Prunes with bacon, Recipe for easy appetizers

Pitted prunes, thin slices of bacon (smoked or not) or bacon, you roll it all up and after baking, you have delicious appetizers.

Here is a very traditional aperitif which may seem a little dated because it was widely served at the end of the 20th century, in the 1980s to 2000s, but a bit like the small bundles of green beans that are served with meat or fish, it is always a huge success, a little emotional side even where everyone remembers having eaten it at their grandmother’s house or on this or that occasion.

This is one of those appetizers that is super simple and quick to prepare. When I say aperitif to grab that we love, which requires a little cooking but which can be prepared in less than 5 minutes, what do you think of? Me with the sun tart of course with two rounds of puff pastry and a pesto topping, pesto rosso, tapenade…, with my mother-in-law’s white ham and Boursin rolls or even with button mushrooms garnished with cream cheese.

In short, I’ll give you some advice and information for this recipe but it’s super simple.

A little focus on prunes

Prunes are dried fruits obtained from certain varieties of plums. Here is some information about prunes:

Origin and culture

Originally from Chinaplums are grown in many parts of the world, including 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 the prune began to be widely distributed from the 17th century.

Production of prunes and Agen prune IGP

Plums are harvested when ripe, 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.

The Agen prune is produced fromonly one variety of plum: the Ente plum. It benefits from a IGP appellation Geographical Indication Protected since 2002. which defines the geographical 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 harvesting in the orchards to drying and packaging centers, are carried out in this geographical area.
It takes on average 3 to 3.5 kg of Ente plums to obtain 1 kg of Agen prunes.

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

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

Nutritional values ​​of prune

Prunes are rich in dietary fiberparticularly in soluble fiber. They are also a source of vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, B6 and K, of potassium (610 mg per 100 g), copper (0.23 mg per 100 g) and iron. Additionally, prunes are rich in antioxidants.

The prune is either quite rich (229 kcal per 100 gr) because of its large quantity 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 the effort!

Health benefits: Besides preventing or relieving constipation due to their high fiber content, prunes may contribute to bone health due to their vitamin K and mineral content. Additionally, the antioxidants found in prunes may 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) contributes to reducing fatigue and the normal functioning of the immune system.
It is the ideal appetite suppressant food containing carbohydrates that are quickly assimilated by the body, which makes it a perfect “fuel” for our brain!
I invite you to read more about this superfood.

Conservation prune

Prunes keep well at room temperature in a cool, dry place.
They can also be stored in the refrigerator for a longer shelf life.

How to make these bacon prunes

How to make prune rolls with bacon

So nothing could be simpler. We buy thin slices of bacon. Ideally at the butcher of course, he will slice them in front of you, otherwise at the supermarket. Smoked bacon is even better.
We choose pitted prunes. Otherwise we take our patience and a knife, and we make small incisions to remove the cores.
Then we wrap each prune in a slice of smoked bacon.

What cooking time

We place this on a baking tray covered with parchment paper by placing the end of the slice of bacon under the prune so that it does not unroll in the oven.
And we baked for twelve minutes at 180°C. 10 to 15 minsdepending on your oven. Watch and enjoy the bacon cooking. 2 minutes before the end, turn on the grill function to obtain a very crispy result.

You can also make these prunes with bacon in a pan.