3988. CABBAGE with BACON and ROOTS

Serves 6


large knob of butter
100g smoked streaky bacon, cut into small pieces
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
few thyme sprigs
1 celeriac, cut into batons
2 carrots, cut into batons
1 Savoy cabbage, shredded
small glass (125ml) white wine

In a large pan melt the butter. Add the bacon and sizzle for 5 mins until golden. Add the garlic and thyme to the pan and stir for 1 min. Take the pan off the heat, remove the bacon mixture and reserve.

Add the celeriac and carrot batons into the now empty pan with a little of the bacon-flavoured butter. Gently cook for 10 mins until soft, then add the cabbage and cook for 5 mins until it starts to soften. Add the bacon and garlic back to the pan, then add the white wine. Allow the wine to evaporate for a few mins then season the mixture and serve. This can be made ahead and left in the pan, then reheated.

bacon recipe source: Matt Tebbutt, Good Food Magazine, February 2010

2884. ESCALOPE of WILD SEA BASS with SAUTEED SMOKED BACON, RED CHICORY, RUNNER BEANS and RED WINE SAUCE

Sea bass
4 sea bass fillets
1/2 lemon, juiced
salt
1 knob of butter

Sweet shallots and runner beans
4 runner beans, trimmed and sliced lengthways
2 banana shallots, thinly sliced into rings, keeping the trimmings
salt
1 tablespoon of sugar

Celeriac purée
1 small head of celeriac, diced
85ml of double cream
salt

Red wine sauce
185ml of dark chicken stock
1/2 leek, finely sliced
1/2 bunch of rosemary
2 star anise
1/2 bulb of garlic
50 grams of fish trimmings
185ml of red wine

To plate
100 grams of smoked bacon, boiled and diced
50 grams of butter
2 red chicory, broken into leaves

To prepare the celeriac purée, in a saucepan, cover the celeriac with water and season with salt. Bring to the boil and cook until tender. Drain thoroughly and place in food processor. Whilst blending add enough of the cream to form a smooth, thin purée and keep warm. To make the sweet shallots and runner beans, blanch the beans in boiling water and then refresh in iced water, before draining and setting to one side. Place the shallot rings in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Add enough sugar to sweeten the water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until just tender. Remove from the heat and when cool, drain. For the red wine sauce, sweat the shallot trimmings and leek with the garlic, rosemary and star anise until dry. Add the fish trimmings and cook for 10 minutes. Add the red wine and boil dry. Add the chicken stock and cook for 1 hour until thickened and well flavoured. Pass through muslin cloth and set aside. In a hot pan, sauté the bacon in a little butter until crisp and golden. Add in the chicory, drained sweet shallots and runner beans. Cook until the chicory just starts to wilt and everything else is hot. Pan fry the fish in a little olive oil until just cooked, season and squeeze over the lemon juice. On a warm serving plate place a spoon of the purée, a pile of the runner bean mixture and top with the fish. Pour some of the sauce around and serve a little extra at the table.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Matthew Tomkinson, The Terrace/Montagu Arms Hotel, Beaulieu, New Forest, Hampshire, SO42 7ZL UK; Great British Chefs

2727. MAPLE-BACON ROASTED APPLES and CELERIAC

makes four servings


1 large celery root (celeriac), about 1 1/2 pounds, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 apples, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 slices bacon, chopped
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or rosemary or 1/4 teaspoon dried

Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss celery root with oil, pepper and salt and spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until starting to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Add apples, toss gently and continue roasting until the apples and celery root are tender, 6 to 10 minutes more. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until just crispy. Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon; discard all but 2 teaspoons of the bacon fat. Add maple syrup to the fat in the pan and bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits. Add the cooked bacon and thyme (or rosemary). When the celery root and apples are tender, gently toss them with the maple-bacon glaze and roast for about 5 minutes more.


bacon recipe courtesy of: EatingWell, 6221 Shelburne Road, Suite 100, Shelburne, VT 05482, September/October 2012

2434. PAN-FRIED BRILL with CREAMED CABBAGE and BACON

4 tablespoons olive oil
4 rashers of unsmoked streaky bacon, derinded and chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
½ celeriac, peeled & diced
½ head of Savoy cabbage, core removed, finely shredded
200ml fresh cream
4 brill fillets, 170 – 200g each, skin removed
100 grams butter, diced
½ fresh lemon
small bunch of curly or flat parsley, roughly chopped.

