Bacon Wrapped Fettucine Dates Recipe
house – made pasta, thai basil, lemon organic jumbo medjool dates, cream, spinach & tomato blue cheese, chipotle aioli
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Ingredients
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Pasta & Sauce
Dates & Bacon
Chipotle Aioli
Finishing & Garnish
Method
Chipotle Aioli
- 1
Make the aioli
In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, minced chipotle in adobo (start with 1 tsp and add more to taste), lime juice, grated garlic, smoked paprika and 1/2 tsp salt until smooth. Taste and adjust heat or salt. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Dates & Bacon
- 2
Prepare dates
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) if finishing in oven. Pat Medjool dates dry with a paper towel. If dates are not already pitted, slice lengthwise and remove the pit, keeping each date intact as much as possible.
- 3
Wrap dates
Wrap each pitted date with one slice of bacon, overlapping edges. Secure bacon with a toothpick through the center of the date. Trim bacon if necessary so ends meet neatly.
- 4
Cook bacon-wrapped dates
Choose one of two methods: stovetop sear or oven bake. For stovetop: heat 1 tsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add bacon-wrapped dates seam-side down and sear 2–3 minutes per side until bacon is crisp and evenly browned, rotating to cook all sides; transfer to paper towels to rest. For oven: place dates on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake 15–18 minutes, turning once halfway, until bacon is crisp. If bacon isn’t fully crisp, broil 1–2 minutes while watching closely. Remove toothpicks before serving or leave them in for presentation and caution guests.
Pasta & Sauce
- 5
Cook pasta
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add house-made fettuccine and cook until al dente (fresh pasta 2–3 minutes; dried 9–11 minutes). Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and set aside briefly.
- 6
Prepare cream sauce
While pasta cooks, melt 2 tbs butter in a wide sauté pan over medium heat. Add halved tomatoes and cook 2–3 minutes until they begin to soften. Pour in 1 cup heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir in lemon zest and lemon juice. Add spinach in batches, stirring until wilted. Season with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper.
- 7
Combine pasta and sauce
Add drained fettuccine to the cream sauce and toss to coat, adding reserved pasta water, 1–2 tablespoons at a time, to loosen sauce and achieve desired consistency. Fold in torn or chopped Thai basil. Remove from heat and sprinkle crumbled blue cheese into the pasta; toss gently so some blue cheese melts into the sauce while leaving small pockets of flavor.
Assembly & Finish
- 8
Plate
Divide the fettuccine among 4 plates (servings). On each plate, arrange 3 bacon-wrapped dates around or on top of the pasta.
- 9
Garnish and serve
Drizzle 1–2 tablespoons of the chipotle aioli over each plate or serve aioli on the side. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan and a few extra Thai basil leaves over each portion. Offer lemon wedges alongside for extra brightness. Serve immediately while pasta is hot and dates are crisp.