I went to a potluck last night…
Normally, I hate potlucks with a passion – usually there is very little that I can eat, and there is also always the risk that the few things that I can eat have been cross-contaminated simply by people not realizing that dropping crumbs or grated cheese or whatever all over other dishes (or even worse, using the spoon from one dish to serve themselves from another) means that there will be people who either cannot eat the food, or who may react badly.
For this particular potluck, I decided that I was going to make 2 dishes that I could eat – both appetizers…
And I made sure that they were placed right at the back of the table where there would be no accidental cross contamination from other foods – in fact, the only other foods around my dishes were some salad and some cut-up fruit
Both of these dishes make wonderful appetizers, but are also great to pack in lunch-boxes (ensure that they contents are kept cold), or for snacks… and of course they are wonderful to bring to a potluck.
I really could have made more than I did – both went very fast… my dishes were the only ones that were empty at the end of the night!
Both of these recipes are 100% AIP as long as the bacon that is used is also AIP (be careful – somecures use “spices” that could contain nightshades). If possible, try to use bacon that comes from pastured pork, and I like to avoid the ones that contain added (chemical) nitrates as I prefer more natural cures that contain salt, sugar and celery juice (which does contain nitrates, but in a more natural form). I prefer to use thin-cut bacon for these recipes as it does not take so long to crisp up.
The first recipe I made was Bacon Wrapped Prunes, that I stuffed with a home-made chicken liver pate.
If you choose to buy a pate instead of making your own, read the ingredients carefully to be sure that it does not contain any non-AIP ingredients, or those that you do not tolerate well. Most bought pate’s will contain dairy and non-AIP spices. Of course if you are not AIP, or you tolerate the ingredients well, then that is not a problem…
The prunes, as I discovered made for a VERY rich mouthful when combined with the pate and the bacon… one or two are enough for most people. But they are so delicious with the salty bacon combining with the sweetness of the prunes and the rich creaminess of the pate.
Pate Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Prunes
Makes 20-25 individual “bites”
- 6 TBSP Chicken Liver Pate – preferably homemade
- 375g (aprox. 13oz) pack of bacon (preferably made from pastured pork)
- 20-30 prunes
- wooden co*cktail sticks
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a shallow-rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (this makes for an easier clean-up).
Cut each strip of bacon into 3, crosswise across the strip, and lie them out on a cutting board.
Take your prunes, and stuff each one with¼tsp chicken liver pate. This can get messy fast! Just try to keep your hands as clean as you can.
Lie the stuffed prunes at one end of each strip of bacon, then roll the bacon around the stuffed prunes, securing the end with a co*cktail stick.
Lie the prunes on the prepared baking sheet with the free end at the bottom (it helps to stop them unrolling while they cook.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes until the bacon is crispy, turning at the 15 minute mark.
Remove to a wire rack to allow any fat to drain off.
These are good served hot or cold… I served them cold at the pot-luck.
The second appetizer that I made was Bacon Wrapped Shrimp.
These are really easy to make, and taste delicious. They were the first thing to disappear at the potluck!
Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
Makes 25-30 individual “bites”
- 349g (aprox 12oz) bag of peeled (tail on) raw shrimp (thawed if frozen). I used 31-40 count shrimp
- 375g (aprox 13oz) pack bacon (preferably from pastured pork)
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a shallow-rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (this makes for an easier cleanup).
Cut each slice of bacon into half lengthwise, and then half again crosswise to give 4 long thin strips of bacon.
Take a piece of bacon, and starting at the head-end, wrap it around the shrimp, ending at the tail.
Place the wrapped shrimp, end-side down, on the prepared baking sheet.
Repeat for the rest of the shrimp and the bacon.
Bake the shrimp for 10 minutes in the oven. Remove and drain off any liquid that has accumulated.
Turn the oven to broil (grill if you are in the UK), and cookthe shrimp to crisp the bacon on both sides (this took around 5 minutes per side).
Place the crisped shrimp on a wire rack to drain off any extra fat.
Serve hot or cold (I served these cold at the pot-luck).
Make lots! They go fast…. But in the unlikely event that there are leftovers, store them in the fridge to eat as snacks.
Shared at Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable #65
Shared at Simply Natural Saturdays
Shared at Awesome Life Friday
Shared at What to do Weekends
