3850. HOT & SWEET BACON BANH MI

serves four


16 green onions or scallions, greens only, sliced thin in long strips
1 pound slices of thick cut bacon
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flake
1 teaspoon dry ground ginger
1/2 small head cabbage, shredded
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon granulated white sugar
6 small red radishes, sliced thin
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1-1/2 cups boiling water
1 tablespoon peeled fresh ginger, grated
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
4 french baguettes, about 10 inches in length

Scallions: Slice the scallions into thin strips, greens only and place in ice water - this will make them curly after an hour.

Bacon: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil. Line the bottom side of 2 smaller baking sheets with aluminum foil. In a medium bowl combine the 1c brown sugar, red pepper flakes and ground ginger. Take each slice of bacon into the bowl and cover it with the mixture patting it on to get as much as possible to adhere to the bacon. Place each slice of bacon onto the larger lined baking sheets. Place the other two baking sheets on top of the bacon. Cook at 325 for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the bacon strips on cooling racks.

Cole slaw: While the bacon is cooking prepare the coleslaw. In a large bowl combine the rice vinegar, vegetable oil, sesame oil, salt and sugar. Now add the shredded cabbage, sliced radishes and cilantro.

Sauce: In a blender combine the peanut butter, boiling water, grated ginger, garlic, soy sauce and 3T brown sugar until smooth. Pour this mixture into a squirt bottle for convenience or you can spoon it on later.

Building the banh mi: Slice the 4 baguettes horizontally without separating them. Place the scallions in a strainer to drain the water. Fill each baguette with 1/4 of the bacon slices, give that a good squirt of the sauce, about 4 tablespoons. Now, lay on 1 cup of coleslaw and top that with 1/4 of the scallion curls.


bacon recipe source: cookmore.com (Kenmore.com)