Today the Stanford Program in Iranian Studies hosted a screening of Nasrin Sotoudeh’s documentary. In it, the religious government calls to ask her if she is Muslim, in which case she’d be fine, but she refuses to answer. She says “This is a personal matter. It is my own business,” and she hangs up.
I thought if I tell him that I am a Muslim, maybe we would live in a safe haven, but we would also be ignorant of the situation of hundreds of thousands of non-Muslims. Jews, Christians, Baha’is, Zoroastrians, Communists, Liberals, Athiests, all these different groups! Like all other societies, ours also includes these groups. All of them would be in danger. On top of that, one day my turn would come. Because they would come after me again, and they would ask me, “What kind of Muslim are you? Are you Shia? Are you Sunni? Are you Wahhabi? Are you Rafezi? Are you Athna Ashari? Are you Zeidi?” All these would be considered. Even if your sect would be precisely the same as theirs, they would turn to political views. I thought it’s better not to say anything from the start.
Reminded me of Martin Niemöller prose from the Holocaust –
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
It’s strange that history repeats itself despite all of our education (looking at you, 2020 US Election). But anyway, I’m writing all of this to say – this recipe contains bacon, and I do not wish to end up in the Evin prison for corrupting your morality if you don’t eat pork, but it is the perfect potluck dish. Dates aren’t common in southern cuisine, but this is an excellent excuse to try them! I got this recipe from an Italian chef at The Villa in Palmer Lake. Nooshe joon!
PS – It tastes better than it looks. The rest of my photos are lovely because the beautiful and talented iDing edits them, but I was left to my own devices tonight.
PrintBacon Wrapped Dates with Goat Cheese and Balsamic-Honey Reduction
Delicious bacon wrapped dates with goat cheese and a balsamic-honey reduction
Ingredients
- 8 slices thin bacon
- 16 dates
- 4 oz goat cheese
- toothpicks! Don’t forget the toothpicks
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/8 cup honey
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Slice the dates lengthwise on one side to create an opening. Remove the pit.
- Using a spoon, stuff a small amount of goat cheese into the cavity of each date and press the sides together to close.
- Cut the bacon slices in half. Wrap each date with a slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick.
- Arrange evenly on a baking sheet with raised edges (otherwise grease will get everywhere) and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the dates and use the toothpick to turn each one so it’s laying on its side. Bake for another 5-8 minutes or until browned to your liking, and turn the dates to the other side and repeat. Remove from the oven and let stand while preparing the balsamic honey reduction.
- Simmer balsamic vinegar & honey until the mixture is thickened and reduced by about half. Let cool. Drizzle over the bacon-wrapped dates and serve.
Notes
You can also serve this 2 parts balsamic/1 part honey sauce as a topping for strawberries and ice cream. Adjust the balance of sweet with tart to your liking (I like to keep it a little tart) by adding a bit of extra honey if necessary.
