3766. WHELK FRITTERS with BACON

serves 8–10

10-12 whelks

1 celery stick, roughly chopped

1 carrot, roughly chopped

1 bay leaf

3-4 rashers fatty bacon, diced

1 onion, chopped

2 medium eggs, separated

2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped

1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

½ teaspoon thyme leaves

a good pinch curry powder

40 grams fresh breadcrumbs

salt

freshly ground black pepper

sunflower oil or olive oil, for frying

Scrub the whelks under the cold tap. As you handle them, you may find that some of them release a certain amount of slime (don’t worry about this, just rinse it away). Put the cleaned whelks in a large pan, cover with cold water and add the celery, carrot and bay leaf. Bring to boiling point and cook at a gentle simmer for 8–10 minutes. Drain, discard the vegetables and leave the whelks to cool.

Extract the cooked whelks from their shells, using a fork to twirl them out. Remove the coarse cap or ‘trap door’ (like a black fingernail) from the front end and the dark digestive sac from the tail end. Roughly chop the whelks.

Gently cook the bacon in a frying pan until it releases its fat and is lightly cooked. Add the onion to the pan and fry until soft, then set aside to cool.

Put the egg yolks into a bowl and lightly break them up with a fork. Stir in the chopped whelks, bacon and onion, garlic, parsley, thyme, curry powder, breadcrumbs and salt and pepper to taste.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Gently fold them into the whelk mixture. Form the mixture into even-sized patties, around 5 cm in diameter.

Pour a 1 cm depth of oil into a large frying pan and set over a medium-high heat. When hot, add the patties (be careful, as they can spit ferociously) and fry for 3–4 minutes per side, until crisp and golden. Serve the fritters hot from the pan, with a little lemony mayonnaise dabbed on top if you like.

bacon recipe source: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Nick Fisher, The River Cottage Fish Book: The Definitive Guide to Sourcing and Cooking Sustainable Fish and Shellfish (Ten Speed Press, 2012); Cooked (@Cooked_UK)

3472. BAKED BACON-WRAPPED SEA BASS stuffed with ONIONS

for one fish


1 sea bass fish
several thin slices bacon
2 medium onions
1 lemon
fresh dill for garnish
fresh parsley for garnish
salt and pepper to taste
sunflower oil

Clean and gut the sea bass. Then add salt, pepper and sprinkle with lemon juice. Cut the onions in half rings, chop the greens and stuff the sea bass with it. Wrap all the fish with bacon and fry in a little bit of vegetable oil in a frying pan on both sides. This is necessary so that the bacon becomes crispy. At this time, preheat the oven up to 180C (355F) (with convection). Next, tightly wrap the fish in foil and bake for 30 minutes. After this time, take out the package with fish, unfold and serve sprinkled with greenery.


bacon recipe source: Mike Yarmish, Foodienarium, May 16, 2013

3237. PAN-FRIED FISH FILLETS with CRISPY BACON and BEURRE NOISETTE

serves four


8 rashers thin-cut rindless streaky bacon
25 grams plain flour
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
45 grams unsalted butter
8 x 75 gram or 12 x 50 gram skinned Dover sole, lemon sole, plaice, flounder, megrim or witch sole fillets
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon each finely chopped fresh tarragon, parsley and chives

Preheat the grill to high. Lay the bacon rashers on the rack of the grill pan and set aside.

Put the flour onto a shallow tray and season. Put half the oil and 10g butter into a large, frying pan and melt the butter over a low heat. Meanwhile, dip the fillets into the flour, making sure they are well-coated both sides. Shake off the excess.

Grill the bacon until crisp and golden, then keep warm. Meanwhile, increase the heat under the pan. When the butter starts foaming, add half the fillets and fry over a medium-high heat for 2 minutes each side, until lightly golden. Put the cooked fillets on a plate and keep warm. Wipe out the pan and cook the other fillets, using the rest of the oil and another 10g butter.

