1736. NETTLE SOUP with BACON (CAWL DAANDL POETHION)

leaves from twenty-one young stinging nettle stalks
100 grams salted bacon, finely cubed
1 1/2 liters vegetable or beef stock
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons flour
45 grams chives or onion shoots
salt and black pepper, to taste

Place the stock in a large pan and when boiling add the nettle leaves. Continue to boil for 3 minutes then remove the nettle leaves and process in a food processor (along with the chives) until they form a smooth purée.

Add the bacon to a large pan and fry until they release their fats. Remove the bacon and set aside then add the butter to the pan. When it's melted stir-in the flour until you form a smooth paste. Now add the hot stock a little at a time, stirring well to combine after each addition.

Bring the mixture to a boil and continue boiling until the stock has thickened to your liking. Add the nettle and chive purée and allow to heat through before seasoning to taste. Serve in warmed soup bowls with a sprinkling of the bacon on top. Accompany with a thick slice of warm bread.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Llŷn peninsula, North Wales | Celtnet.org

1735. BACON and THYME GRIDDLE SCONES

yields one


8 oz. plain flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 oz. butter
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
6 rashers streaky bacon
1 approx 1/4 pint milk and water, mixed

De-rind the bacon and cut into small pieces (about a 1/4 square). Fry the
bacon until crisp and leave to cool. sieve together flour and seasonings. Rub in the butter to resemble breadcrumbs. Stir in the thyme and bacon. Add the liquid and stir with a knife to form a soft dough. Gently heat the griddle or cast frying pan to form an even heat (test as before). Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface and knead very gently. Handle as little and as lightly as possible to keep the girdle scones light. Roll into a cylinder shape about 3-4 inches in diameter and cut
off quarter inch thick slices. Up-end the slices to form circles. Grease the griddle and cook the scones for five or six minutes on each side until golden and cooked through. Serve hot with butter.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Chef 2 Chef: Culinary Portal

1734. BACON, POTATO CHIP and TOFFEE BRITTLE

yields four cups


6 oz. butter
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 tablespoons corn syrup
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup bacon lardons, fat reserved for cooking
1/2 cup almonds, smoked
1/2 cup potato chips, chopped roughly
1 1/2 lb. chocolate, bittersweet, 62 to 70% cacao, melted

Potato Chip Butter Cookies with Caramel Buttercream
8 oz. butter, room temperature
15 1/2 oz. sugar
1 teaspoon salt, plus as needed
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups potato chips, crushed
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 1/2 oz. corn syrup
powdered sugar as needed

Melt butter in heavy-duty saucepan. Add sugar, water, corn syrup, salt, vanilla and a tablespoon of reserved bacon fat to pan. Cook mixture until sugar reaches amber color. Pour onto a sheet pan lined with foil and reserve until set. Let set.

Chop toffee, then combine with almonds, chips and bacon in a bowl. Cover mixture with melted chocolate, then pour back onto sheet pan and spread evenly, as thin as possible. Reserve, refrigerated, until firm. Crack into shards.


Potato Chip Butter Cookies with Caramel Buttercream: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter and 3 1/2 ounces sugar, then add pinch of salt, vanilla and 2 cups potato chips and mix until combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (about 1 hour).

Scoop dough into desired size and roll into a ball. Place on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan, leaving a 2-inch space between each cookie. Press thumb in center of ball, creating a thumbprint. Bake until cookies are golden brown (about 8 to 10 minutes). Reserve to cool.

To make caramel, pour 6 ounces sugar, corn syrup and 1 tsp salt in a heavy-duty saucepot and cook until medium amber in color. Meanwhile, heat cream to warm. When sugar is medium amber in color, return to a boil before mixing in remaining sugar. Add warm cream in small batches, reducing after each addition. Remove pot from heat and reserve to cool before adding to cookies.

