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

2243. SALAD of RUNNER BEANS, MANGETOUTS, BACON, CAPERS and PARSLEY

serves six


300 grams runner beans, topped and tailed, and cut into 3cm lengths diagonally
300 grams mangetouts, topped and tailed
250 grams rindless unsmoked streaky bacon, diced
45 mls small capers, rinsed
90 mls coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

FOR THE DRESSING
15 mls red wine vinegar
5 mls Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed to a paste
5 mls caster sugar
sea salt, black pepper
75 mls groundnut oil
30 mls extra virgin olive oil

Bring two large pans of salted water to the boil, cook the runner beans in one pan for 6-7 minutes until tender, and the mangetouts in the other pan for 2 minutes, drain them both into the same colander and briefly refresh under the cold tap.

Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the bacon and fry in its own fat for 9-11 minutes until golden, stirring occasionally and separating the pieces. Drain on kitchen paper and leave to cool.

To make the dressing, whisk the vinegar, mustard, garlic, sugar and some seasoning in a bowl, then gradually whisk in the oils until you have a thick, creamy emulsion.

Combine the beans, bacon, capers and parsley in a large bowl. You can prepare the salad to this point up to a couple of hours in advance, in which case cover everything and set aside, and toss with the vinaigrette shortly before serving.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Annie Bell, Country Living | All About You

1682. RUNNER BEANS with BACON and HAZELNUTS

serves four


500 grams runner beans, trimmed and sliced
4 rashers smoked streaky bacon, chopped into large pieces
handful blanched hazelnuts, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
5 tablespoons double cream
small handful tarragon leaves, roughly chopped

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the beans for 4-5 mins until cooked, but still vibrant. Drain the beans and tip straight into a bowl of ice-cold water. Drain again and set aside.

Heat a frying pan, tip in the bacon and sizzle for 4-5 mins until it starts to crisp. Throw in the hazelnuts and cook for another few mins until the nuts start to brown. Use a slotted spoon to scoop out the bacon and nuts, but leave behind any juices and residue. Place the pan back on a low heat, slosh in the vinegar and sizzle for a moment, then stir in the cream. Return the beans, bacon and hazelnuts to the pan to warm through and toss them in the dressing. Tip into a bowl and mix in the tarragon just before serving.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Good Food magazine, August 2006

1521. PROVENCAL BEAN SOUP with BACON and a BASIL PISTOU

serves 6


For the soup
900 grams bacon
500 grams fresh haricot beans
500 grams fresh red kidney beans
500 grams large runner beans or large flat green beans
4 large courgettes (zucchini), diced (but not peeled)
4 medium-sized potatoes, diced
1 tomato, skinned and pipped, and cut into pieces
1 thinly sliced white onion
salt and pepper from the mill

For the pistou
2 to 4 cloves of garlic (according to taste)
leaves and tender shoots of 3 sprigs of basil
1 tomato, skinned and pipped, and cut into pieces
80 grams gruyère, finely grated
80 grams matured Dutch cheese, finely grated
olive oil

Shell the haricot and kidney beans and prepare and trim the flat green beans into inch-length sticks. Prepare the other vegetables. In a large pan put 2 litres of water to heat. If you have opted for the recipe with smoked ham or bacon, remove the rind from the bacon and cut into 6 or 12 equally-sized portions. Place the rind and the meat into the pan, bring to the boil and simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove any scum.

Add the three varieties of beans and continue to simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. If you have added ham or bacon, take into account the salt which the meat will bring to the preparation. Then add the courgettes, potatoes, onion and tomato and cook for a further 20 minutes. At the end of this period, the soup should be nice and thick.

During this time, pound the garlic and basil leaves and shoots using a mortar and pestle. When thoroughly blended, add the tomato and continue the process, and then add the cheese. Finally, slowly blend in sufficient olive oil to obtain a smooth rich sauce. (This operation can be done in a blender if you prefer).

When you are ready to serve, check the seasoning of the soup and remove the bacon rind. Add the pistou to the soup, mix in thoroughly, and cook gently for another 2 minutes.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Philippe Broad, Culturekiosque, Euromedia Group Ltd., 164 Madison Avenue, 5th Floor, New York, New York 10016-5411

1406. WARM RUNNER BEAN SALAD with BACON

serves two


250 grams runner beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 rashers thickly sliced streaky bacon
1 onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, finely sliced
2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
freshly ground black pepper

Cook runner beans, drain and keep warm. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry bacon over a moderate heat until crisp. Remove bacon to a plate. Sauté onion in oil and bacon fat until soft and starting to colour. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute more. Crumble or cut bacon into small pieces. Return to pan, add parsley and pepper and then add to the warm beans.


courtesy of: River Nene Organic Vegetables, Sacrewell Lodge Farm, Thornhaugh, Peterborough PE8 6HJ, England

1163. SAVORY MARROW, STRING BEANS, BACON and NEW POTATOES

1 large summer vegetable marrow
2 cups ground cooked meat
3 bacon slices
1 small onion
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoon bread crumbs
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
2 tomatoes
stock
(serve with gravy, runner beans and new potatoes)

Cut the marrow through about 2 inches from the end. Remove the seeds and pulp. Peel the large piece of vegetable marrow and boil for 5 minutes. Mince the meat, bacon and onion and mix with flour, salt and pepper, breadcrumbs and parsley. Skin and chop the tomatoes and add to the mixture and moisten with a little stock. Stuff the marrow with the mixture and replace peeled, cut-off end. Put in an ovenproof dish, dot with dripping and bake at 180 degree centigrade for approx 1 hour, basting frequently. Serve with plenty of gravy, runner beans and new potatoes.


courtesy of: The Green Chronicle, enquiries@greenchronicle.com