3328. CHARRED OCTOPUS SALAD with BACON and TANGERINE SAUCE

yields 5 to 6 servings


1 bottle red wine, such as Merlot

2 heads garlic, halved
1/3 cup black peppercorns
one 2-pound octopus
4 bacon slices, cut into lardons

tangerine sauce (recipe follows)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup pink peppercorns, crushed
3 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves picked, for garnish
microgreens, for garnish
micro baby arugula, for garnish
extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
 

Tangerine sauce:
2 cups tangerine juice
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 anchovies
1 half finger chile
canola oil, for drizzling
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Tangerine Sauce: Reduce the juice and honey in a saute pan over medium heat until syrupy. Allow to cool slightly. Combine in a food processor with the red wine vinegar, mustard, anchovies and chile and process until smooth. While processing, drizzle in enough canola oil to create an emulsified sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

Octopus salad: Combine the red wine, garlic, black peppercorns and 2 quarts of water in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat.

Dip the octopus in the boiling liquid for 10 seconds and lift it back out. Repeat the process 3 times. Finally, submerge the octopus in the liquid and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover with a lid and allow the octopus to poach in the liquid until tender, about 90 minutes.

Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and reserve the fat in the pan.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Preheat a grill to high heat. Warm up half of the Tangerine Sauce in a saute pan on medium heat.

Remove the octopus from the poaching liquid and allow to cool before handling, about 10 minutes. Remove the head and discard. Cut off the tentacles from the body and reserve the body for another use. Dip the tentacles into the reserved bacon fat, and place on the hot grill to char very briefly. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the tentacles to a large ovenproof saute pan, toss with the heated Tangerine Sauce and place in the oven for 5 minutes.

To serve, drizzle some of the remaining Tangerine Sauce on each plate. Sprinkle some of the crushed peppercorns and oregano leaves around each plate. Place a tentacle on each plate and sprinkle with some of the bacon. Garnish with the Bulls Blood microgreens and micro arugula. Finish with a drizzle of oil and some freshly ground black pepper. 

 

 

bacon recipe source: Bobby Flay, "Timer's Up," Worst Cooks in America, Food Network

3149. SALMON cooked with FLAGEOLETS, BACON and RED WINE

makes four servings


4 pieces salmon fillet, preferably King, about 6 oz. each and 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick
salt
1 1/3 cups medium-bodied red wine, such as Sangiovese, Pinot Noir, or a light Merlot
3/4 cup chicken stock
3 oz. thickly-sliced bacon or braised bacon, cut into 1/4-inch strips
about 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced and chilled
1/2 cup finely diced carrots (2 oz.)
1/2 cup finely diced celery (2 oz.)
1/2 cup finely diced yellow onions (2 oz.)
2 cups cooked flageolets, drained, cooking liquid reserved
a few sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf

Seasoning the salmon: [For the best flavor, do this several hours in advance]: Season the salmon evenly with salt. Cover loosely and refrigerate.

Cooking the salmon: Preheat the broiler. Position the rack about 6 inches from the element.

Place the wine in a small saucepan and reduce to about 1/3 cup. Add the chicken stock and return to a simmer. Turn off the heat.

Place the bacon in a 12- or 14-inch ovenproof skillet and lightly brown it in its own fat over medium heat. Reduce the heat slightly and pour off all but a film of the fat. Add about 2 tablespoons of the butter, the carrots, celery, onions, and 1 sprig of the thyme. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender, about 6 minutes.

Add the flageolets, about 1 cup of the red wind-stock mixture, the bay leaf, another sprig of thyme, and about 3 tablespoons of the butter. Raise the heat to medium and swirl as the liquid comes to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, add the salmon, and swirl and tilt the pan to baste the top of the fish. Make sure no beans, bacon, or bits of vegetables are perched on top of the fish, where they could burn. The pieces of fish should not be touching one another.

Place the pan under the broiler. Cook for about 6 or 7 minutes; the salmon should be quite rare and the whole surface of the dish should be sizzling and beginning to color. Watch closely; if the fish or beans threaten to char at any point, reduce the oven temperature to 500.

While the fish is cooking, set four plates in the oven to heat for a minute or so, then remove.

Transfer the pan to the stovetop. Using a spatula and tongs, transfer the salmon onto the warm plates, where it should reach medium-rare as you finish the sauce. Protect from drafts.

Set the pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Taste. If the liquid looks or tastes thin, simmer briefly to reduce and allow the starch from the beans to bind the sauce. If it seems winy, add a splash of the reserved bean cooking liquid. If you want more sauce, add the last splash of red wine-stock mixture and some bean liquid. Correct the salt. Reduce the heat and swirl in some or all of the remaining butter, to your taste.

