Effortless bacon

Sometimes you don't want to stand over a hot skillet for 20 minutes, dodging hot bacon grease, you know?

I like to cook whole packages of bacon at a time, then save them in a Ziploc bag and use them in wraps or as a quick breakfast boost throughout the week. This is a great way to cook a lot of bacon at once, with a minimum of effort.

Line a cookie sheet with foil. Fold the edges up so the bacon grease won't drip over the sides.

Line the foil with strips of raw bacon.

Put the sheet in a cold oven.

Turn the oven on and set it to 400 degrees.

Come back in about 20 minutes. At that point keep checking the bacon every couple of minutes until it's done the way you like it.

Remove the sheet, remove the bacon immediately onto paper towels, and fold up the foil so that you can easily pour off the bacon grease and save it.

Put the cookie sheet away and throw away the foil.

All done!

Succotash with ramps

Succotash (traditionally a mixture of lima beans, corn, possibly black-eyed peas, and bacon) can be a meal in itself, especially with the bacon. I like it because it doesn't require any fresh ingredients: you can pull a bag of frozen lima beans and a bag of frozen corn out of your freezer and have something delicious to eat 20 minutes later.

I've made this succotash before, but this one had a bunch of fresh ramps added in--greens and all. The ramps gave it a great green-oniony element. Season liberally with salt and pepper.

Roasted cauliflower with bacon

I found cauliflower on sale at the farmer's market, so I turned it into a quick, hearty side dish. (I've also made roasted cauliflower with paprika.)

1 head cauliflower, broken into florets
3 slices of uncooked bacon, in bite-size pieces
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and cut in half
Olive oil

Toss everything together and drizzle with olive oil. Roast at 375 for 15-20 minutes, or until the cauliflower is starting to color and the bacon is crisp. Salt and pepper to taste.

Red wine and bacon pinto beans

So far this month I've spent a little over $100 on food. Not bad when you consider that I spent way, way more than that last month (start-up pantry costs).

My stepson is coming to visit next week, and I know I'll need to get some groceries for his visit. I'm trying to put off that trip to the store until at least the weekend. My fridge is getting a little bare, but it's nothing I can't handle for a few more days.

So, yesterday's challenge: find something fun to do with that last bag of dried beans. In this case, pinto beans.

I got this recipe from the New York Times. Added bonus: it used up the rest of that bottle of terrible Rioja I had. Sometimes a wine is just so bad you have to save it for cooking, you know?

This isn't quite a stew. It's more like slightly wet beans.

1/2 pound smoky bacon, diced
1 large onion, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 large sprigs rosemary
1 pound dried pinto beans, soaked overnight
1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt, more to taste
2 cups dry red wine
Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving (optional)
Coarsely grated Parmesan, for serving (optional)
Coarsely ground black pepper or red pepper flakes, for serving (optional)

In the bottom of a large pot over medium-high heat, brown bacon until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in onion, celery, carrots, garlic and rosemary. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain beans and add to pot along with 1 tablespoon salt. Pour in enough water to just cover the beans (about 7 to 8 cups). Bring liquid to a boil; reduce heat and simmer gently until beans are just tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Meanwhile, in a small pot over medium heat, simmer wine until it is reduced to 2/3 cup, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove rosemary branches from bean pot and discard them. Pour wine into beans and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 to 20 minutes longer to meld flavors and thicken broth to taste. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan, if desired; add more salt and black or red pepper to taste.

Kale salad with bacon,butternut squash and toasted almonds

I adapted this recipe from Bon Appetit. I used half a head of kale, and supplemented with mixed mesclun greens. I used half a butternut squash, too.

I have to say, this was the tastiest salad I've had for a long time.

8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 medium shallot, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups roasted and cubed butternut squash
1 bunch kale, stems removed, cut into 1/2-inch wide ribbons (about 5 cups)
4 pieces of bacon, cooked, and torn into pieces
3/4 cup whole almonds, toasted, coarsely chopped
Parmesan (for shaving)

Whisk oil, vinegar, shallot, and Dijon mustard in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add kale and cook, tossing frequently, until bright green and slightly wilted, 1–2 minutes. Remove from heat; add 3–4 Tbsp. dressing and toss to coat. Add squash, bacon and almonds to kale; toss well and season with pepper. Divide among bowls; drizzle with more dressing, if desired. Using a vegetable peeler, shave Parmesan over.

