3219. PORK BURGERS with BACON MARMALADE

yields four servings


4 slices bacon, chopped

1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon hot sauce, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar, plus more for drizzling
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/4 pounds ground pork
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
4 slices Swiss cheese
4 hamburger buns, split and toasted
1 romaine lettuce heart, thinly sliced
2 medium tomatoes (1 sliced, 1 chopped)

 

Make the bacon marmalade: Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until almost crisp, 5 minutes. Pour out half of the drippings, add the onion to the skillet and cook, stirring, until the onion browns, 10 more minutes (add a splash of water if the onion sticks). Stir in the hot sauce, sugar, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.

Form the pork into four 4-inch-wide patties; season with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add the patties and cook 4 to 5 minutes per side, topping each with a slice of cheese about 3 minutes before they're done.

Spread the bacon marmalade on the bun bottoms and top each with some lettuce, a patty, a tomato slice and a bun top.

Drizzle the remaining lettuce and the chopped tomato with olive oil and vinegar, and season with salt and pepper; toss. Serve with the burgers.

 

 

bacon recipe courtesy of: Food Network Kitchens, Food Network Magazine

2503. PAN-FRIED FILLET OF TURBOT on a bed of BRAISED PEAS, LETTUCE and BACON and BUTTER MASH

serves four


For the braised peas, lettuce and bacon:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
50 grams rindless streaky bacon, to be finely diced or chopped
1/2 onion, to be peeled and very finely chopped
1 small garlic clove, to be peeled and crushed
2 little gem lettuce hearts, finely shredded
6 tablespoons fish stock
350 grams shelled fresh peas or frozen petit pois
a pinch of caster sugar
50 grams unsalted butter
2 tablespoons fresh chives, to be chopped
freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste

For the turbot:
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
50 grams unsalted butter
4x 175 grams skinless turbot fillets
freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the butter mash:
1.25k grams floury potatoes
50-60 grams unsalted butter, cubed
150ml double cream, warmed
Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper


For the mash, peel the potatoes and, if very large, cut into even-sized pieces. Don't make the pieces too small or they may absorb too much water and start to break up.

Place in a pan of cold salted water and bring to a very gentle simmer so that the water is barely trembling. Cook gently until you can push in a knife point without resistance, about 20 minutes (but don't allow them to start disintegrating).

Once cooked, drain well, return to the pan and place the pan back on a low heat for a minute to dry them out. When they're dry, you'll see white spots of starch appearing on the surface.

Pass the potatoes though a mouli or potato ricer into a clean bowl. Immediately, return the potato to the pan, add the cream and butter, season to taste with salt and pepper and heat gently, beating well.

Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the bacon and fry until crisp and lightly golden. Add the onion and garlic and cook for another 5 - 6 minutes until the onion has softened and is very lightly browned.

Add the shredded lettuce, fish stock or water and some seasoning and bring to the boil, then turn down and simmer for 2 minutes.

Next, in go the peas and a pinch of sugar, simmer for another 2 minutes. Add the butter and chives to the peas and season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice. You may have to add a bit more liquid or stock if it looks a bit dry. Keep warm.

Heat the sunflower oil in a large frying pan then add the turbot fillets (presentation side first). Add the butter and cook over a medium/high heat for 2-3 minutes on each side (depending on the thickness of the fillets), basting with the butter to keep them moist until just cooked through. Lift them out of the pan and onto a tray/plate to prevent them from cooking any further, season with salt, pepper and a little lemon juice and keep them warm.

Spoon a quenelle of potato onto the warmed plate, top with a turbot fillet and spoon the pea and lettuce garnish around the outside.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Nick Nairn, for The Hour, STV Programmes, STV, Pacific Quay, Glasgow G51 1PQ Scotland, April 3, 2009

1029. TILAPIA CLUB SANDWICHES

yields 4 servings


8 slices bacon
1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons dried or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (eyeball it)
2 teaspoons ground coriander (about 2/3 palmful)
1 teaspoon chili powder (about 1/3 palmful)
4 large tilapia fillets (2 to 2 1/2 pounds total), halved crosswise
Salt and pepper
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 romaine lettuce heart, shredded
2 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
Juice of 1 lemon

Position a rack on the top shelf of the oven and preheat to 375°. Arrange the bacon in a single layer on a broiler pan and roast until crisp, 20 to 25 minutes; halve crosswise.

On a plate, combine the flour, cornmeal, dill, coriander and chili powder. Season the tilapia with salt and pepper on both sides and coat with the flour mixture.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil, 3 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. Working in 2 batches, add the fish and cook, turning once, until dark golden, 8 to 10 minutes total.

In a bowl, toss the lettuce and tomatoes with the lemon juice, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

On each of 4 plates, layer a piece of tilapia, 2 bacon strips, a pile of salad, another piece of tilapia, 2 more bacon strips and more salad.


courtesy of: Rachael Ray, Every Day with Rachael Ray, August 2007

783. AMUSE BOUCHE of SUMMER SALAD SOUP with BACON BATONS

quantities for six, dependent upon serving size

onion, finely chopped
butter
Little Gem lettuce hearts, coarsely chopped
a bunch of watercress, finely chopped
1/2 pint of milk
bacon, one rasher per person
olive oil

Fry a finely chopped onion in butter till transparent. Add two Little Gem lettuce hearts. Fry till softened. Add a bunch of watercress; fry until wilted. Pour in half a pint of milk. cook for a few minutes on a low heat. Blend mixture until fairly smooth. Allow to cool. Chill. Fry dry cured bacon in olive oil. Dry on paper towel and cut into batons.


courtesy of: Mike Reed, Fellwalker, a free database of the British hills & mountains, including the Lake District, Pennines, Snowdonia and the Scottish Highlands

777. ROAST CHICKEN with CANNELLINI BEAN, CHIVE and BACON SALAD

serves 4


1½kg oven-ready free-range, corn-fed chicken
2 lemons
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
200 grams smoked back bacon, cut into lardons
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 410 gram tins of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 bunches of chives
2 cos lettuce hearts
2 bunches of watercress, trimmed

Preheat the oven to 375F. Place the chicken on a flame-proof roasting tray. Rub it all over with the juice of half a lemon. Tuck the semi-squeezed lemon half inside the chicken’s cavity. Season the bird with the salt, pepper and cayenne pepper, then rub with the olive oil.

Roast the chicken in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes, then turn it over, so it is lying on its breast. Roast for a further hour. Pierce the thickest part of the thigh with a skewer: it is cooked when the juices run clear. Transfer the cooked chicken to a serving dish and leave to rest in a warm place.

Place the roasting tray over a medium-high heat and briskly fry the bacon in the chicken fat for 5 minutes, or until the bacon is cooked. Add the garlic, fry for 2 minutes more, then add the beans. Once they are hot, remove from the heat, mix in the chives and season to taste with the juice of half a lemon, salt and pepper.

Rip the cos lettuce hearts into easy-to-eat chunks and place in a large bowl with the watercress sprigs. Add the hot beans. Toss thoroughly and divide between four plates. Top with chunks of roast chicken. Serve with extra lemon quarters.


courtesy of: Times Online, UK, June 24, 2007