Wipe out the pan with kitchen paper and return to a medium heat with the remaining butter. When the butter is melted and starting to go pale brown, add the lemon juice and herbs and remove from the heat. Season. Arrange the fillets and bacon on warmed plates, spoon over some beurre noisette and serve.

bacon recipe courtesy of: Debbie Major, delicious. magazine

3117. SAMOAN WATERCRESS SOUP with BACON

Supo Kapisi Vai


large bunch watercress, woody stalks removed
4 slices of smoked bacon
3 cups of water
sunflower oil
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup of Taro or potato
1 cup of coconut milk
salt & pepper

Chop the bacon into strips and place them in a large heavy bottom pan with a tablespoon of oil. Fry over a medium heat until the bacon has browned. Add the ginger and garlic and fry for a further 3 minutes. Add 3 cups of water to the pan and the Taro or Potato and simmer until soft. Add the watercress and place a lid on the pan and simmer for a few minutes until the watercress has wilted. Blend the soup with a blending stick, food processor or blender until smooth. Return soup to the pan and add the coconut milk, season with pepper and salt if needed and heat through.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Allison Pirrie-Mawer, Pease Pudding, April 20, 2011

3083. ONE POT PARTRIDGE with BACON and CHESTNUTS

serves four

1 tablespoon juniper berries 

4 oven-ready partridges

salt and freshly ground black pepper 

1 oz. butter 

1 tablespoon sunflower oil 

1 medium onion, finely sliced

4 rashers rindless streaky bacon, cut into 2cm/1in slices

3-4 bushy sprigs fresh thyme 

2 tablespoons plain flour 

5 tablespoons dry gin 

3½fl oz orange juice (about 1 large orange)

7fl oz red wine 

12fl oz chicken stock, fresh or made with 1 stock cube

2 tablespoons cranberry sauce or red currant jelly 

2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest

7 oz. cooked and peeled chestnuts, halved

½ medium Savoy cabbage, tough outer leaves removed

Put the juniper seeds in a pestle and mortar and pound until roughly crushed. Sprinkle the juniper seeds over all the partridges, pressing lightly into the skin, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Melt the butter with the oil in a large flame-proof casserole or your largest saucepan over a medium heat. Add the partridges to the casserole, breast-side down, and fry for 1-2 minutes, or until nicely browned. Turn and fry on each of the remaining three sides for a further minute until browned all over. Remove from the casserole and put on a plate.

Reduce the heat and add the onion, bacon and thyme to the casserole. Fry gently for 5-6 minutes, or until the onions are softened and the bacon is beginning to brown, stirring regularly.

Sprinkle the flour into the pan and stir well. Cook for about five minutes, then add the gin and orange juice and bubble for a few seconds before slowly stirring in the wine and chicken stock. Spoon the cranberry sauce or redcurrant jelly on top, stir in the orange zest and chestnuts and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Gently return the partridges to the pan and cover with a lid. Cook over a low heat for 30 minutes.

Cut the cabbage into four wedges and remove the tough central core. Remove the casserole from the heat and turn the partridges over. Nestle the cabbage between the birds, cover and continue to cook for a further 30-40 minutes, or until the birds are very tender, the cabbage has softened and the sauce has thickened. Pick out the thyme stalks and adjust the seasoning to taste.

bacon recipe courtesy of: The Hairy Bikers, The Hairy Bikers' Cook Off, BBC-Food

3079. BACON and EGG CANAPES

makes twelve


For the pastry
5½ oz plain flour

3½ oz cold butter, cut into cubes

1 free-range egg, beaten

For the bacon and egg filling

2 tablespoons sunflower oil

4 thin rashers rindless streaky bacon, cut into 2 inch strips

2 free-range eggs, hard boiled, peeled

4 tablespoons mayonnaise 

salt and fresh ground black pepper 

6 quails’ eggs, hard boiled, peeled

fresh rocket leaves

For the pastry pulse the flour and butter in a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. With the motor running, add the beaten egg and blend until the mixture starts to come together in a ball. Shape the dough into a ball and flatten slightly. Roll the pastry out on a floured work surface, and using a 3-inch cutter, cut out 12 rounds. Use them to line a 12 hole muffin tin. Prick the base of the pastry with a fork, and freeze for one hour. Preheat the oven to 400F. Bake the pastry cases for 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked through. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. For the bacon and egg filling, heat the oil in a small non-stick frying pan and fry the bacon over a medium heat for 1-2 minutes on each side until crisp. Drain on kitchen paper. Mash the hens’ eggs with the mayonnaise, adding salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Spoon the mixture into the pastry cases. Cut the quails’ eggs in half and place on top. Add a strip of bacon to each one and garnish the canapés with rocket leaves.

bacon recipe courtesy of: The Hairy Bikers, The Hairy Bikers' Christmas Party, BBC-Food

3062. POLLACK with PARSLEY SAUCE and CRISP BACON

serves two 


1 tablespoon plain flour
2 x 200g/8oz thick pollack fillets, skin on
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
4 rindless rashers good streaky bacon

For the parsley sauce
200ml whole milk
½ medium onion, quartered
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon plain flour
nutmeg, for grating
small bunch curly parsley, chopped

To make the sauce, pour the milk into a medium pan and add the onion and bay leaf. Bring to a gentle simmer on the hob and cook for 5 mins. Turn off the heat, then leave to stand for 30 mins. When cool, remove the onion and bay leaf.

