Chorizo-Stuffed Dates With Piquillo Pepper Sauce

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 8 shallots, thinly sliced
• 8 ounces (about 1 cup) roasted piquillo peppers with any juices (or use any roasted red peppers)
• 2 cups whole peeled canned tomatoes
• Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
• 16 Medjool dates (pitted)
• 8 ounces of fresh chorizo sausage (not cured), casings removed
• 8 slices bacon

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add garlic and shallots and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Add peppers and tomatoes and cook on low heat for about 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until the liquid in the sauce has mostly evaporated.
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Let sauce cool slightly, then transfer to a blender and process until smooth.
6. Thin with warm water to reach desired consistency if necessary.
7. You want a thick sauce but not so thick that it mounds on the plate.
8. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
9. Stuff dates with chorizo, using about 1/2 tablespoon of chorizo per date.
10. Cut bacon slices in half lengthwise and wrap a slice around each date.
11. Place stuffed dates on a small baking sheet and bake 15 minutes, or until chorizo is cooked through.
12. Turn broiler to high and broil for 2 to 4 minutes, or until bacon is dark brown and crisp.
13. Spread sauce on each plate and place 3 dates on top.
14. Serve warm.

olive oil, garlic, shallots, peppers, tomatoes, kosher salt, dates, chorizo sausage, bacon

Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016054 (may not work)