3873. BACON-WRAPPED DATES with QUINCE MARMALADE

makes 24


24 medjool dates
12 slices streaky bacon, halved
200g linguica sausage or cooking chorizo, skins removed
1 tbsp soft cheese
manchego finely grated to make 5 tbsp
50g cooked chestnuts, crushed, plus some extra to decorate
salad leaves to decorate
250 g quince paste
1 tbsp sherry vinegar

To make the marmalade, put the quince, vinegar and a splash of water in a small pan. Simmer until melted together. Cool.

Heat the oven to 200C/400F. Mix all the stuffing ingredients together and shape into 24 balls. Open each date and remove the stone. Flatten the date by pressing slightly. Put 1 ball inside each date. The dates won’t be big enough to hold the ball but wrap with bacon and fix with a cocktail stick to hold it in. Bake for 15 minutes. Serve with the marmalade on the side and chestnuts and salad leaves to decorate.


bacon recipe source: olive magazine (@olivemagazine)

3746. BACON, DATE and MANCHEGO QUESADILLAS with PISTACHIO CREAM

yields four servings

For the quesadillas:
12 slices bacon
4 10 -inch flour tortillas
2 cups shredded manchego cheese (about 8 ounces)
5 dates, pitted and julienned
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

For the pistachio cream:
1/2 cup salted pistachios
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 cups spinach
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup Mexican crema or sour cream

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange the bacon slices side by side on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until browned and crisp, 15 to 18 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Meanwhile, make the pistachio cream: Combine the pistachios, red pepper flakes, garlic, lemon juice and spinach in a food processor and pulse until chopped; with the motor running, slowly stream in the olive oil until incorporated. Season with salt and pepper and process 5 more seconds. Pour the mixture into a bowl and whisk in the crema; set aside.

Assemble the quesadillas: On 1 half of each tortilla, layer 1/2 cup cheese, 3 slices bacon and a few date slices. Fold the tortillas in half to cover the filling. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 2 quesadillas and cook until golden on both sides and gooey in the middle, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining 2 quesadillas, adding the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan.

Cut each quesadilla into 4 triangles; serve with the pistachio cream.

bacon recipe source: Jeff Mauro, Food Network Magazine

3185. BACON TARTS with MANCHEGO CHEESE and ARTICHOKE PESTO

¼ cup olive oil 
8 slices bacon, cooked
¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated 
1 cup manchego cheese, shredded 
8 small English muffins
1½ cups roasted red pepper, finely diced 
2 cups artichoke hearts (non-marinated), drained

Preheat the oven to 425° F. To make the pesto, puree the artichoke hearts, Parmesan cheese and olive oil in a processor until smooth. Lightly toast the bread and place on a baking sheet. Spread each with a tablespoon or more of pesto (reserve any remaining pesto for another recipe) and then layer with the peppers and 2 pieces of bacon. Sprinkle with Manchego and bake for 12 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Boar's Head, Sarasota, Florida

3131. HUEVOS RANCHEROS with AVOCADO and CRISPY BACON

Salsa 

1 roughly chopped yellow onion
2 roughly chopped jalapeño
3 cloves of finely minced garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 28-ounce can plum tomatoes and juice
1 tablespoons adobo sauce
1½ tablespoons ground cumin
juice of two lemons
juice of one lime
kosher salt to tast
fresh cracked pepper to taste
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro 

Eggs 

4 eggs

15 oz canned refried pinto bean

sliced & cooked bacon

shredded Manchego cheese

sliced avocado

non-stick cooking spray

6 warm corn tortilla

kosher salt to taste

fresh cracked pepper to taste

In a large hot pot with olive oil caramelize the onions, jalapeños and garlic. Once brown, add in tomatoes, adobo, cumin, lemon and lime juice and Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste. Cook for 10 minutes and puree until chunks are rice sized. Finish with cilantro. Keep warm or chill, depending on your preference.

In a non-stick skillet with non-stick spray, saute eggs to desired doneness and season with salt and pepper. In a separate small pot heat the refried beans until hot.