Garnish: (optional)
2 tablespoons caper berries
2 tablespoons diced tomato, skin & seeds removed

Heat 2 tablespooons olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the chopped bacon and fry for few minutes, then stir in the carrot & celeriac. Cover with a lid, reduce to a medium heat and cook for a further 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the shredded cabbage and cook for a further 3 minutes, them pour in the cream. Simmer until the cream begins to thicken and the cabbage is tender. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

Heat a large non stick fry pan & add the remaining olive oil. Pat the fish fillets dry with some absorbent kitchen paper, then season with salt & pepper. Once the pan is hot, add the fish, skin side down and fry for 2 minutes until golden brown in color underneath.

Turn the fish over onto its other side and add the butter. Squeeze over the lemon juice and once the butter begins to foam, add the chopped parsley. Spoon the butter over the fish and remove from the heat.

Place the creamed cabbage in the center of four warmed serving plates topped with the brill fillets. Spoon any remaining pan juices over the brill fillets, garnish with the caper berries, diced tomato and serve.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Avonmore, Glanbia Consumer Foods, 3008 Lake Drive, Citywest, Dublin 24 Ireland

2328. FRIED HERRING with APPLE, BACON and CELERIAC

yields four servings


Four 9-11 oz. herrings, filleted so that the backbone is removed, but the back is still held together in one piece
3.5 oz. finely chopped bacon
2 small turnips, finely diced

½ small celeriac, finely diced

1 carrot, finely diced
1 apple, finely diced
one handful of parsley

Fry the bacon in a hot pan until it is crispy. Add the celeriac and turnip and sizzle until the vegetables start to become tender. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the apple, carrot and parsley.

Brush a bit of mustard onto the inside of the fish and sprinkle with salt. Fry in a neutral type of oil in a hot pan with the meaty side facing downwards until it turns a light golden brown color and the meat falls off the bone, usually around 7 minutes.

Arrange the fish on the plate with the bacon, vegetable and apple mixture on top.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Martin Norstrøm, New Scandinavian Cooking, Geitmyrsveien 7, N-0171 Oslo, Norway

2122. BRAISED BEEF CHEEK with SMOKED BACON, BABY MUSHROOMS and CELERIAC MASH

serves four


For the Beef Cheeks:
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 x 9 oz. pieces beef cheek, well trimmed
2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 pint red wine
2 pints beef stock
2 thyme sprigs
2 rosemary sprigs
5 oz. piece of smoked bacon, rind removed and diced
5 oz. button mushrooms, wiped clean
Maldon sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
chopped flat-leaf parsley, to garnish

For the Celeriac Mash:
½ celeriac (about 1lb 2oz.
10 oz. floury potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 pint milk
1 oz. butter

Preheat the oven to 170C (325F), gas mark 3. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large, flameproof casserole (with a lid) over a medium heat. Add the pieces of beef and brown all over for 4-5 minutes, turning regularly with tongs. Transfer to a plate. Add another tablespoon of oil to the casserole, reduce the heat a little and add the carrots, onion and garlic. Cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring, until golden brown.

Return the beef and any juices to the casserole dish and pour over the red wine and beef stock. Add the herbs and season with salt and pepper to taste, then bring to the boil. Cover the dish tightly with foil and a lid. Cook in the oven for 3 hours until the beef is really tender and melting.

Carefully remove the beef cheeks from the braising juices, allow to rest on a warmed plate and cover loosely with foil. Strain the cooking juices into a medium saucepan and allow them to simmer rapidly for 40-45 minutes until reduced by a quarter.

Meanwhile, make the celeriac mash. Cut the top and bottom off the celeriac, cut it into quarters and, using a small, sharp knife or vegetable peeler, peel away the thick, knobbly skin. Cut it into 1cm (1/2in) chunks and place in a large saucepan with the potatoes. Pour over the milk, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are completely tender.

Drain the cooked vegetables in a colander set over a bowl to catch the cooking liquid. Tip the vegetables into a food processor along with the butter, and whiz for a few minutes until you have achieved a smooth puree, adding some of the reserved cooking liquid if necessary to give a soft dropping consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm over a very low heat.