To assemble, put a dollop of caramel in center of each cookie. Refrigerate to cool and set caramel. Sprinkle remainder of crushed chips on top of caramel, and dust lightly with powdered sugar.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Chef-Owner Mindy Segal, Hot Chocolate, 1747 North Damen Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60647, (773) 489-1747 | Idaho Potato Commission, 661 South Rivershore Lane, Suite 230, Eagle, Idaho 83616, (208) 334-2350

1733. VIOGNIER-STEAMED CLAMS with BACON and PARSNIPS

makes six servings


1 pound small parsnips, peeled
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
salt and freshly ground pepper
6 ounces thickly sliced bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips
1 1/2 cups Viognier (white wine)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 shallot, minced
4 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed and rinsed
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons snipped chives
oyster crackers, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350°. On a baking sheet, brush the parsnips with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast the parsnips, turning once or twice, until tender, about 40 minutes. Let cool slightly, then quarter the parsnips lengthwise and slice them 1/4 inch thick.

Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, cook the bacon over moderately high heat until well browned and crisp, about 6 minutes. Drain the bacon strips on paper towels; wipe out the skillet.

In the skillet, bring the Viognier to a boil with the butter and shallot. Add the clams, cover and cook over high heat until they open, 6 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the clams to a large bowl.

Pour the clam broth into a glass measuring cup. Rinse out the skillet. Slowly pour the clam broth back into the skillet, stopping before you reach the grit at the bottom. Add the cream and boil until the liquid has reduced by half, about 8 minutes. If the cream sauce separates, transfer to a blender and puree until smooth, then return it to the skillet.

Add the roasted parsnips, bacon, chives and the cooked clams in their shells to the skillet. Season generously with pepper, cover and bring to a boil. Spoon into shallow bowls, sprinkle with oyster crackers and serve immediately.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Dean Maupin, "Great American Wine & Food Matches, Editor’s Picks: Kristin Donnelly’s Favorite F&W Recipes," Food & Wine, October 2006

1732. BACON KETCHUP

1 medium onion, diced into small pieces
10 raw garlic cloves, diced into small pieces
1 – 2 tablespoons of olive oil or vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 32-ounce can whole peeled plum tomatoes, strained and chopped
4 large red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, destemmed, and chopped
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 bay leaf
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
5 pieces of nice thick bacon

Saute onion and garlic in a tablespoon or two of oil until tender and caramelized.

Add brown sugar to caramelized onions and garlic, and cook a couple of minutes until well integrated. Add tomatoes, roast bell peppers, paprika, bay leaf, and fresh thyme. Simmer about one hour. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add balsamic vinegar at the end.

Preheat oven to 350. Place bacon strips on a baking sheet in the oven until they are crispy all over. Drain on paper towels and dice into small pieces; fold into ketchup.

Serve with hamburgers, French fries, grilled cheese, or anything else you wish had some bacon on it.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Lisa Carlson, The Chef Shack, Minneapolis, Minnesota, info@chefshack.org | Minnesota Monthly, Greenspring Media Group Inc., 600 US Trust Building, 730 Second Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minneapolis 55402

1731. SAUERKRAUT with BACON and APPLES

1/4 pound sliced apple-wood smoked bacon
2 tart apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and grated
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon caraway seeds, ground
3 cups apple cider or apple juice
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 pounds of refrigerated (in a jar, not can), prepared sauerkraut, drained (about 1 24-fluid-ounce jar, drained)

Put bacon in a large, high-sided oven-proof sauté pan with a lid and place over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until most of the fat has been rendered out, turning as needed. Drain excess fat from pan (leave in about a tablespoon). Remove bacon from the pan and let cool on a plate lined with a paper towel. Roughly chop the bacon and set aside.

Add the apples, onion, garlic, and caraway and decrease the heat to low. Cover partially and cook for 10 minutes, until the onion is tender.

Remove the lid, stir in the apple cider and vinegar, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced to a thick, syrupy consistency.

Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the sauerkraut and bacon, cover, and cook 10 minutes, or until sauerkraut is heated through and tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Simply Recipes: Food and Cooking Blog | The Niman Ranch Cookbook: From Farm to Table with America's Finest Meat by Bill Niman and Janet Kessel Fletcher. Ten Speed Press, 2005

1730. RHUBARB BACON and ONION COMPOTE with CHEESE on TOASTED WHOLE GRAIN BREAD

4 slices bacon, diced
1 (2 cups) sweet onion, thinly sliced
2 stalks (2 cups) red rhubarb, diced
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground cardamom
1 teaspoon fresh chives, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 (8 ounces) whole wheat baguette, sliced into 24 1/2-inch slices
24 ounces Gruyère or aged Swiss cheese

Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon; cook until brown and crisp. Add onion, stirring to pick up browned bits on bottom of pan. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 8 to 10 minutes, until onion is soft and slightly caramelized. Stir in rhubarb. Add vinegar, brown sugar, cinnamon and cardamom. Continue to cook over medium-low 5 to 8 minutes or until rhubarb is soft. If rhubarb is very tart, add 1 to 2 additional tablespoons brown sugar. Spoon compote into container and refrigerate until cool. Stir in chives and parsley.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

To serve, place baguette slices on a baking sheet and toast 3 to 5 minutes. Cut Pleasant Ridge Reserve cheese into 1-ounce wedges; place one wedge on each slice. Top each cheese wedge with 2 tablespoons compote. Serve at room temperature.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Chef Tory Miller, Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, 8418 Excelsior Drive, Madison, WI 53717, (608) 836-8820

1729. CHEDDAR, BACON and FRESH CHIVE BISCUITS

makes 12 biscuits


6 thick-cut bacon slices
3 3/4 cups bread flour
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, plus melted butter for brushing
2 1/2 cups (packed) coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 12 ounces)
1/3 cup chopped fresh chives
1 3/4 cups chilled buttermilk
honey (optional)

Position rack just above center of oven and preheat to 425°F. Line heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Cook bacon in heavy large skillet over medium heat until crisp and brown. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain, then chop coarsely.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in processor; blend 5 seconds. Add butter cubes. Blend until coarse meal forms, about 30 seconds. Transfer flour mixture to large bowl. Add cheddar cheese, fresh chives, and chopped bacon; toss to blend. Gradually add buttermilk, stirring to moisten evenly (batter will feel sticky).

Using lightly floured hands, drop generous 1/2 cup batter for each biscuit onto prepared baking sheet, spacing batter mounds about 2 inches apart.

Bake biscuits until golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Brush biscuits lightly with melted butter. Let cool 10 minutes. Serve biscuits warm or at room temperature with honey, if desired.


bacon recipe courtesy of: The Bon Appétit Test Kitchen, Bon Appétit, February 2010

1728. SMOKED-BACON COMPOTE

1/2 cup marinade
1 cup veal demiglace
1 cup smoked slab bacon cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups wild mushrooms, such as brown Italian or shiitake, cut to about size of pearl onions
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup sweet-potato balls (prepare with melon baller before cooking)
1/2-3/4 cup pearl onions, peeled
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 cup glazed pecans
Salt to taste
Fresh lemon juice to taste

Place marinade in saucepan over medium heat and reduce by half. Add demiglace and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, or until sauce coats back of spoon. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Render bacon in sauté pan over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, or until golden brown. Drain and set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in sauté pan over medium heat and cook mushrooms 3 minutes. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in medium ovenproof saute pan over medium heat. Add sweet-potato balls and pearl onions and cook 3 minutes. Stir in sugar and vinegar and cook another 2 minutes, then put pan in oven and cook 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from oven and add reduced marinade mixture, bacon, mushrooms, and glazed pecans. Stir and season with salt and lemon juice; serve with beef tenderloin.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Dean Fearing, Mansion on Turtle Creek, 2821 Turtle Creek Boulevard, Dallas, Texas 75219 | "A Texas Style Christmas: Feast Meets West, Texas Monthly, December 1992

1727. BACON, OLIVE, FETA and THYME MUFFINS

yields twelve servings


500 ml cake flour
15 ml baking powder
5 ml salt
1 extra-large egg
225 ml milk
125 grams chopped bacon
50 grams, stoned, chopped kalamata olives
1 round of feta cheese
10 ml chopped fresh thyme

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Beat together egg and milk. Add to the flour, cutting in until just blended. Fry bacon until crisp. Add olives and leave the mixture to cool. Crumble feta cheese and stir into the cooled mixture along with thyme. Fold into the basic mixture. Spoon the mixture into greased muffin tin hollows or paper cups. Place a small sprig of thyme on top of each muffin before baking. Bake at 180 °C for 20 minutes or until golden brown.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Food24: South Africa's biggest food community

1726. FRENCH BEEF and OLIVE CASSEROLE

For the Marinade:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1 onion, sliced
3 celery sticks, scrubbed and cut into 3cm pieces
150 ml red wine
150 ml red wine vinegar
bunch of fresh herbs
1 garlic clove, crushed
a few black peppercorns
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

675 grams rump steak, trimmed
180 grams fatty bacon, rinded
180 grams lean bacon, rinded
150 ml red wine
115 grams mixed black and green olives
4 tomatoes, blanched, peeled and sliced

Begin with the marinade. Heat the oil in a pan and add the vegetables. Fry until browned (about 8 minutes) then stir in all the remaining ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Take off the heat and set aside to cool.