Bacon, potato and red pepper hash

Ah, hash. I've made white bean breakfast hash, sausage and potato hash, blue potato and corn hash, even sweet potato hash. Really just an excuse to eat crispy-fried potatoes, with other things.

This hash is one of those everything-left-in-the-fridge dishes. I simultaneously used up the rest of the potatoes, the bacon, two giant red peppers, and half a bag of frozen lima beans. And because I'll put a fried egg on top, the rest of the eggs, too.

Feel free to use this as a template, to empty your own refrigerator.

Dice some potatoes, and boil in water until almost but not quite cooked through. Drain. Fry some bacon. Remove the actual bacon and saute one diced onion and two diced red peppers in the bacon grease. When soft, add the potatoes back in, and any frozen veggies. Keep the heat on high and keep an eye on it. Stir it enough to keep it from burning, but not so much that you keep it in constant motion--you want a nice brown sear on everything. (I also threw in four diced mushrooms, just 'cause.)

When sufficiently browned, season with salt and pepper, crumble the cooked bacon on top, and serve with an egg on top. Good any time of day.

Butternut squash and bacon baked pasta

This is really a casserole, but nobody likes the word "casserole," so we'll call it baked pasta instead. Any shape of pasta will do. I threw in an acorn squash, too.

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
6 sweet hickory-smoked bacon slices (raw)
1 cup thinly sliced shallots
8 ounces uncooked mini penne (tube-shaped pasta)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp provolone cheese
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425°. Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, rosemary, and pepper. Place squash on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt mixture. Bake at 425° for 45 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. Increase oven temperature to 450°. Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 1/2 teaspoons drippings in pan; crumble bacon. Increase heat to medium-high. Add shallots to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender. Combine squash mixture, bacon, and shallots; set aside.

Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain well. Combine flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add provolone, stirring until cheese melts. Add pasta to cheese mixture, tossing well to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray; top with squash mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown.

Bucatini with broccoli rabe, bacon and goat cheese

Broccoli rabe is one of those great bitter fall greens. It's versatile, and it was on sale last week. Also on sale: bucatini (hollow spaghetti).

1 lb bucatini (or spaghetti)
1 head broccoli rabe, chopped
1 leek, chopped
6-7 slices of bacon, in chunks
2 tablespoons dried sage
1 log of goat cheese
Salt and pepper

To make this, I cooked the bucatini until al dente. I cooked up the bacon, removed it from the pan, and gently sauteed the leek and the broccoli rabe until the rabe was wilted. I then added the cooked pasta, the bacon, sage, and a log of goat cheese. Stir well; salt and pepper to taste.

Green tomato soup

It's that time of year again: green tomato season. I ripped all my dead tomato plants up, and saved the unripened green tomatoes. They were cherry tomatoes, so I couldn't make fried green tomatoes: I made soup instead.

2 tablespoons butter
4 to 6 ounces country ham or bacon, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
8 medium green tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 medium red tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds and stem removed, minced
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
dash Tabasco sauce, optional
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat; add ham or bacon, onion, and garlic. Sauté, stirring, until onion is tender. Add chicken broth, chopped green and red tomatoes, and minced jalapeno pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Working in batches, pulse in a blender or food processor until almost smooth. Pour back into the saucepan and add celery salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper and Tabasco sauce, as desired. Serves 4 to 6.

Baked rigatoni with butternut squash and goat cheese

Baked pasta is a quick and easy way to elevate a box of pasta into something more than noodles and sauce. This is particularly delicious, with all the flavors of fall.

