Are you a fan of Iberian ham? Discover how to prepare a delicious tapa with ham and dates in our new article. A quick and easy recipe but with many nuances of flavour and aroma. Don't miss the ingredients and the step-by-step of this Spanish cuisine recipe made with ham. You can also use Iberian shoulder, or even Serrano ham, depending on your preferences. An ideal appetizer or tapa with an intense flavour that will not leave you indifferent.
The versatility of Iberian ham
Iberico ham is one of the most versatile products in Spanish gastronomy. Its intense flavour and unique texture make it the perfect ingredient to add a special touch to any dish:
Spanish Ham in salads: It can add a special touch to any salad. It can be cut into thin strips and added to a green salad with honey vinaigrette, walnuts and goat cheese, or it can be used as the main ingredient in a salad with tomato, onion and olives.
Spanish Ham in main dishes: It is a great ingredient to add flavour to many main dishes. It can be used to wrap meats or fish, to flavour stews and rice dishes, or even to make a gourmet pizza.
Spanish Ham in tapas: Tapas are an essential part of Spanish gastronomy and Iberian ham is a popular ingredient in many of them. It can be used to make croquettes, to add flavour to patatas bravas, or to wrap prawns in the form of skewers.
spanish Ham in appetizers: The most traditional thing to do is to serve a good Iberian ham cut into thin, small slices on a plate accompanied with freshly toasted bread spread with ripe tomato and a good extra virgin olive oil, but on this occasion, we are going to elaborate a recipe that is originally wrapped with bacon and we are going to use a good ham instead.
The recipe for Iberico ham with dates
It couldn't be simpler. You don't need any seasoning or extra ingredients. At the end I will tell you a trick to enhance the flavour of both products even more.
-INGREDINTS:
-150 gr of Iberian ham or Iberian shoulder ham.
-12 ripe pitted dates
-Cream cheese of your choice at room temperature (Optional)
-Brochette sticks (or simply toothpicks)
-PREPARATION:
-Make a cut along the length of each date and open it a little with your hands to remove the stone or buy them already pitted.
-Fill with a small amount of cream cheese of your preference.
-Lay each slice of ham stretched out on the chopping board and place the date on one end. Now just roll it up.
The slice should not be too long. If you are using a sliced ham, which is usually whole slices, cut it in half. If you are going to cut them directly from the ham leg, make sure they are no more than 8 or 10 cm long and as thin as possible.
This appetizer can be eaten cold, simply rolling the slices of Iberian ham over the dates, but you know that when you heat any food, it releases much more aromas and the flavour is enhanced.
Now that it's getting warmer, here's a refreshing recipe with Iberian ham.
Recommendations
The trick I mentioned before is very simple and will give it a special touch:
Once you have removed the stone from the dates, open them like a book and put them in a frying pan without any oil and at a not very high temperature. Cook them on both sides, but don't let them get toasted. Before they cool, put the cream cheese on them, close them and roll the ham as I mentioned before.
With the heat of the date, the slice of Iberico ham will release its marvellous qualities, releasing the fat and enhancing the flavour and aromas.
Another option is to put them in the frying pan once they have been rolled up, but I don't like this option so much, as there is a risk that the ham will toast or get too hot and release more fat than necessary, which would make the ham dry.
What you can do is put them on a tray and put them in the oven at a temperature of about 100º C for 5 minutes so that they only get hot without the ham getting toasted.
Which Spanish ham to use
You can certainly use any cured ham to make this recipe, it all depends on your preferences.
Some people think that a 100% acorn-fed iberico ham should only be eaten freshly sliced, with nothing else, as any addition or cooking would detract from such a high quality product. But you already know that many famous chefs include it in their dishes, even in fish recipes.
A very good option is to use an Iberico pork shoulder. These pieces have a more pronounced flavour potency, due to their higher proportion of fat.
If you think it is sacrilege to use the highest range of ham or shoulder, you can use an Iberian cebo ham, or even a good Serrano ham. If you opt for the latter option, a Duroc ham or a Trevélez ham would look very good, as although they are not Iberian hams, their proportion of infiltrated fat is higher than that of other white breed pigs.
At the Spanish ham store Jamón Pasión, we have a wide range of the best hams in Spain, so whatever your choice, it will be a sure hit.