ALMOND-STUFFED DATES
WRAPPED IN BACON WITH
RED PEPPER SAUCEINGREDIENTS- Olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 4 small shallots, thinly sliced
- 8 oz. roasted piquillo peppers
with their juices - 2 cups whole peeled tomatoes
with their juices - 3T sherry vinegar
- 15 Medjool dates, pitted
- 1 cup Marcona almonds or
whole toasted almonds - 5–6 slices bacon, cut into thirds
DIRECTIONS
Place a heavy-bottomed sauce
pot over medium heat. When hot,
add a film of olive oil, the garlic,
shallots and a large pinch of salt.
Cook until the vegetables start
to soften and become aromatic,and tomatoes. Stir and
bring the mixture to
a simmer. Reduce
the heat to medium-
low and cook, stirring
occasionally, for about 30
minutes, until it reduces slightly.
Season with salt, black pepper
and sherry vinegar. Purée until
smooth if you prefer, or leave it a
little bit chunky.
While the sauce is cooking,
prepare the dates by making a
slit down one side. Stuff the date
with one or two almonds, then
wrap with a piece of bacon and
secure with a toothpick. Place on
a lined baking sheet and bake in a
400-degree oven for 10 minutes,
until the bacon on one side is
crispy. Remove from the oven
and take out
the toothpicks.
Pour the red pepper sauce into
a shallow baking dish
and arrange the dates on top,
soggy side up. Place back in the
oven, uncovered for 10 minutes,
until the bacon on top is crisp.
Serve the dates with sauce
spooned around.20 SPORTS ILLUSTRATED | SI.COM
SCORECARDIT’S A well-known, immutable law of the universe
that you can’t watch football with a group of people
and not snack. But what if the game is to be followed
(or interrupted) by a massive holiday feast?
Michael Symon (left) knows plenty about both
food and football: The Food Network star and
author of the forthcoming Fix It With Food is a
serious Browns fan. When he was a kid going to his grandfather’s for
dinner, light snacks meant celery and peanut butter. Now when he hosts
Thanksgiving (“my favorite holiday by a million miles,” he says), he
still goes with some vegetables. “I’ll put out a couple of bowls of fresh
radishes with some butter and sea salt,” Symon says. He also likes
cheese and charcuterie, because they are bought ready to eat.
He does have a few favorites he likes to cook, however, such as almond-
filled dates wrapped in bacon. Symon makes them with a red pepper
sauce, but they can be dipped in just about anything. While the bacon
might seem to make them heavy, as Symon notes, “It’s salty and fatty, so
it satisfies people really quick. You’re not eating 42 handfuls of them.”
Another benefit: The dates can be assembled in advance and thrown
into the oven when needed. “I always try to do snacks that I can prep
ahead of time,” Symon says. “And they’re good the first 10 minutes, the
next hour. So I’m not hanging over the stove the whole time. Because I
want to see the guests and watch football, too.” —Mark BechtelFOOTBALL AND TURKEY: HOW DO YOU ENJOY
ONE AND SAVE ROOM FOR THE OTHER?PRE-FEAST GRUB
SI EATS:
DAVE (^) K
OTI
NS
KY/
GET
TY
IMA
GES
(^) FO
R (^) N
YC
WF
F (^) S(
YM
ON
; (^) J)
ASO
N (^) G
ETZ
/
US
A (^) T
OD
AY
SPO
RTS
(^) (S
AIN
TS)
; (^) C
OUR
TE
SY
OF
(^) MI
CH
AEL
(^) SY
MO
N (^) (
SKI
LLE
T)
LEGGING IT OUT
Football has long been a crucial part of Thanksgiving—
just ask Drew Brees and the Saints.