Bacon Wrapped Doves with Dates
User Reviews
5
Bacon Wrapped Doves with Dates
Description
This recipe involves marinating dove breasts in a chermoula sauce made from olive oil, lemon zest and juice, chopped cilantro or parsley, ground cumin, paprika, hot paprika, salt, black pepper, preserved lemon, and garlic. The marinade imparts aromatic and zesty notes to the delicate game meat. The dove breasts are then paired with pitted dates that are sliced and opened to encase the meat.
Partially cooked bacon strips are wrapped tightly around the dove-date bundles and secured with soaked toothpicks. These are cooked on a grill with indirect heat, turning frequently to crisp the bacon evenly without burning. The result is a savory-sweet popper with tender meat inside and crisp bacon outside.
They can be served as appetizers or small dishes, offering complex flavor contrasts from the marinade, the sweetness of dates, and the smoky bacon wrapping. The grilling method affords a lightly charred bacon and juicy interior.
Note that the prep time excludes marinating, which can be up to eight hours for maximum flavor infusion.
Ingredients
- 12 to 16 dove breasts (24 to 32 halves)
- 12 to 16 date small
- 1 pound Bacon (not thick cut)
- 12 to 16 toothpick soaked in water, toothpicks plural to singular
CHERMOULA MARINADE
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- lemon zest and juice
- 1 bunch cilantro about 2 cups, or parsley, chopped
- 4 teaspoons cumin ground
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon hot paprika or Aleppo pepper or cayenne
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 quarter preserved lemon optional, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
Instructions
- Put all the ingredients for the chermoula in a food processor or blender and buzz until smooth. Mix with the dove breasts and set in the fridge, covered, for up to 8 hours.
- Cook the bacon just until it gives up some fat and is limp. You want it about half-cooked, but not crispy. Set it aside to cool.
- Slice the dates open vertically to remove the pit. Unfold the date to flatten it out. Take a dove breast, shake off excess marinade, and nestle it into the date. Bend the edges of the date around the breast.
- Wrap a piece of bacon around the dove-date tightly and secure with a toothpick. If you want, you can double up on the dove-dates if you want a bigger popper.
- Get your grill hot, leaving one side with no coals or with no burners turned on. Set your poppers on the grill with the seam side of the bacon facing down. Grill with the cover up, turning the poppers frequently to crisp the bacon on all sides. If you are worried the dove might not be fully cooked, set the poppers on the cool side of the grill when the bacon crisps, then cover the grill and cook for an additional 2 to 4 minutes.
Notes
- Marinate the dove breasts in chermoula up to 8 hours before cooking for better flavor.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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