Meanwhile, heat a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the remaining oil and sauté the bacon and mushrooms for 4-5 minutes until golden brown. Drain off any excess oil and stir into the reduced braising juices. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Divide the celeriac mash among wide-rimmed bowls and carefully arrange the cooked beef cheeks on top. Ladle over the braising juice with the bacon and mushrooms. Garnish with parsley to serve.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Neven Maguire, Neven Maguire: Home Chef, HarperCollins UK, 2010 | RTÉ.ie Raidió Teilifís Éireann, Ireland's National Public Service Broadcaster, Donnybrook, Dublin 4, Ireland

1808. LIVER and BACON with CELERIAC MASH

serves four


8 rashers dry-cured streaky bacon
350 grams calf’s liver, thinly sliced
large pinch of caster sugar
1 tablespoon plain flour, for dusting
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

For the celeriac mash
2 large (about 450g) potatoes, diced
450 grams celeriac, diced
3 tablespoons skimmed milk
bunch of spring onions, trimmed and chopped

Make the celeriac mash. Simmer the potatoes and celeriac in a large pan of boiling, salted water for about 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and return to the pan, covered, to dry out.

In a small pan, gently heat the milk. Add the spring onions and cook for 2-3 minutes, until softened. Add to the potatoes and celeriac, then mash and season. Set aside, covered, to keep hot.

Meanwhile, grill the bacon until beginning to crisp at the edges.

Season the liver on both sides with salt, pepper and the sugar, then coat lightly in the flour. Heat a large frying pan over a high heat. When hot, add the oil, then the liver and cook for 2 minutes each side, until nicely browned but still pink and juicy on the inside. Add the balsamic vinegar to the pan. Serve the liver and pan juices immediately with the celeriac mash and crispy bacon.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Silvana Franco, Delicious Magazine

1464. CELERIAC SOUP with SMOKY BACON and PINE NUTS

serves six


800 grams celeriac
2 celery hearts
2 leeks
70 grams unsalted butter
sea salt and white pepper
1 liter chicken or vegetable stock
1 teaspoon grainy mustard
150 grams rindless smoked streaky bacon, diced
50 grams pine nuts
cream, for swirling, optional

Peel and chop the celeriac; trim and slice the celery hearts, reserving any inner leaves separately. Trim and slice the leeks.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a low heat. Add the leeks, celery and celeriac, sprinkle over a heaped teaspoon of sea salt and cook very gently for 30 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the vegetables colouring. Add the stock, bring to the boil and simmer over a low heat for 15 minutes. Purée the soup in batches in a liquidiser, pass through a sieve, whisk in the mustard and then taste to check the seasoning.

At the same time, heat the bacon in a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry in the rendered fat, stirring occasionally until golden and crisp, adding the pine nuts a couple of minutes towards the end. Drain these on a double thickness of kitchen paper.

Chop a few of the reserved celery leaves for garnish. Serve the hot soup with a swirl of cream if wished and the crisp bacon and pine nuts scattered over. Decorate with the chopped celery leaves.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Annie Bell, Mail Online, January 24, 2009

1463. VENISON MEDALLIONS with a BRUNOISE of BACON and WINTER VEGETABLES

serves four


2 medium carrots, peeled
½ celeriac or 1 large turnip, peeled
1 leek, white part only
2 tablespoons olive oil
100 grams bacon lardons
1 Savoy cabbage, cored and thinly shredded
142ml pot single cream
4 x 120 grams fillet of venison steaks
a little finely chopped parsley
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cut the carrots and celeriac or turnip into small, neat 1cm dice. Blanch in a little salted boiling water for 3 minutes, then drain, season and set aside.

Quarter the leek lengthways and cut into dice. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan and sauté the lardons until the fat starts to run. After about 3 minutes, toss in the leeks and cook for 2 minutes.

Stir in the cabbage and sauté with the leeks and bacon for 2-3 minutes until wilted, stirring often. Mix in the cream. Bring to the boil, then cook briskly
until the cream reduces by half. Check the seasoning.

When ready to serve, season the venison. Heat the remaining oil in a heavy-based nonstick frying pan and press the venison steaks on to the hot metal. Cook for about 3 minutes, then flip over and cook the other side for another 2 minutes or until the flesh feels springy when pressed. Season again and set the pan aside to let the meat rest.

