An odd but perfect pairing.

Intro

Dates can be like cockroaches, especially when they end up supine. Or when you meet them in strange places like dating apps.

"Looking like a cockroach doesn't make me any less dateable," she said.

Not me. I met my Prosciutto at the supermarket.

She's Italian. And she fetched a high price. But it's understandable, considering how far she had to travel.

She's thin, I'll tell you that. And salty. Or sultry, I guess. (My English is not very good, but it's definitely one of those two.)

She was wrapped up in transparent plastic.

I know, right!

And that was every single slice of hers. I had to go through layers to get to her core.

And boy was she sweet when I got there!

Let's go it step by step.

Prosciutto-Wrapped Stuffed Date

"Go stuff yourself," she said.

Not all my dates end up with someone getting stuffed. Often I enjoy a date just by itself. Before Sunset style. Just conversing.

But I had a recipe to follow this time. I was a man with a culinary mission!

So I propositioned her. I didn't get the reaction I was expecting. Don't all women dream of getting propositioned? (Or is that "getting proposed to"? Again, you will excuse my English. I hope she will, too.)

Initially she told me to go stuff myself. But when I explained that my stuffing is made of walnuts, parsley, orange zest, and olive oil, she got curious. She had tried getting covered in oil before, but not these other stuff.

I mean, to be honest, the combo is very out-there. I wasn't expecting much.

Boy was I wrong!

It was quite nice.

So nice, in fact, that we had several.

I'm no Ace Ventura, but let's say we had at least three.

Results

This is, and should be treated as, a delicatesse. 3 of these is enough. More than 3 makes your tongue feel scraped, probably as a result of the salt used to cure the prosciutto.

But it's a sweet, despite the salt! There was even a hint of melomakarono to them, probably because of the walnuts, orange zest, and olive oil, but also because of the general sweetness.

The only real con for me is the time it takes to make the wraps. It's a rather repetitive and annoying process, and I'd be lying if I said I ended up with the expected 24 wraps. Some went missing, I don't know where, and you have no way of knowing I'm pointing at my mouth right now.

D'oh!

Otherwise I would gladly make them more often.

I made them initially as a side, in a vein much similar to my last food post, but then realized these are better served as standalone sweets, not accompaniments to dishes. But they can easily be served as a satisfying and satiating hors d'oeuvre.

Sneak pic.

Final verdict:

Pros:
Sweet.
Pretty.
Quite healthy for a sweet.
Doesn't require fancy kitchen equipment.
Kept them in the fridge for 3 days and they were just as good, if not better, on the third day.

Cons:
Can be considered pricey, depending where you live.
Takes time to make.

The cookbook

Prosciutto-Wrapped Stuffed Dates in The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook: 500 Vibrant, Kitchen-Tested Recipes for Living and Eating Well Every Day, by The Editors at America's Test Kitchen.

All pics by yours truly.

Past episodes:

3: Cookbook With Me #3 - Something to Dip about

2: Cookbook With Me #2 - Evocative Almond Cake!

1: Cookbook With Me #1 - Surprisingly Good Pickled Okra!

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@alexander.alexis is a @greek-trail trailer and trailee