Slice the meat into thick chunks then place in a bowl and cover with the cooled marinade. Set aside to marinade for 2 hours then remove the meat and add to a casserole dish. In the meantime fry the fatty bacon until it renders its fat and pour into a casserole dish. Dice the lean bacon and add to the pot along with the marinade, wine and olives. Cover with buttered greaseproof paper then add the lid before transferring to an oven pre-heated to 160°C and cook for between 90 and 120 minutes, or until the meat is tender.

Shortly before serving skim-off the excess fat from the surface and add the tomatoes. Traditionally this is served with buttered noodles and grated cheese.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Celtnet.org

1725. OYSTER and POTATO STEW with CRISP BACON

serves eight


2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium onions, cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 pound baking potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed, halved, cored and cut into 1/4 Inch dice
1 medium carrot, cut into 1/4 inch dice
3 cups fish stock or 1 1/2 cups bottled clam juice mixed with 1 1/2 cups water
2 cups half and half
1/2 pound slab bacon, cut into 1/4 inch dice
2 dozen shucked oysters, with their liquor
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Melt the butter in a large nonreactive saucepan. Add the onions and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the potatoes, fennel, carrot, fish stock and half-and-half, reduce the heat to moderately low and simmer gently until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

Strain the stew into a bowl; set aside 1 1/2 cups of the vegetables. Transfer the remaining vegetables along with 2 cups of the liquid to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Return the puree to the saucepan and stir in the reserved vegetables and liquid.

In a medium skillet, cook the bacon over moderately high heat until browned and crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Rewarm the stew over moderate heat. Add the oysters with their liquor and the bacon and cook until the oysters are just firm, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the parsley. Transfer to shallow soup plates and serve at once.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Food & Wine

1724. SEA BASS with POTATO ROSTI and BACON and CHERRY TOMATO SALSA

serves four


Ingredients For the Rösti
2 large baking potatoes
3 spring onions, finely sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil, for frying

For the Sea Bass
4 x 5 oz. sea bass fillets
salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil, for frying

For the Salsa
5 oz. smoked bacon
1 small red bird's eye chile
20 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 tablespoon chopped coriander
½ ripe avocado, cut into small cubes
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

For the rösti, boil the potatoes in their jackets for exactly seven minutes. Cool a little, then peel and grate coarsely. Add the spring onions, garlic and plenty of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mold into patty-shaped röstis and chill for 20 minutes. Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and fry the röstis over a medium heat for four minutes on each side until crisp and golden. Drain on kitchen towel. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

For the seabass, season the fillets well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and fry the fillets for a couple of minutes, skin-side down, then flip over and place in the oven for two minutes.

For the salsa, fry the bacon until crisp, then simply combine in a bowl with all the other ingredients.

To serve, place a fillet of sea bass on top of a rösti on each of four warmed plates and spoon over some refreshing salsa.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Simon Rimmer, LifeStyle Food.com.au, Australia

1723. BACON-WRAPPED OCEAN TROUT with TOMATO REDUCTION

serves two

2 ocean trout fillets
2 large bacon rashers
olive oil
freshly ground salt and pepper

Tomato Reduction:
2 tomatoes, chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
pinch of sugar

Preheat oven to 200’C. Heat olive oil in frying pan. Fry garlic until soft. Add tomato paste and fry for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, salt, sugar and pepper and gently fry until softened and forming a sauce (about 5-10 minutes). Set aside in serving dish. Keep warm. In a clean pan, fry ocean trout, skin side down to crisp skin. Then flip and cook flesh a little (approximately 2 minutes skin side, 30 seconds - 1 minute flesh side). Wrap bacon rashers around fillets and top with pepper. In a baking dish, cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until bacon is crispy and fish is cooked through.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Anna, Morsels & Musings, Sydney, Australia, January 19, 2010