To serve: Place down 3 tortillas and next stack on top: bacon, 2 eggs, 2 ounces of salsa, shredded cheese and avocados.



bacon recipe courtesy of: Billy Parisi, Kitchen Daily

2998. BACON-WRAPPED DATES with MANCHEGO and ROMESCO SAUCE

yields 12-15 one-bite servings



1 (12 ounce) container Medjool dates, pitted

1 pound thick sliced hardwood smoked bacon

1/4 pound manchego cheese

freshly cracked black pepper

romesco sauce

 

Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with tin foil & set a metal cooling rack on top. Remove the pits from the dates by making a small slice into the date with a paring knife. Gently slide a finger in to pop out the pit & discard. Chop a pieces of the manchego cheese large enough to stuff inside the date. Place one stripe of bacon on a cooking board & slice into three equals sections. Take one section & wrap around the cheese stuffed date; Set seem side down on cooling rack. Repeat with remaining dates. Grind fresh black pepper on top of bacon wrapped dates & bake until the bacon is crisp, 20 to 30 minutes. Serve with romesco sauce or honey drizzled over the top.

 

 

bacon recipe courtesy of: Michael Norpell, for Foodista, August 13, 2011

2523. KABOCHA SQUASH SALAD with BACON, MANCHEGO and PECANS

1 Kabocha squash
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
salt and pepper to taste
½ cup pecan halves
4 slices extra-thick bacon, cut cross-wise into ½-inch-thick “lardons”
¼ cup sherry vinegar
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
4-5 handfuls of sturdy, bitter greens
Manchego cheese (to be shaved on top of each serving)

Preheat oven to 400.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Slice the squash lengthwise into ¾-inch wedges, then peel. Kabocha squash, like other winter squash, has a fairly thick, and very tough skin, so be careful.

Toss peeled squash wedges with olive oil, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste (about 2 teaspoons of salt and a few hard turns on a pepper mill). Place the squash wedges on their sides in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast until soft, about 30 minutes.

While the squash is roasting, heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat until a drop of water dropped into the dry pan sizzles away. Add the pecans and “toast” them, shaking the pan continuously, for about 5 minutes. Remove pecans from pan and set aside to cool. Turn down heat under the saute pan to medium.

Add the bacon lardons and cook until just barely turning crisp, about 5 minutes. Lower the heat to medium, add sliced shallots and cook until shallots are soft. Remove the pan from the heat, add vinegar and swirl to combine and pick up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and set aside until squash is done.

Pour about ¾ of the bacon and vinaigrette from the pan over greens and pecan in a large bowl. Toss to combine, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Arrange salad on plates, place squash wedges on top, then drizzle remaining vinaigrette over squash. Shave Manchego cheese over top.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Sarah J. Gim, TasteSpotting, March 15, 2011, inspired by a recipe from Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin

2165. CHEESE SOUFFLE with BACON and PIMENTON DE LA VERA PICANTE

4 large eggs, yolks and white separated
5 ounces Manchego cheese, grated
1 ounce parmesan, finely grated
butter for the souffle dish
4 slices bacon, cut in thirds

White Sauce
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons pimenton de la vera picante
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a souffle dish by buttering it well and dusting with the finely grated parmesan.

Melt the butter in a shallow pot. Add the flour, salt and pimenton and cook until the flour and spices are thoroughly melded with the butter. Add 1 cup milk and cook until thick and bubbling. Remove from heat. Stir in the egg yolk and grated Manchego and stir over very low heat until cheese melts. Set aside to cool briefly.

Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry and gently fold the white sauce/cheese mixture into the egg whites. Carefully pour into the prepared souffle dish and arrange the bacon slices on top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Serve immediately!


bacon recipe courtesy of: Herb and Kathy Eckhouse, La Quercia, 400 Hakes Drive, Norwalk, Iowa 50211

1970. MASHED PINTO BEANS with BACON and MANCHEGO

serves 2-3


2 strips bacon, sliced
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2/3 cup chicken broth
1/4 tsp. cumin
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper
2-3 Tbsp. shredded or grated manchego cheese
sliced scallions

Heat a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat and add the bacon. Fry until the bacon is cooked and starting to crisp. If you are using excessively fatty bacon, you may want to pour off some of the drippings. Otherwise, leave everything in there as-is.

To the pan, add the onion and cook until tender. Stir in the garlic until fragrant, and then the chicken broth, cumin, beans, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring the mixture to a light boil and continue to simmer for 10 minutes (or for as long as you want, if you want to time it with your main dish).