To prepare the fish, toss the flour, a pinch of salt and a couple of twists of black pepper in a large bowl. Add the fish, skin-side down, to coat the skin lightly in the flour. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the fish, skin-side down, and the bacon. Cook the fish for 5-6 mins or until the skin is crisp and it is almost completely opaque – there should be a couple of fingers’ width of uncooked fish running down the centre. Cook the bacon until it is really crisp, turning once, then remove and drain on kitchen paper.

Meanwhile, finish making the parsley sauce. Melt the butter in a small pan and stir in the flour. Cook for 30 secs. Slowly add the milk to the pan, stirring. Simmer gently for 5 mins, stirring continuously. Season with a good grating of nutmeg, salt and pepper. Keep warm over a low heat, stirring occasionally.

Flip the pollack over, reduce the heat slightly and cook on the other side for a further min or so until just cooked. Increase the heat under the sauce until it begins to bubble. Stir in the parsley and add a little extra milk if the sauce seems too thick. Season a little more if you like. 

Place the fish on two warmed plates. Spoon over the sauce and place the bacon on top. Serve.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Valentine Warner, Good Food Magazine, March 2010
 

2982. ROASTED PEAR, BACON and SPINACH SLAW with KUMQUAT TAHINI DRESSING

serves 2 as a meal


For Salad:
2 cups shredded green or purple cabbage
2 cups finely chopped spinach
3 strips of bacon
3 shallots
1 pear
1 tablespoon sunflower oil and 1 teaspoon, kept separate
1 pinch of salt

 

Dressing:

1 tablespoon tahini

1 tablespoon coconut milk (or cream)

1/2 teaspoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

4 kumquats

1 pinch chili powder

1 pinch smoked salt

1 pinch black pepper

 

Preheat oven to 350. Chop both the pear for the salad and the kumquat for the dressing in thin slices. Put in two separate baking pans (the smallest you have). For the pear, drizzle 1 teaspoon of sunflower oil and a pinch of salt over. Stir well, then put both pans into the oven. Let the kumquat cook for about 8 minutes, and the pear 15. When you remove the kumquats from the oven, give the pears a stir.

 

Meanwhile, chop your shallots and saute them in 1 tablespoon of sunflower seed oil over medium low heat for 6 minutes. Then keep them in the pan but push them to the side and add your bacon to the pan. Let bacon cook on both sides until crisp. While this cooks, chop your cabbage and spinach well. Put in a bowl. When your bacon is done, chop it finely and add to your slaw with 1/2 of your shallots. Put the other 1/2 in a small jar with your roasted kumquats and the rest of the dressing ingredients. When your pear is done, add it to your salad and top with the dressing. Stir well and serve as a meal or a side.

 

 

bacon recipe courtesy of: Skylor Powell, Sprout Health, for Healthy Way to Cook, May 8, 2013

2813. TAGLIATELLE with STAR ANISE and SMOKED BACON BOLOGNESE

serves four


fresh tagliatelle, cooked in a large pan of boiling salted water
2 teaspoons sunflower oil
2-3 rashers smoked bacon (back or streaky), finely chopped
500 grams lean beef mince
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 whole star anise
500 ml beef stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large frying pan and cook the bacon for 3-4 minutes, until all the water (if any) has been released and boiled away and the bacon starts to crisp. Add the mince and continue to cook until the mince is browned all over, approx. 5-6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and wipe the pan clean. Add the other tablespoon of oil and cook the onions, then chopped carrot, then garlic, until soft, taking care not to burn, approx. 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and star anise to the pan and stir through. Return the mince and bacon to the pan and stir through. Add the stock and bring to the boil. At this stage, you can either reduce the Bolognese to a very low simmer and cook for approx. 1 hour, until the meat is tender, but my preferred method for a deeper flavour a slow cooker. Transfer the Bolognese mixture to a slow cooker, set on LOW, and cook for 2-3 hours until the mince is tender. Serve with (ideally) fresh tagliatelle, cooked in a large pan of boiling salted water according to packet instructions, approx. 3-4 minutes.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Keith Kendrick, Reluctant Housedad's Recipe Shed, January 14, 2013

