Stuffed Medjool Dates with Piquillo Pepper Sauce

Ingredients
- Dates:
- 8 slices of smoky bacon, cut in half lengthwise
- 16 medjool dates, pitted
- 8 tablespoon of uncooked chorizo
- Piquillo sauce (recipe below)
- Small bunch of parsley, chopped
- For the piquillo sauce:
- 8 ounces of Piquillo peppers (or any roasted peppers)
- 16 ounces whole, peeled tomato
- 6 tablespoons garlic, thinly sliced
- 8 whole peeled shallots, thinly sliced
- salt and pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stuff dates with the uncooked chorizo, using 1/2 tablespoon of chorizo for each date. Wrap each date with a half-slice of bacon.
Place dates in oven for approximately 15 minutes or until chorizo is cooked through. Broil for 4 to 5 minutes on each side until bacon is crisp. Serve on warm plate in pool of piquillo sauce and garnish with chopped parsley.
In a saucepan, sweat shallots and garlic. Add piquillo peppers and canned tomato with juice. Cook on low heat for about 1½ hours. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Set aside or refrigerate until needed.