1722. KALE, CANNELLINI BEANS and BACON BOWL

serves two


2 bunches of kale, washed, stems removed, roughly chopped
1 15-oz. can cannellini beans
3 oz. bacon, cut in small pieces
¼ cup beef or chicken stock
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper


In a large saucepan, sauté the bacon until golden brown. Remove from pan and reserve. In the same pan, add onion. After the onion softens, add the garlic. Sauté until the onion begins to brown. Add kale to the pan. Add the stock. Cover and let the kale steam for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft. Remove the lid and allow some of the liquid to evaporate. Add the beans and mix gently until hot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place in a serving bowl and sprinkle the bacon on top of the kale and bean mixture.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Eve Chenu and Tobin McGill, Edible Austin, Austin, Texas 78704, info@edibleaustin.com

1721. BACON, SPINACH and TOMATO SALSA SANDWICH

makes four servings


2 large ripe tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped (about 1-3/4 cups)
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh jalapeño chile pepper
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt or salt
8 slices bacon
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
4 10-inch vegetable-flavor flour tortillas or flour tortillas
2 cups fresh baby spinach

For tomato salsa, in a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and chile pepper. Stir in lime juice and salt. Set aside.

Cook bacon according to package directions. Drain well on paper towels; cut bacon in large pieces.

For sandwiches, spread mayonnaise on tortillas; top with spinach. With a slotted spoon, scoop salsa on spinach. Top with bacon. Roll up tortillas to enclose filling. Cut each tortilla in half.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Better Homes and Gardens

1720. CHICKEN with BOURSIN and BACON

1 skinned and boned chicken breast per person
1 rasher of unsmoked bacon per person
boursin

Spread each chicken breast with boursin and top with bacon rasher. Place in ovenproof dish and cover dish with foil. Bake at 180°C, 350°F, Gas Mark 4 for 20 minutes. Remove foils and bake for further 10 minutes or until bacon is browned.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Nola, Phillip, Amy and Oliver Dutton, The Dutton Family Online, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, England

1719. LENTIL SOUP with TUBETTI and BACON

serves four


1/4 pound bacon, slices cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips
2 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 onions, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 ribs celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 pound lentils (about 2 1/3 cups)
1 1/2 quarts canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
3 cups water
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup canned tomatoes in thick puree, chopped
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon dried red-pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1/2 cup tubetti or other small macaroni

In a large pot, cook the bacon over moderate heat until crisp. Remove. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat. Add the carrots, onions, celery, mushrooms and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes.

Add the lentils, broth, water, rosemary, tomatoes, salt, red-pepper flakes, black pepper and bacon. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the pasta and simmer until the lentils are tender and the pasta is done, 10 to 15 minutes longer.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Food & Wine

1718. BACON-WRAPPED MINCED BEEF BALLS

3 bacon rashers
250 grams minced beef
2 teaspoons french mustard
1 tablespoon stale breadcrumbs
2 green shallots chopped
2 tablespoons grated tasty cheese

In a bowl combine the beef, mustard, shallots, cheese and breadcrumbs then mix well. Shape tablespoons of mixture into balls then wrap each ball into a thin strip of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Place in a single layer in a shallow microwave dish and cook on high for about 3 minutes or until mince balls are cooked through. Serve with sauce.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Sunshine Recipes

1717. TORTELLINI SOUP with BACON and VEGETABLES

yields four servings


150 grams dried tortellini with cheese filling
150 grams bacon
1 onion
1-2 tablespoons olive oil for frying
200 grams celery stalks
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1/2 litres chicken/beef broth
1 teaspoon paprika
1 medium size leek
2 carrots
1 bunch of fresh cut parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the tortellini according to package just al dente, not too long as it will stay in the soup in the end. Chop bacon and onion small and fry in the soup pot in some olive oil. finely chop the celery and add to the pot and broil on with the bacon and onion. Then add broth, tomato pure and paprika spice and cook for 15 minutes.

Rinse the leek by cutting it once lengthwise and rinse over running water. Then thinly slice it from top to bottom using both white and green end. Cut the carrots in juliennes (small stalks) and chop the parsley.

Add remaining vegetables to the soup and cook for another 5 minutes.

Finally add the cooked tortellini, taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve with a good bread.


bacon recipe courtesy of: BakeSpace.com