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Makes 40 pieces Makes 1⅔ cups sauce

Dates

40 whole almonds, with skin

40 dates, about 1½ pounds, pitted

20 bacon slices, halved

Green Olive Sauce

Extra-virgin olive oil

2 shallots, sliced

1 dried red chile, minced

½ pound green Spanish olives, pitted

¼ bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lay the almonds on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake for 10 minutes or until the nuts are lightly toasted. Remove from the oven. When cool enough to handle, stuff an almond inside each date. Wrap a piece of bacon around the date so the ends stick together. Put them on cookie sheets and bake until the bacon is crisp, 20 to 25 minutes. While that is happening, make the olive sauce.

In a small skillet, heat a 2-count drizzle of oil. Sauté the shallots and chile over low heat for 8 minutes, until caramelized. Let them cool a bit and then scrape them into a food processor. Add the olives, parsley, vinegar, and ½ cup of oil. Puree a good 3 minutes, until totally smooth. Serve the dates with the olive sauce for dipping and some funky toothpicks. Delicioso!

Cured Sardine Toasts

with Red Pepper and Basil

1½ hours including curing time

This hors d’oeuvre is straight from the tapas bars of southern Spain. A few of these with a glass of sangría and I’m in heaven. It’s important to have your local fish guy fillet the sardines for you and save yourself the hassle. Spanish paprika is truly an underrated spice—it has a very satisfying smoky flavor that intensifies the taste of the roasted peppers. I have been experimenting with it in everything lately because I love its depth.

Makes 24 pieces

2 pounds small whole sardines, filleted, about 24 pieces

1 orange, unpeeled and thinly sliced

½ cup sherry vinegar

2 tablespoons white sherry

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 bay leaves, crumbled

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon sea salt

Extra-virgin olive oil

5 red bell peppers

1½ teaspoons sweet paprika, preferably Spanish

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 baguette, sliced into 24 (1-inch) circles

1 bunch fresh basil

½ cup pine nuts, toasted and ground

Arrange the sardines in a single layer, flesh side down, in a shallow dish. Lay the orange slices on top of the sardines. Mix together the sherry vinegar, sherry, garlic, bay leaves, sugar, salt, and a 4-count of oil. Pour the marinade over the sardines and oranges; cover and let cure in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the broiler. Pull out the tops of the red peppers; then cut them in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Place the peppers on a cookie sheet, skin side up, and broil for about 10 minutes to let them really char and blister. Put the peppers into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and steam for about 10 minutes to loosen the skins; then peel. Slice the peppers into 3-inch pieces and toss with the paprika and a 4-count of oil. Season the pepper strips with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush each side of the bread slices with oil and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, until toasty and golden.

To put these beauties together, lay a piece of roasted pepper on each toasted bread slice. Stick a large basil leaf on top. Remove the sardine slices from the orange marinade and slice them in half so they will fit nicely on the toasted bread. Lay the sardines, skin side up, across the basil. Finish it up with a sprinkle of toasted pine nuts and serve. This truly is the perfect bite!

Slow-Roasted Spanish Olives with Oranges and Almonds

Slow-Roasted Spanish Olives

with Oranges and Almonds

2 hours 10 minutes

These are my girlfriend’s favorite. I make them in batches to have in the fridge to snack on.

Serves 20

2 pounds Spanish olives, such as manzanilla or gordal, with pits

1 orange, unpeeled, sliced into inch circles

1 cup whole almonds, with skin

¼ cup sherry vinegar

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 bay leaves

10 fresh thyme sprigs

1 red chile pepper, halved lengthwise

Preheat the oven