Reheat the cabbage with brunoise of root vegetables. Divide between the centre of four warm dinner plates. Slice the venison into medallions, slightly on the diagonal and arrange on top, overlapping a little. Pour over any meat juices from the cutting up. Sprinkle over the parsley and serve.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Gordon Ramsay, Times Online

962. CELERY ROOT SOUP with BACON and APPLE

serves 4-6


4 cups vegetable stock
3 cups water
2 cups chopped potato
2-3 cups celery root (celeriac) peeled and chopped into chunks
2 apples -- 1 cored and chopped and added to soup -- 1 cored and finely cubed to garnish
4 celery ribs, about 2 cups chopped
6 slices of bacon
4 small spring onions white and 1” of green or
2 small leeks, 1 cup chopped
1 tablespoon bacon fat or olive oil
fresh nutmeg to taste
salt and pepper to taste.
1/4 cup half & half
bacon, apple, celery and celery leaves (or flat leaf parsley) to garnish


Cook chopped vegetables in broth/water until fork tender. Meanwhile cook bacon until crisp and remove from pan, draining on paper towels. Pour all but 1 tbsp of bacon fat out of the pan (or pour all and add olive oil). Meanwhile finely chop the garnish items and mix together in a small bowl. Saute onion until brown over medium heat and then add to vegetable/stock mixture. Puree all with an immersion stick blender or in a food processor or blender (you may have to do it in batches). For a thinner soup you can use a foodmill. Add the half & half and season to taste, mixing well. Garnish with the apple/bacon/celery mixture.


courtesy of: Fork & Bottle, Santa Rosa, California

841. CREAM of CELERIAC SOUP with CRISPY BACON

1 large celeriac, chopped into 1" pieces
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium carrot, chopped into 1" chunks
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon thyme
500ml chicken stock
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
100ml milk
3 tablespoons cream
salt & pepper
2 rashers bacon, cut into thin strips

Fry the garlic and onion in a little of the oil until softened. Add the carrot, celeriac, bay leaf, thyme, chicken stock and lemon juice; cover and simmer for approximately 30 minutes until the celeriac is tender. Transfer to a bowl and blend in small batches, transfering the smooth soup back to the saucepan. Stir in the milk and cream, seasoning, and reheat gently until hot (but not boiling). Quickly fry the bacon in a little of the oil until crispy and pile on top of the soup.


courtesy of: Missy, Cheltenham, United Kingdom / Food-Fan.net

811. BACON, LEEK and CRAB CAWL with CAERPHILLY RAREBIT

makes 4 servings


200 grams bacon, chopped
60 grams unsalted butter
1/2 head celeriac, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 large leek
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
1 pinch ground mace
1 pinch salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 slices brown bread, thickly sliced, preferably wholemeal
80 grams Caerphilly cheese, roughly grated
60 ml dark ale
1/2 teaspoon mustard
1 pinch cayenne
600 ml fish stock
50 ml double cream
200 grams fresh crab meat
1 tablespoon flat-leafed parsley, roughly chopped

Place the bacon, butter and celeriac in a heavy-based saucepan over a low heat. Slice the leek in half lengthways, keeping it together by the root end. Slice in half again, keeping it together at the root end. Starting at the green end, chop the leek all the way along into thin shreds, discarding the root afterward. Wash the chopped leek well and add to the pan, along with the thyme, mace, salt and freshly ground pepper. Stir well to coat evenly, cover and cook over medium heat for 6 minutes, stirring now and then. Toast the bread on both sides and reserve, keeping warm. Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix together the Caerphilly, ale, mustard, cayenne and season with salt and freshly ground pepper (more pepper than salt). Spread the Caerphilly mixture evenly over the toasted bread and grill for 4 minutes. Meanwhile, increase the heat of the leek mixture and pour in the fish stock and cream. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in the crabmeat and parsley. Take off the heat immediately and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Add a splash of water or cream if it is not the consistency of a stew. Once the rarebit is golden brown on top, slice each serving in half and serve it at once with the bacon, leek and crab cawl.


courtesy of: Allegra McEvedy, Great Food Live, UKTV