From foodess.com:

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, and cut in 1/2 inch cubes
3 tbsp olive oil
1 lb rigatoni
3 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 medium onions, cut in half then sliced thinly crosswise
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
3 cups milk
pepper
pinch nutmeg
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1/3 cup fresh breadcrumbs or panko
salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss squash cubes with oil, and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet; season with salt. Bake until tender and caramelized, about 25 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook pasta as directed; drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a medium pan over medium-high heat, cook bacon until crispy. Remove using a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on paper towel. Pour out all but 1-2 tablespoons of fat – enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Add onions, sprinkle with sugar, and cook over medium-high heat until meltingly tender and deeply caramelized, stirring occasionally (about 20 minutes). Stir in balsamic vinegar; set aside.

While onions are caramelizing, make the sauce. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat, cooking until butter smells fragrantly nutty and is a warm brown colour. Whisk in flour and cook 2 minutes. Very slowly pour in milk, whisking constantly. Cook over medium-low heat until sauce thickens, about 8 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

In a very large bowl, toss the pasta with the sauce, roasted squash, bacon, caramelized onions, goat cheese and sage leaves. Transfer to a large baking dish, and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake until edges are crispy and breadcrumbs are golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Barley succotash

Succotash is sort of a catch-all term, but to me, it means lima beans, corn, and bacon together in some combination. Like here. I made this succotash with cooked pearled barley, and the result was really delicious. Also filling. And used up the rest of my barley supply. So it was a win all the way around.

Four bean and bacon ragout with green pepper puree and poached egg

This is a less-fancy copy of something we've been serving at the restaurant lately. As you might imagine, it is very delicious, even in the less-fancy version.

I used a combination of four different kinds of dried beans: garbanzo, red kidney, black, and pinto. I soaked them for a day, then threw them into the CrockPot with water and pork broth until they were cooked through.

I then fried up some bacon, and mixed that with the cooked beans. I added salt and pepper to taste.

I cut up two bell peppers, steamed them in a pan with a little chicken broth, then dumped all that into the food processor and pureed it.

To serve, put some green pepper puree in the bottom of a bowl, and top that with bean and bacon ragout. Add a poached egg on top, and more salt and pepper to taste.

It's the most exciting thing I've done with beans in a while.

Baked eggs with bacon, leeks and mushrooms

6 strips of bacon, diced
1 big leek, sliced
1 basket of mushrooms, sliced (I used a bag of dried chanterelles, reconstituted with hot water)
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup parmesan
4 eggs
milk or cream

Cook the bacon until crisp; remove with a slotted spoon, and add the leeks and mushrooms to the bacon fat. Saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant; add in the parmesan, salt and pepper to taste, and a little milk or cream.

Add that into a small casserole dish (I used two individual sized dishes). Crack the eggs on top, and bake at 375 until the whites are set.

Bacon Bloody Mary

It's just as good as it sounds.

A regular Bloody Mary (vodka or gin, tomato juice, spices--mine include Worchestershire, dry rub, hot sauce, and celery salt--lemon and horseradish) with cooked crumbled bacon added to it.

It doesn't really make it taste bacony, but hitting the bacon bits while drinking it sure is fun.

BLT + chee

BLT + chee = BLT with goat cheese instead of mayo.

What better use of a fresh-off-the-vine yellow tomato than a fresh, homemade BLT? I used fancy applewood-smoked bacon, with baby beet greens instead of lettuce, fresh yellow tomato, and a smear of goat cheese on toasted homemade bread.

It was an AWESOME sandwich.

In fact, I see a lot of BLTs in my immediate future.

Bacon, chard and walnut tart

I've never had a lot of success with tarts.

A lot of tart recipes call for complicated crusts, which turns me (and most everyone else) off. The few times I've attempted a tart, I made my standard pie crust recipe instead--which clung to the inside of the tart pan and essentially ruined the tart-ness of the tart. In later years, when my crappy yard-sale tart pan gave out, I just made the "tart" in a pie pan, with a pie crust.

Well, the other day I was at Williams-Sonoma picking up a salad spinner, and I noticed several kinds of tart pans on their sale table. It was on sale, it was good quality, I no longer owned a tart pan, so I picked one up.

And lo, this recipe for a Bacon, Chard and Walnut Tart fell into my lap.

And lo! I already had all of the ingredients! Including a brand-new tart pan!

Now I know why my tarts always failed--a flaky pie crust will cling to the inside of the tart pan. You want a more crumbly crust, like this one, which was way easier to put together than I thought it would be. This may turn out to be my default tart crust from now on.