Use a potato masher to press down on the beans, and mash to your desired consistency (adding more broth if necessary).

Once plated, top with the manchego cheese and sliced scallions.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Elly, elly says opa!, Chicago, Illinois, January 17, 2010

1715. NOPAL SOUFFLE with BACON, GRUYERE and MANCHEGO CHEESE

serves six


14 small nopals (or 8 medium), rinsed and dried
1 small handful of small onions, or ¼ medium yellow onion
6 eggs
50 grams bacon
1 ½ cups heavy cream
125 grams mixed gruyere and manchego cheese
200 grams (1/2 lb) puff pastry
salt
pepper
nutmeg
½ teaspoon prepared mustard
Equipment: 9-inch cake mold

Red Pepper Sauce:
1 small can roasted red peppers
¾ cup heavy cream
Reserved bacon (from above)

Render the bacon until crispy and reserve the bacon and fat separately. Slice the baby onions very fine and fry in the reserved bacon fat. Roll out the puff pastry until very thin and carefully place in the mold. Finely dice the nopal and place in a large sauté pan over medium high heat, stirring constantly. The nopals will release their “drool” and cook through, be patient. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, seasonings, and mustard until thoroughly combined. Add the cooked nopals, onions, and cheeses and stir. Pour into the mold over the puff pastry and bake at 350°F for 1 hour. You can make this ahead of time and reheat for serving.

For the Red Pepper Cream Sauce: Blend the peppers. Mix with the cream and a drop of milk. Drain and stir in the bacon bits. Pour the sauce over the soufflé and decorate with a flower made of nopals and a tomato in the center.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Sophia Brittan and Emma Piper-Burket, Kitchen Caravan: Healthy Online Cooking Show, info@kitchencaravan.com, February 26, 2009

1456. ASIAGO-STUFFED DATES with BACON and SMOKED PAPRIKA

makes 12


12 Medjool dates
12 1 1/2 x 1/4 x 1/4-inch pieces Asiago, Manchego, or pecorino cheese
4 slices applewood-smoked bacon, each cut crosswise into 3 pieces
smoked paprika*

Preheat oven to 425°F. Using small knife, make small cut in side of each date; remove pit. Insert 1 piece of cheese into each date. Brush bacon slices generously on 1 side with smoked paprika. Wrap each date with 1 piece of bacon, with paprika side against date. Secure bacon with toothpick. Arrange dates on rimmed baking sheet. Roast until bacon is browned on bottom, about 6 minutes. Turn dates; roast until bacon is cooked, about 6 minutes longer. Transfer to plate; cool slightly. Remove toothpicks.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Jeanne Thiel Kelley, Bon Appétit, May 2009

1397. BRUNCH FLATBREAD with EGGS, BACON and FRISEE

12 large eggs
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 oz. baby spinach (about 2 c), rinsed & crisped
3 oz. frisée lettuce leaves (about 2 c), rinsed & crisped
about 1 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 3 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
about 1/4 cup olive oil
pepper
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
about 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 1/3 cup shredded parmesan or manchego cheese
8 oz. thick-cut bacon, sliced

