Bacon prunes, easy aperitif bites recipe

Driven prunes, fine slices of bacon (smoked or not) or bacon, we roll up everything and after a passage in the oven, you have delicious aperitif bites.

Here is a very traditional aperitif that may seem a little dated because it was a lot served at the end of the 20th century, in the 1980s to 2000, but a bit as for small green bean fagots that we serve as an accompaniment to meat or fish, it always has a crazy success, a small emotional side even where everyone remembers having eaten in its grandmother or such or such occasion.

This is one of those aperitifs which are ultra simple and quick to prepare. When I say aperitif to bite that we love, which requires a little kitchen but which is preparing in less than 5 minutes, what do you think of? Me with the sun pie of course with two rounds of puff pastry and a pesto garnish, pesto rosso, tapenade…, with the white and stock market rollers of my mother-in-law or in the Paris mushrooms garnished with fresh cheese.

In short, I give you some tips and information for this recipe but it is ultra simple.

Small focus on prunes

The prunes are dried fruits obtained from certain varieties of plums. Here is some information on the prunes:

Origin and culture

Originally from Chinaplums are cultivated in many regions of the world, especially in Europe, North America and Asia. They have been cultivated in France since the Middle Ages.
It is thanks to its nutritional values ​​and its ease of transport that prune began to be widespread from the 17th century.

Prune production and igp prune of Agen

The plums are harvested at maturity, then dried to produce prunes. The drying process can be carried out in different ways, mainly by natural dehydration in the sun or by artificial drying in well -ventilated dryers.

Agen’s prune is produced fromA single variety of plum: the plum of En. It benefits from a IGP appellation Geographical indication protected since 2002. which defines the geographic area of Production which is located between Lot-et-Garonne as well as Gironde, Dordogne, Lot, Gers and Tarn-et-Garonne. This implies that all stages, from harvest in orchards to the drying and packaging centers, are carried out in this geographical area.
It takes an average of 3 to 3.5 kg of enclosure plums to obtain 1 kg of Agen prunes.

But why Agen? These are the Garonne ports And their shipping capacities to Bordeaux then to the world which made the city of Agen the starting point for the development of the marketing of prunes, definitively combining its prune name.

Some figures: 40,000 tonnes of Agen IGP prunes are produced per year thanks to plums harvested by 1,140 producers harvest ente plums in orchards which cover an area of ​​11,000 hectares. 52 transformers dry them and finalize these nutritional jewelry. 20% of orchards are in organic farming.
Go to the IGP Pruneaux d’Agen website and you will get more information as well as lots of recipes with prunes.

Nutritional values ​​of prune

Prunes are rich in dietary fiberespecially in soluble fibers. They are also a source of vitamins and minerals, including Vitamins A, B6 and K, of potassium (610 mg per 100 g), from copper (0.23 mg per 100 g) and iron. In addition, prunes are rich in antioxidants.

Prune is either fairly rich (229 kcal per 100 gr) because of its large amount of sugars. It is distributed as follows: Sorbitol (25 %), fructose (25 %) and glucose (50 %). These sugars have a double effect: fast effect and slow sugar thanks to fructose. Perfect for effort!

Health benefits: In addition to preventing or relieving constipation due to their high fiber content, prunes can contribute to bone health because of their vitamin K and mineral content. In addition, antioxidants present in prunes can help protect cells from damage caused by free radicals. Potassium and copper contribute to the normal functioning of the nervous system. In addition, copper contributes to the normal transport of iron in the body.
Vitamin B6 (0.25 mg per 100 g) helps reduce fatigue and normal functioning of the immune system.
It is the ideal hunger cutting food containing carbohydrates quickly assimilated by the body, which makes it a perfect “fuel” for our brain!
I invite you to read more about this super food.

Conservation prune

The prunes keep well at room temperature in a cool and dry place.
They can also be preserved in the refrigerator for a longer shelf life.

So nothing could be simpler. We buy from Fine slices of bacon. Ideally at the butcher of course, he will decide them in front of you, if not at the supermarket. The smoked bacon is even better.
We choose Driven prunes. Otherwise we take his pain in patience and a knife, and we make small incisions to remove the nuclei.
Then each prune is wrapped in a slice of smoked bacon.

What a cooking time

We has this on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper By wedging well the end of the bacon slice under the prune so that it does not take place in the oven.
And we Baked in the oven for a dozen minutes at 180 ° C. 10 to 15 minutesdepending on your oven. Look at and enjoy the cooking of the bacon. 2 minutes before the end, put the Grill function To obtain a very crisp rendering.

You can also make these prunes in bacon in the pan.