Reprinted here, from Food52:

Serves 8


Walnut Tart Crust:

1 1/2 cup organic all-purpose flour
1/2 cup walnut meal (made from whirring walnuts in a blender until fine)
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 cup toasted walnut oil
1/2 cup ice water (you probably won't use it all)

Bacon, Chard and Walnut Filling:

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, heated in a hot skillet for a minute or two until "toasted" (be careful not to burn them)
1 cup chopped thickly sliced bacon
1 cup chopped sweet/Vidalia onion
1 tablespoon toasted walnut oil
1 bunch green chard leaves, chopped
4 eggs, preferably organic and free-range
1/2 cup organic heavy cream
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, plus more for optional garnish
1 pinch sea salt
dash of ground black pepper

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, walnut meal, and the salt.
2.Add the toasted walnut oil and mix well.
3.Add about 1/4 cup of the water, and using your hands, mix until it starts to form a dough. Add more water, a tablespoon or so at a time, and keep using your hands to mix until it comes together into a ball.
4.Roll out into a little bigger than the bottom of your tart pan on a floured surface. It's ok if it falls apart a little- it's better not to overwork it and just to press the extra pieces into the tart pan.
5.Rub the bottom and sides of your tart pan with toasted walnut oil and then transfer the rolled-out dough into the tart pan. Using the heel of your hand (or whatever that part of your hand under your thumb is called), press the dough into the bottom and half-way up the sides of your tart pan. Any pieces that broke off while you were rolling can be pressed in now. I am all for charmingly rustic tart crusts, so don't worry if it doesn't look perfect.
6.Prick the crust all over with the tines of a fork, then cover with a layer of foil and place pie weights or a layer of dried beans on top. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the weights/beans and foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until crust just starts to brown and become fragrant. Set aside while you make the tart filling; reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
7.In a cast-iron skillet, cook chopped bacon for several minutes, until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and set aside. Pour half the bacon fat into another skillet and leave the rest where it is.
8.Add chopped onion to one of the skillets along with the tablespoon of toasted walnut oil. Cook for about 20 minutes over low heat, stirring every now and then, until well caramelized.
9.In the other skillet, cook the chard over low-medium heat for 3-4 minutes. until fully wilted. When the onions are done, combine them with the chard, the toasted walnuts, and the cooked bacon in a large bowl. Add the thyme leaves and mix well.
10.Add the eggs, cream, and maple syrup to a small bowl and whisk until blended. Add this to the bacon mixture and combine. Pour into the par-baked tart shell.
11.Place the filled tart pan on a cookie sheet and place in the oven. Bake until the center of the tart is set, about 15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before removing the tart from the outside and bottom of the pan; garnish with additional fresh thyme if desired before serving.
 
Notes: This is WAY better made ahead of time and reheated, as the filling will thicken more and the flavors will meld better. A perfect thing to make ahead for a fancy brunch.

Raw kale salad with bacon

I FINALLY found something summery to do with kale.

I keep getting kale in my CSA box. As if I didn't eat enough CSA kale this winter, now I gotta eat it all summer, too? But my normal winter methods for eating kale (soup, etc.) just won't fly in June.

Fortunately, I discovered this recipe for Raw Lacinato Kale Salad with Bacon and Egg. And behold! I had all of the ingredients, including two bunches of kale.

Let me tell you, this salad is a rock star. Best of all, since it's kale, the salad doesn't wilt under all the dressing. Best of all part two, this dressing would work well on any kind of salad.

Reprinted here, from food52:

1/4 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 bulb spring garlic, minced
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons raw honey
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup minced sage
salt to taste
6 eggs
1/2 pound bacon
2 bunches kale

1.For the dressing: In a food processor, combine the feta cheese, vinegar, garlic, egg yolk and honey and blend. Slowly add the grapeseed oil with the food processor running until it is emulsified. Add the olive oil and salt accordingly. You don't want it to be too thick. Add a little water so it is more of a salad dressing consistency, not mayo. You can also loosen it with more vinegar if it is not acidic enough for you. Add the sage at the end for a flecked green look and further depth of flavor.

