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

2876. ESCALOPE of CHICKEN with SAGE and BACON

serves four


4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

12 sage leaves
24 slices cured bacon
little olive oil
little freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the dressing
4oz. black olives
handful basil leaves, coarsely torn
7oz. tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and diced
7oz. red onions, diced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
risotto or new potatoes, to serve

Cut each chicken breast into three equal pieces, cover with clingfilm and bash with a meat tenderiser or heavy-based pan. (You don’t want to beat them wafer thin, but bashing prevents the meat shrinking during cooking). Remove the clingfilm. Place a sage leaf on each piece of chicken and wrap in two slices of cured bacon (so the bacon holds the sage leaf in place). Put a little olive oil in a pan and fry the chicken for about 15 to 20 minutes, turning frequently, or until golden and cooked through. Season with a knob of butter, some freshly ground black pepper and a little freshly squeezed lemon juice. To make the dressing, mix together all the ingredients in a bowl. Place the risotto or new potatoes in the centre of each plate, spoon the black olive and red onion dressing around, arrange the chicken on top and serve at once.

bacon recipe courtesy of: Woman & Home

1673. VEAL and BACON TERRINE

2 lb. escalopes very thinly sliced
2 lb. bacon, very thinly sliced
3½ oz. onions very finely chopped
2½ oz. parsley very finely chopped
2 oz. freshly ground white pepper
salt and black pepper
3½ fl oz. dry white wine
1 sprig of thyme
1/2 bay leaf

Line a large rectangle terrine or two smaller ones with strips of bacon. Put in a layer of veal next. Mix the onion. parsley and white pepper and sprinkle a layer on the veal. Season with salt and black pepper continue layering until the terrine is full. Finish with a layer of bacon. Pour the wine over place the thyme and bay leaf on top. Cover and cook in a preheated oven 350F. Cook for about 2 1/2 hours until the juices are clear. Place a weighted board on top while it cools down serve cold.


bacon recipe courtesy of: A-taste-of-France.com