Spoon the saucy beans over the waiting fish.


bacon recipe courtesy of: The Zuni Cafe Cookbook: A Compendium of Recipes & Cooking Lessons from San Francisco's Beloved Restaurant, by Judy Rodgers; NY: W.W. Norton & Company; pp. 325-326

2726. PAN-SEARED DUCK BREAST with GNOCCHI, SALSIFY, BRUSSEL SPROUTS, HOUSE-CURED BACON and RED WINE REDUCTION

yields 2-4 servings


2 duck breasts
4-6 salsify (if unavailable, use parsnips)
1 lemon
8 Brussels sprouts
2 slices thick-cut bacon (house cured preferably)
1 cup duck or chicken stock (home-made if possible)
1/2 cup red wine (merlot works well)
1/2 cup sherry vinegar
5 ounces butter (divided into: 2 ounces, 2 ounces, 1 ounce)
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup semolina flour
1/2 cup water (plus 1 gallon for boiling)
2 eggs
Kosher salt
Black pepper
1 bunch fresh thyme
1 bunch flat-leaf Italian parsley

Bring 1 gallon of water to boil in a pot, preheat an oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Chop 1 tablespoon of parsley and 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme. Boil 1/2 cup of water in a sauce pot with fresh herbs, add a pinch of salt, 2 ounces of butter and wait for it to melt. Add flours and cook for 2 minutes, transfer to a kitchen aid mixer with paddle attachment. Mix for 1 minute, add eggs, mix 1 more minute until smooth. Transfer batter to a pastry bag and pipe long lines onto a sheet pan dusted with flour. Cut gnocchi into 1 inch pieces. Cook in boiling water for 2-3 minutes until doubled in size. Drain, cool under cold water and reserve.

Score diagonally across the breasts (hatch marks) making sure not to penetrate into the meat, only the skin and season breasts with salt and pepper and place skin side down in a oven safe skillet. Render fat and crisp skin over med-low heat, about 10-15 minutes. Remove fat from the pan twice during this process. Reserve. Throw in 5 sprigs of fresh thyme and place in the oven to finish cooking (about 4 minutes for medium temp, and 10 minutes for well done). Remove from the oven and flip breasts over to briefly cook the other side, about 1 minute. Remove and let duck rest for 10 minutes.

Cut bacon in to cubes and render in a skillet until browned. Remove and save for garnish.

Peel salsify and place in water with the squeezed lemon until ready to cut. Thinly slice the salsify on a mandolin and sauté pan with reserved duck fat until cooked, but still crisp, remove and reserve.

Blanch Brussels sprouts in boiling water for 3 minutes. Remove and shock in ice water. Peel outer leaves and reserve, discard the centers.

Reduce red wine and sherry vinegar in a sauce pot until glossy, add duck stock reduce again until slightly thickened, add butter last minute, season with salt, reserve.

Heat a sauté pan over med-high heat and add 1 ounce of butter. Sauté gnocchi until browned on all sides. Add salsify and Brussels in the sauté pan with a splash of chicken stock, season and reduce until no liquid remains. Slice duck breast into 1/4 inch pieces and plate with vegetables and gnocchi. Pour sauce around.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Joel Gargano, Rocco's Dinner Party, Season 1, Episode 2 (Signature Dish, Winner), Bravo TV

2088. GREEN PEPPERCORN PHEASANT BREASTS with BACON

4 halved pheasant breasts
bacon, ample enough to wrap each half pheasant breast
2 cups dry red wine (such as a Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, or Merlot)
1 chopped onion
3 finely chopped cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of tarragon
1 to 3 teaspoons of green peppercorns (add to suit your taste)
2 cups of heavy cream (whipping cream will do fine)

Cut the four pheasant breasts in half, and wrap them with bacon. You may want to use tootpicks to hold things together. Place the meat in a baking dish and place it under a broiler until the bacon is browned, turning the meat over once duringi the process. Remove the pan from the broiler and set the breasts on layered paper towels to drain off the hot grease.

Remove most of the excess grease from pan, and deglaze the pan with the wine. Pour the mixture into a sauce pan to make your sauce. Add to the saucepan the onion, garlic, tarragon, and peppercorns. Bring the mixture to a slow boil. Reduce the mixture by half by boiling off the lighter fluids.

Place the breast meat back in baking dish. After the sauce mixture has reduced by hald, add the cream. Stir the sauce well, and pour it over the breasts. Put the sauced pheasant breasts in the oven and slow cook them at 250 to 300 F for roughly an hour, or as long as two hours until tender. Serves delightfully over a dish such as risotto or rice pilaf


bacon recipe courtesy of: UplandLife.com

1361. CHATEAUBRIAND with PORTOBELLO-BACON SAUCE

yields six servings


8 and 1/4 cups beef broth (low-salt if using canned)
1 bottle Merlot (or other red wine with mellow tannins)
1/2 cup canola oil
4 ounces sliced double-smoked bacon, cut in half lengthwise and julienned
5 shallots, finely diced
8 to 10 portobello-mushroom caps, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 teaspoon finely chopped thyme
3 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 to 4 and 1/2 pounds beef tenderloin, trimmed (with the thin tail end folded to equalize the thickness) and tied at 1 and 1/2-inch intervals

Portobello-bacon sauce: Place 8 cups of the broth in a saucepan over medium heat and reduce to about 2 cups. Reduce the red wine to about 1 cup in a separate saucepan.

