be had. There are many shades of caramelized onions, just like there are many shades of butter turning brown and all of them mean various degrees of (heavenly) depth of flavor. As your onions continue to turn deeper shades of brown (at the lowest heat your stove will allow), you’ll also notice they lose more water and take up less space in the pot. Until, at last, you have a small amount of deeply caramelized onions packed with sweet and savory flavor.

The next step is adding High Desert Herbs or Herbes de Provence, some red chile, sour cream, and a brick of softened cream cheese. You’ll notice the recipe calls for a specific order for mixing everything together. This is so you don’t have any little lumps of cream cheese suspended in the dip, which isn’t too big of a deal since it doesn’t affect the flavor, but does alter the final texture and appearance. 

If you have a number of get-togethers coming up, if I were you I’d double or triple the batch (since caramelizing onions takes a bit of time) and freeze pints of the finished dip. The day before you need some dip, pull one out of the freezer and the next day you’ll be ready to roll.

plated caramelized onion dip ready for sharing
plated homemade caramelized onion dip ready for sharing
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Red Chile Caramelized Onion Dip

Red Chile Onion Dip with Appetizer Platter
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This creamy, red-chile caramelized onion dip is perfect for crackers, sandwiches, crusty bread, charcuterie, and all the vegetables you can think of. Made with New Mexico Red Chiles, this appetizer is perfect for any party, picnic, or southwest gathering.

  • Author: Marianne Sundquist
  • Prep Time: 25
  • Cook Time: 35
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 1 pint
  • Category: appetizer
  • Method: Caramelize
  • Cuisine: New Mexican

Ingredients

Units
  • 2 T. butter
  • 1 large yellow onion, sliced
  • 2 t. High Desert Herbs or Herbes de Provence
  • 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 c. Mild New Mexico Red Chile puree
  • 1 1/2 c. Sour cream
  • 1 brick (8 oz) cream cheese, room temperature
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • minced chives, for garnishing

Instructions

In a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the onions, cover, and cook for around fifteen minutes. This allows the onions to steam and release a large portion of their water fairly quickly. While they are steaming, stir them every few minutes.

caramelizing the onions in a Le Creuset Dutch oven
caramelizing the onions in a Le Creuset Dutch oven

Uncover the onions and at this point, they will probably begin to look caramelized. Uncover them, stir, add the dried herbs, and turn the heat to low (as low as it can go). Let them continue to slowly caramelize for around 30 minutes, stirring every five minutes or so. Add the garlic and cook for another five minutes, stirring frequently.

Turn off the heat and deglaze with the red chile puree, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Carefully transfer this mixture to a blender or food processor and buzz just a few times and let it come to room temperature.

Once the onions are cooled to room temperature, add the cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and whisk for about a minute until it’s light and airy. Add the sour cream and mix again. Now add the onion mixture and mix until everything is distributed. Check seasoning and add salt and/or pepper as needed. Transfer to a bowl and garnish with chives.