In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast over 1 1/2 c warm (110°) water. Let stand until yeast is softened, about 5 mins. Stir in 1 tsp salt & 1 tbsp olive oil. Gradually stir or, with an electric mixer on lowish speed, beat in 3 1/2 c flour until mixture forms a soft dough. If using a dough hook, beat on high speed until dough no longer feels sticky & pulls cleanly from bowl, 5 to 7 mins. If dough is still sticky, beat in more flour, 1 tbsp at a time. If kneading by hand, scrape dough onto a lightly floured board. Knead until smooth, springy, & no longer sticky, 15 to 20 mins; add flour as required to prevent sticking. Place dough in an oiled bowl; turn dough over to coat top. Cover up dough with plastic wrap & let rise in a warm place until doubled, 35 to 45 mins. Punch dough down, cover, & chill up to 8 hrs (see notes). Meanwhile, stir bacon until browned & crisp, in a 10- to 12-inch frying pan over medium-high heat, about 5 mins. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Reserve 1 tbsp bacon drippings to dress greens, if desired. At least 2 hrs before serving, remove dough from refrigerator & let this stand at about room temp for 45 mins (see notes). Scrape onto a lightly floured board & press carefully to expel air. Divide dough into four pieces. Cover up with plastic wrap & let rest 10 mins. Roll or carefully stretch one piece at a time into a 13- by 7-inch oval about 1/16 inch thick. Place each on an oiled & cornmeal-dusted 12- by 15-inch rimless baking sheet; if necessary, stretch dough to reshape. Brush each oval with about 1/2 tbsp olive oil & sprinkle with about 1/3 c cheese. Arrange a quarter of the cooked bacon evenly over each. Bake flatbreads two at a time in a 450° oven for 10 mins. Remove from oven & crack 3 eggs onto each oval (for firm-cooked eggs, crack eggs onto flatbread 5 mins into baking). Sprinkle top lightly with salt & pepper. Return flatbreads to oven, & bake this until crust is well browned, switching pan positions, 5 to 8 mins longer. Meanwhile, In a large-ish bowl, mix 1 tbsp olive oil or reserved bacon drippings & the vinegar. Add spinach & frisée & mix to coat. Slide each flatbread onto a cutting board or plate. Mound dressed greens equally on top. Cut each oval in half lengthwise, then crosswise into eight slices. Add salt & pepper to taste.


courtesy of: Group Recipes: Food Social Network

1293. ASPARAGUS and BACON FRITTATA with MANCHEGO

serves one


3 eggs
salt, pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 asparagus stalks
35 grams bacon
1 tablespoon grated manchego cheese

Turn the oven grill on, at the highest setting.

Boil water for the asparagus. Break off any woody ends, and cook for three minutes. Immediately transfer to a bowl of cold water, to stop the cooking.

Fry the bacon until crispy, and drain.

Beat the eggs with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a skillet on high heat. Add the eggs and lower the heat immediately. Fry like you would any omelet - gently move the edges that bake faster towards the center, and let the eggs run out towards the edges. When it's nearly done, arrange the asparagus, bacon and manchego on top, and pop the whole thing in the oven. Bake for 30-60 seconds, and serve right away.


courtesy of: Anne's Food, Stockholm, Sweden

1292. BACON-WRAPPED MANCHEGO-STUFFED DATES

makes 12 hors d'oeuvres


12 medjool dates
12 1/2-inch cubes manchego cheese
6 pieces uncured bacon, cut in half

Preheat broiler. Make a slit in the side of each date and remove the pit. Place a piece of cheese in the cavity of each date and wrap each date with a piece of bacon.

Arrange dates on a baking sheet and broil for 4 to 6 minutes. Turn dates and broil for another 4 minutes, until bacon is crisp and cooked through. Serve immediately.


courtesy of: Whole Foods Market

1217. KABOCHA SALAD with GREENS, BACON, CHEESE and PECAS

yields 6 servings


½ cup pecan halves
6 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
2 pounds kabocha squash
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
1 2/3 pound slab good quality bacon
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
8 ounces young dandelion greens, cleaned
¼ cup sliced shallots
¼ pound Roncal, Manchego or pecorino cheese.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread pecans on baking sheet and toast about 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, until fragrant. Toss with 1 teaspoon oil and a pinch of salt. Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Place squash, cut side down, on cutting board, and peel with knife. Slice lengthwise into ¾ inch wedges. Turn up oven to 425 degrees. Toss squash with ¼ cup oil, 2 teaspoons salt, some pepper and thyme. Roast, flat on baking sheet, about 30 minutes, until tender. Meanwhile, cut bacon crosswise into 3/8 inch slices and then into even-sided rectangles. Whisk together vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil and ¼ teaspoon salt. Place greens, torn up if too large, in large salad bowl. Heat large pan over high heat for 1 minute. Add bacon, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes, until just beginning to brown. Lower heat to medium, add shallots and toss to combine. Remove from heat, swirl in vinaigrette and add to greens with squash. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt and pinch of pepper, and toss gently. Taste for seasoning. Arrange half the salad on platter. Shave some cheese over salad, sprinkle on half the nuts, top with remaining salad, more cheese shavings and rest of the nuts.


courtesy of: Sunday Suppers at Lucques: Seasonal Recipes from Market to Table by Suzanne Goin and Teri Gelber. Knopf, 2005 | The New York Times,, November 9, 2005