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large pan, then add the bacon and cook until it's crisp but not burned; remove and set aside. Add the shallots to the pan, cook till translucent, and stir in the diced mushrooms. When the mushrooms have released all their liquid, return the bacon to the pan, add the reduced wine, and bring to a simmer. Add the reduced beef broth and thyme and simmer for 30 minutes. Mix the cornstarch or arrowroot with the remaining 1/4 cup beef broth and add to the sauce after the first 15 minutes of cooking. When ready to serve, whisk in the butter and season with salt and pepper. If the sauce becomes too thick, thin it out with a little water.

Chateaubriand: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the meat generously with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining oil in a large ovenproof sauté pan, and when the oil begins to smoke, add the tenderloin and sear on all sides. Place the pan in the oven and roast for 20 to 30 minutes, to desired doneness (115 to 118 degrees for rare, 120 degrees for medium rare). Remove from oven, cover loosely with foil, and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Cut into 2-inch-thick slices and serve 2 per person with the portobello-bacon sauce. Hearts of celery, organic carrots, leeks, and Bintje potatoes—all braised—make great accompaniments.


courtesy of: Chef Rick Laakkonen, Ilo, The Bryant Park Hotel, 40 West 40th Street, New York, New York 10018 | New York Magazine, 2002

1000. SEARED LANAI VENISON with FOIE GRAS SWEET POTATO and BACON HASH

6 oz. Okinawan sweet potato, medium dice
6 oz. sweet potato, medium dice
6 oz. Yukon gold potato, medium dice
1/2 cup red pepper, medium dice
1/2 cup cup green pepper, medium dice
1/2 cup cup yellow pepper, medium dice
1/2 cup cup Maui onion, medium dice
2 oz. foie gras, medium dice
2 oz. smoked apple bacon, medium dice
olive oil
1 oz. butter

Place all the potatoes into boiling salted water and cook for 4 minutes. Drain and set aside. Heat the oil and better and saut� the peppers, onion and half of the bacon. Add the potatoes and season.


Venison:

4 pieces Strip Loin of Lanai Venison (6 ounces each)
olive oil
seasoning

Season the venison and brush with olive oil. Place on the grill and cook for three minutes. Turn the venison and brush with oil. Cook for another three minutes or until medium rare.


Sauce:

1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup merlot wine
1 oz. smoked apple bacon
2 oz. foie gras
1 oz. butter

Heat a sauce pan until very hot. Add the foie gras and cook for one minute. Take out the foie gras and add it to the potatoes. Add the bacon the hot pan and cook for two minutes. Add the wine and reduce by half then add the broth and again reduce by half. Finish with butter and season.


Place the potatoes in the middle of the plate, next slice the venison in half and present it on top. Spoon the sauce over and around the plate.


courtesy of: Puna Fresh Foods, Keaau Shopping Center, 16-586 Old Volcano Road, Keaau, Hawaii 96749-8115

693. ROAST PORK with GINGERBREAD and CELERY ROOT with BACON

makes 8 servings


8 oz. thick-sliced bacon
5 lb. celery root
1 center-cut pork loin rib roast (4 1/2-5lb.), bones cracked and fat trimmed to 1/8-inch thick
Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper
gingersnaps, optional
thin orange slices
gingerbread sauce (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut the bacon crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide strips. In a 10- to 12-inch frying pan over medium-high heat, stir bacon until lightly browned and slightly crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Discard all but 2 tablespoons fat in pan.

Peel celery root and cut into about 1/2-inch cubes (see notes). In a 12- by 17-inch roasting pan, mix celery root and the 2 tablespoons reserved bacon fat. Bake for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, rinse pork and pat dry. Sprinkle lightly all over with salt and pepper. Stir celery root, then set a rack above mixture (it can rest on pan rim). Set roast, fat side up, on rack.

Bake in the 350F oven until a thermometer inserted in center of thickest part or roast reaches 155F, 1 3/4 to 2 hours. Transfer roast to a platter or board and let rest in a warm place, 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, stir bacon into celery root and return to oven; bake until celery root is lightly browned and tender when pierced, 8 to 15 minutes longer. Add salt and pepper to the mixture to taste. Wrap gingersnaps in foil and warm in oven, 8 to 10 minutes, then break into wedges.

Spoon celery root alongside pork roast. Garnish with orange slices and serve with gingerbread sauce and snaps.

NOTE: You can cut the celery root (also called celeriac) up to 1 day ahead; immerse in a bowl of water, cover, and chill. Drain well before using.


GINGERBREAD SAUCE

makes about 1 1/2 cups; 8 servings


In a 3- to 4-quart pan, combine 1 1/2 cups Merlot or other dry red wine, 3/4 cup tawny Port, and 2/3 cup orange juice, Bring to a boil over high heat and stir occasionally until reduced to 1 1/4 cups, 12 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup hot water and 1 1/2 tablespoons concentrated veal or veal and beef demi-glace. Crumble enough of the gingersnaps to make 2/3 cup. Add gingersnaps and demi-glace mixture to wine mixture; let stand until gingersnaps have softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour into a blender. Add 1/4 cup whipping cream and whirl until smooth. Return to pan. Stir over low heat until hot. Whisk in 1 tablespoon butter until blended and smooth. Add salt to taste.


courtesy of: Sunset, December 2005, pp. 123-124