I love the names of some dishes and make them just because they sound cool, this is one of them. I also love the sweet, salty little nuggets of deliciousness that these are with a frosty beverage.
Super simple to make and only 3 ingredients, these are cool little one bite canapes if you’re having friends round. Essentially these are stoned prunes wrapped in bacon, but you can substitute the prunes for dates if you prefer.
If you’re feeling super fancy you could make Angels on Horseback. These are oysters wrapped in bacon.
Ingredients
12 Prunes (stones removed)
6 Rashers of smoked streaky bacon (cut in half)
A little oil for brushing
Cocktail sticks
Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius
On a chopping board cut the slices of bacon in half and run the back of your knife along each slice to flatten it out
Place a prune at the top of each slice and roll the bacon arond the prune and secure with a cocktail stick
When you have wrapped all the prunes in bacon, place on w backing sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes until the bacon is brown and crispy
This dish is from the south of France, and is like a cross between a tart and a pizza.
Just warning you from the outset, this is what I would call a weekend recipe. Some elements can take a while. None of it is difficult but things like caramelising the onions, or proving the dough can take a while. So I usually make this at weekends when I’m pottering around and can do things like laundry while the dough proves.
If you see anchovies and immediately say no way, I would recommend giving this a chance. The sweetness of the onions, definitely tempers the fishiness of the anchovies and the combination works nicely.
If you really are anchovy phobic you can swap it for roasted red pepper, this also allows vegans and vegetarians to enjoy it (just remember to swap out the butter for olive oil if cooking for vegans or people who are dairy free).
This can also be eaten hot of cold, I love it with a cold beer or glass of wine.
For the dough
2 Tsp Dried yeast
250 Grams Plain flour
3 Tbsp Olive oil
1/2 Tsp Salt
For the topping
40 Grams Butter
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1.5 Kg Onions (Finely Sliced)
1 Tbsp Dried thyme
24 Black olives
16 Anchovy Fillets (or slices of roast pepper if you don’t like anchovies
Method
To make the dough, mix the dried yeast with 120 ml of warm water (not too hot or you’ll kill the yeast), leave in a warm place for 10 minutes until a froth appears on top of the mixture.
Sift the flour into a bowl and add the salt, olive oil and yeast mixture. Mix until the dough forms a ball. Turn out onto to a floured surface, and knead for 10 minutes (or use a mixer with a dough hook, but personally I like to do it by hand its very therapeutic if you’ve had a stressful week)
Rub a bowl with olive oil, put your kneaded bowl of dough in the bowl and cover lightly with olive oil. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel (or I always use the little disposable shower caps you get into hotels), leave in a warm space for 1-2 hours
Remove the dough from the bowl and knock the air out of the dough with a light punch (like OI said this can be very therapeutic). Knead for a couple of minutes and then cover again and leave in a warm place until the dough doubles in size
For the topping, melt the butter and olive oil in a large frying pan, add the onions and half the thyme and cook over a gentle for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are dark and caramelised
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees (Celsius), and grease a 34 cm x 26 cm baking tray. Roll your dough out thinly to fit the baking tray and transfer the dough to the baking tray and brush lightly with oil
Spread the cooled onion mixture evenly across the dough
Lay the anchovies on top of the onion mixture in a rough lattice pattern, and the olives should go in between the diamonds created in the lattice. It’s a rustic dish, so don’t panic if doesn’t look entirely uniform
Seaneen's Sunnyside Kitchen 