Between the July 4th holiday, and the fact that I am currently in the air en route to Vegas (pray for me), it’s been a short and hectic week here at FMP headquarters. I put a lot of my guts on the table this past Wednesday, and if you made it through that epic Wellness Project 6 month update, then by George, you certainly deserve an easy hearts of palm appetizer for your efforts.
I know that the biggest party of the summer is now behind us, but I’m hoping you haven’t forsaken all the other opportunities for al fresco glory that lie in front of you. That said, if you’re still as exhausted as I am after the long weekend’s cooking extravaganza, you’re going to need something mindless and foolproof. Something that involves bacon and only two other ingredients. Something like a plate of bacon-wrapped hearts of palm bites.
I first encountered these crispy little marvels last winter in Brazil. And they were a healthy hedonist revelation. Salty crunchy bacon, wrapped around sweet, briny hearts of palm (fiber, people!). The version we ate in Paraty was made with fresh hearts, which is something that sadly only people living close to the actual tree can enjoy. Hearts of palm are very perishable, hence why you can only find them canned in the States. But I promise you that they’re equally delicious this way.
I developed this recipe back in January (upon my return from Rio) for Food & Wine’s website, along with a slew of other Brazilian treats for the upcoming Olympics. Start planning your opening ceremony viewing party now and add them to the list. You’ll be in 100 times better planning shape than the Olympics themselves.
Or if you’ve been wondering what to feed your rogue Paleo house guest in a few weekends, just give them a plate of these. Then make a second (and third) batch and try to pace yourself while inhaling them. A little basic pesto or homemade chimmichuri is great for dipping.
Have a great weekend everyone, and let’s hope mine in Sin City is only slightly more sinful than this bacon!
xo
Phoebe
Bacon-Wrapped Hearts of Palm
Ingredients
- 5 strips of bacon sliced in half width-wise
- 5 whole hearts of palm from one 15-ounce can, sliced in half width-wise
- 1/3 cup basic basil pesto
Instructions
- 1.Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Wrap each heart of palm with a strip of bacon. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, arrange the bacon-wrapped palm tubes seam-side down so they don’t unravel.
- Bake until the bacon is browned on the bottom, about 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and rotate the hearts of palm. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes, until the fat is completely rendered and the bacon is crispy.
- Serve warm alongside the pesto for dipping.
I love hearts of palm. I always think of them as being cold food, so to pair them with crisp hot bacon is really intriguing. I’m jealous you got to eat the real thing in Brazil.
you will love these
These were fantastic and my family loved the dip. The hearts of palm pairing with bacon was genius by the way :). What kind of camera do you use or these photos? They look great!
thanks scott! so glad you made them! which sauce did you use? I have a Canon D5 Mark III
Edit the instructions: lengthwise means to slice it the long way. If reading the recipe without the photos, the result would be entirely different.
great catch – thanks! tis a very old recipe 🙂