Puff Pastry Shells with Chorizo, Dates & Pine Nuts

Few things make me giddier than party appetizers.

Puffy little spicy things. Or salty things. Or cheesy things. Or filled with meat-y things.

Um...especially the filled with meat-y things...

They remind me of the frozen mini puff pastry appetizer trays my mom used to buy and bake for holiday parties when we were growing up. There were little spinach triangles and sauce something-or-others. I'd hang around near them from the minute they came out of the oven to when the leftovers were being put away.

Hot and puffed, they'd burn my fingertips and my tongue, but were fantastic.

Throughout the party, I'd make a point of drifting by, filling up a plate or my hands with 2 or 3...all casual, casual in my poofy party dress.

My mom telling me to stop eating them all. I'd deny it, though the flaky crumbs on my bodice always gave me away.

These Puff Pastry Shells with Chorizo, Dates & Pine Nuts bring that all back. The perfect easy party appetizer, they're like a slightly fancier version of those store-bought ones.

The shells you can buy frozen, or even make your own (super easy, and kind of super fun, too). Then the filling you just saute for a couple minutes and boom! Done.

The flavors here are total Spanish tapas-inspired: Spicy chorizo sausage. Sweet dates. Crunchy, slightly meaty pine nuts.

And, like always, you can totally customize these to make them your own or to fill out the appetizer tray.

Some Ideas: Swap in spicy Italian sausage or a Moroccan merguez made with lamb. The pine nuts could easily be replaced with chopped almonds, walnuts or hazelnuts.

The dates? Try apricots, cranberries or classic raisins.

I bet a vegetarian version using seasoned sauteed mushrooms would be fantastic, too...

You can't go wrong with these unless you eat them all before the guests arrive. (Not that I'd judge you for that.)

Happy Everything!

****
Loved this recipe? Let's connect so you can find out the next time I post! Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest, become a fan on Facebook, or sign up to receive my once-a-week e-mail updates. 

Thanks so much for reading!     

Puff Pastry Shells with Chorizo, Dates & Pine Nuts
By Alejandra Ramos, AlwaysOrderDessert.com

Frozen puff pastry shells are baked then filled with an easy sweet and savory filling that’s reminiscent of Spanish tapas. The chorizo filling can be prepared up to 48 hours in advance, and then reheated just before assembling and serving the appetizers.

Yields 12 appetizers

Ingredients
12 puff pastry shells
1 pound (about 4 links) fresh chorizo sausage in casing
1 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
4 large medjool dates, pitted and diced
1 cup beef stock
¼ cup dry sherry
½ cup toasted pine nuts
Fresh thyme, flaky sea salt, for garnish

Directions
Bake puff pastry shells according to package directions. Push in or remove the centers to create a well.

Remove chorizo from casing, crumble into a saucepan over medium heat, and cook until browned. (If your chorizo is not very fatty, you may need to add 2 tablespoons of olive oil or other fat to the pan.) Add the smoked paprika, dates, beef stock, and sherry, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and let simmer 3-5 minutes, or until liquid has reduced and turned into a glaze. Stir in the pine nuts.

Divide filling into baked puff pastry shells, and garnish with a sprinkle of thyme and flaky sea salt.

0

Sweet Corn, Chorizo, and Date Hash

This is the sort of dish that happens in my kitchen the day after I do groceries. Especially during the summertime, when the bounty is particularly inspiring.

This is also the sort of thing that makes Eugene say, "You're using up all the delicious things at once!"

Damn straight, I am! (And I won't apologize for it!)

What we have here is THE perfect summer side dish: a Sweet Corn, Chorizo, and Date Hash. There are also capers and onions in it, but the name was getting too long. The capers are actually quite key to the whole dish, so don't even think about skipping them. They add this incredible briny, salty flavor that pairs beautifully with the milky corn and sticky dates. Every single time I took a bite of this that had the caper in it, I re-surprised myself with how perfectly they worked.

Maybe I should rename this recipe and give the capers their due...

I don't mean to be pushy, but I really want you to make this recipe.  The flavors are incredible! It's bright and colorful and the perfect balance of salty, spicy, and sweet, and you pretty much just make the whole dish in one skillet. I served this with broiled wild coho salmon, but I bet it would also be great with thin pan-seared chicken breasts or grilled shrimp or even just a couple runny poached eggs!

Oooh...I bet you could even add a little sour cream or Greek yogurt, and roll this into soft tortillas for a bad ass taco.

Now...let's talk about the colors! I found these gorgeous ears of local sweet red corn while browsing Fresh Direct last week, and decided to add a few to the cart just for fun. They were a little pricier than the regular yellow corn (about $1 per ear), but the description indicated that the corn changes colors depending on the cooking method. They said it turns maroon when you roast it, blue if you boil it, and purple in the microwave.

And...yeah...I just couldn't resist the possibility of rainbow corn.

In hindsight, I should have bought three and tested the different methods, but I didn't. Maybe I'll do that next week. I'll post a pic on my Facebook page if I do.

Anyway, I bought these, along with a few bi-color sweet corn and knew that I wanted to do something a little bit more fun with them to celebrate the gorgeous color. I had the broiler on for the salmon, so I just rubbed them with a little bit of olive oil and placed them under the flame for a few minutes until charred.

You could also just put it right over the flame of your gas stove, roast them in the oven, or char them on a cast iron grill pan. Whatever you prefer!

I'm so glad I made extra. I'll be having the leftovers for breakfast today.

****
Like this recipe? Share the photo and link with a friend on Facebook or Pinterest so that more folks can enjoy it! I'd also love if you'd consider subscribing to my newsletter, follow me on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook, or sign up to receive my once-a-week e-mail updates by filling in your address in the box on the right. If you're in the NYC area, be sure to check out my NYC dinner party style cooking classes. 

Thanks for reading & sharing!

Sweet Corn, Chorizo, and Date Hash Recipe
Serves 4 as a side 

Ingredients
4 ears sweet corn
Extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
Kosher salt and black pepper
1/2 pound Spanish chorizo sausage (about 3 links)
1/4 cup sherry (substitute vermouth or chicken broth)
1/4 cup dates, pitted and diced
3 tablespoons capers in brine

Directions
Preheat broiler. Rub corn with oil and place on a baking sheet under the broiler, turning every 4 minutes until cooked and slightly charred. (You can also grill or roast the corn, if preferred.) Let corn cool slightly and use a knife to cut kernels off cob. Set aside.

While the corn cooks, place a large heavy-bottomed skillet (such as cast iron) over medium-high heat and add two tablespoons oil. Add the diced onion and saute until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the diced chorizo and continue to cook until heated through and slightly charred. Stir in the sherry and dates and let cook until the liquid reduces.  Remove from heat. Stir in the capers and the corn kernals, and season with kosher salt and black pepper, to taste.

0