2.For the eggs: Cover the eggs with cold water in a sauce pot. Bring to a boil then shut off the heat, cover the pot and wait for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, submerge the eggs in ice water. Wait another 10 minutes then peel the eggs and slice or mince them.

3.For the bacon: I used a chili cured bacon, but you can use what ever you want. Cook the bacon until crispy (rendering out the fat), then chop into small pieces.

4.Remove the stems from two bunches of kale. Tear into bite size pieces. Toss the kale in the dressing and garnish with the minced egg and bacon. Serve.

Sweet potato hash with bacon

Growing up, my mother used to make a concoction she called "hash" that was, frankly, gross. It had corned beef in it.

Happily, I rediscovered hash (without the corned beef). Hash, properly done, is like a hash brown. Everybody likes hash browns. It's just potatoes (or in this case, sweet potatoes) diced finely and cooked with onions and peppers until everything is crusty and crunchy.

3-4 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 onion, diced
1 pepper (red or green), diced
5-6 slices of bacon

Fry up the bacon in a large skillet (try not to eat it all) and remove from the pan. Drain off all but about 3-4 tablespoons of bacon fat. (You're saving it in your bacon fat jar, right?) For a veggie version, skip the bacon and add olive oil. Saute the onion and pepper until just coated with bacon fat, and add the diced sweet potatoes. Mix with the onions and peppers, and pat down into a single layer. Cook over medium heat until the sweet potatoes are done. Resist the urge to stir. You want the potatoes to get crusty and crunchy, so don't stir more than two or three times (just often enough to make sure there's crustiness on all sides). Crumble up the bacon, add back in, and serve.

Pea, zucchini and bacon risotto

  

I've been getting bags of sugar snap peas in my CSA box for the last two weeks now, meaning I had about two pounds' worth of peas to get through. I also had three zucchini, two of which I used for the zucchini-potato frittata, so I decided on a simple springtime risotto.

The basic risotto recipe is simply arborio rice, an onion (or shallot), parmesan, and broth and/or wine. Saute the chopped onion in olive oil until soft. Add a cup of arborio rice to that and toast for a minute. Add a splash of white wine to deglaze.  

Add more wine and/or broth, in small amounts, and keep stirring so that the rice absorbs most of the liquid between additions. When the rice is done, and the liquid is mostly gone, add a couple handfuls of parmesan cheese, stir and eat.

In between all that, you can add whatever you like to flavor it. I added the peas and the sliced zucchini about 2/3 of the way through, and added crumbled cooked bacon at the very end.

The dish ended up being more vegetable than rice, but I'm okay with that.

Bacon-bourbon jam

Oh. My. God.

But first: a little story.

My weekends, like everyone else's, are typically devoted to those projects I don't have time for during the week. (Or am too lazy to tackle during the week.) Gardening lately, but also cooking--preparing stuff for the week ahead, working on things for the upcoming week's blog posts, cooking more complicated things that I don't have time/energy for after work.

What I cook during the weekend is selected based on the following criteria, in order:
1. Something needs to be used up.
2. It sounds interesting.
3. I feel like it.

I read several different food blogs, and subscribe to a few food/wine/cooking magazines. I also have a hefty collection of cookbooks. Whenever I run across a recipe that sounds particularly interesting, I print it out/mark it/copy it and add it to my "make this at some point" pile. That pile of paper is running about eight inches tall. Every couple of weeks, I go through the pile, pulling out things that I'll want to make in the near future (based on what I have on hand; if I don't have one or more of the ingredients already, it goes back on the pile).

Last week I was going through the pile, and I happened upon this recipe for bacon-bourbon jam I'd printed out several weeks ago.

I remembered I had a big new package of applewood-smoked bacon from Whole Foods. I scanned the recipe and realized I had all of the ingredients on hand.

Out it came.

And that became one of this weekend's cooking projects.

Of everything I made (a pizza, a couscous salad, a pasta salad, a batch of ice cream), this was the clear winner.

Go make some now.

The flavor complexity is out of this world. My next project will be figuring out how to can this so I can give it to people as gifts.