Recipes: Cooking With Dates | Four Courses & a Cocktail

Directions
Cook beans with dried chile ahead of time, using three times the amount of water to beans. Salt and pepper to taste. Stuff medjool dates with Spanish goat cheese and set aside to grill. To prep the bison, clean silverskin and, if using a whole tenderloin, portion the meat; set aside.

Smoke tomatoes 30 minutes separately; you’re looking for soft, smoky tomatoes. Peel them, place in a bowl, and break up or separate them to about 1-inch pieces. Peel 1 carrot and cut into julienne strips or small dice. Blanch in boiling water for 60 seconds, strain.

Start a fire and allow the wood to burn down slightly to a medium fire, keeping the grate close to heat for precise cooking. As the fire comes down from high, place the stuffed medjool dates on the fire to mark with grill and par-melt the cheese inside the date to your liking (approximately 1–2 minutes).

Coat bison with extra-virgin olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Check the fire for a medium flame and add wood if necessary; lay bison gently on the fire, turn, and cook to medium rare. After cooking, rest for 2–3 minutes.

Meanwhile, with beans cooked, strain all but half the liquid. (They should appear saucy.) Remove from fire. Add bahri dates, tomatoes, and carrots. Add spinach and stir. Taste for salt and pepper. Flavor should be smoky, sweet, salty, and spicy.

To serve, use a warm plate. With a slotted spoon, to avoid too much liquid, add the date/bean/tomato mixture on the center of the plate, ensuring all ingredients are visible. Add bison on top. Arrange grilled stuffed medjool dates around the bison. Add leeks for garnish.