2794. PAN-FRIED BACON with POACHED EGG and BALSAMIC TOMATOES

serves two


1 teaspoon sunflower oil

4 rashers of rindless smoked back bacon 

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar 

2 free-range very fresh eggs (fridge cold)

8 cherry tomatoes, halved

good handful of watercress 

drizzle of good-quality balsamic vinegar 

freshly ground black pepper

Brush a large non-stick frying pan with sunflower oil, using the tip of a pastry brush. Place the pan over a medium heat and add the bacon. Cook for two minutes until lightly browned, then turn and dry-fry on the other side for another three minutes. While the bacon is cooking, half fill a medium non-stick saucepan with water, add the vinegar and bring to the boil. Turn the heat to low, so the water is only just bubbling. Crack the eggs into the water, one at a time, spacing them well apart. Cook for 2½ minutes. The eggs should rise to the surface within a minute. If the egg white sticks to the bottom of the pan, lift it gently with a wooden spoon. Alternatively, you can use a hob-top egg poacher, lightly greased with sunflower oil. Add the tomatoes to the pan with the bacon and season with plenty of black pepper. Cook the tomatoes for about a minute until just beginning to soften, turning them once. Put a small pile of watercress on each plate. Place some bacon and tomatoes on the plates and drizzle with a dash of balsamic vinegar. Take the eggs out of the water with a slotted spoon and place them on top. Season with a little more pepper and tuck in right away while it’s all lovely and hot.

bacon recipe courtesy of: The Hairy Bikers, Hairy Dieters: How to Love Food and Lose Weight, BBC-Food

2567. POT-ROASTED GUINEA FOWL with PORCINI MUSHROOMS, BACON and PARSLEY

serves four


25 grams dried porcini mushrooms
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1.5kg guinea fowl
150 grams thick-cut streaky bacon, or gammon steak cut into short, chunky strips
1 large onion, chopped
8 small garlic cloves, thinly sliced
100ml dry white wine
150ml chicken stock
A little grated fresh nutmeg
25 grams unsalted butter, chilled
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Cover the mushrooms with 200ml boiling water and soak for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Heat the oil in a small casserole. Season the guinea fowl inside and out, add to the casserole and brown all over. Lift out, then add the bacon or gammon and fry until golden. Add the onion and fry over a medium heat for 5 minutes until soft.

Drain the mushrooms, reserving the liquid, and slice any large ones. Add to the casserole with the garlic and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the wine and mushroom liquid and simmer vigorously until well reduced. Return the guinea fowl to the casserole, pour over the stock and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Lift the guinea fowl onto a board. Cover tightly with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, stir the nutmeg and butter into the casserole, and vigorously simmer until reduced to a well-flavoured sauce. Don’t let it go too far or it will get salty. Stir in the parsley. Carve as you would for chicken and divide between 4 warmed plates. Spoon over the sauce and serve.

bacon recipe courtesy of: Debbie Major, delicious. 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

2344. HALLOUMI SALAD with ROCKET and BACON

serves one


50 grams halloumi
sunflower oil
3 slices bacon
50 grams rocket
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
a few leaves mint

Cut your halloumi into small cubes. Heat some sunflower oil in a frying pan and quickly brown the halloumi cubes. Be careful as the oil tends to spatter when frying halloumi. Toss the rocket and shredded mint together with a bit of white balsamic vinegar (or other dressing of your liking) and put on a plate. Fry the bacon slices crisp and leave to drain on a bit of kitchen towel. Crumble above the salad and add the fried halloumi too.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Simone, Junglefrog Cooking, The Netherlands, May 3, 2010

2246. BACON SQUID BUNDLES with SQUID INK VINAIGRETTE

serves four


1 large squid, cleaned, prepared and cut into fine juilienne
8 slices of cured bacon
Olive oil for frying
1 teaspoon of squid ink
100 mils of sunflower oil

Cut each slice of bacon in two lengthways. Wrap thin strips of bacon around the middle of bunches of julienned squid to form little bundles and then fix with toothpicks. Sauté the bundles in a little oil on a medium heat until the bacon is crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and transfer to a serving plate. Make the vinaigrette by mixing the squid ink with the sunflower oil. Drizzle over the bundles. Serve immediately.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Vernon Grant, for Spanish Food World (owned and operated by The Tapas Lunch Company Ltd., Unit 1, Johnston Logistics UK, Harling Road, Snetterton, Norwich, NR16 2JU)

2233. WILD BOAR RAGOUT with BACON DUMPLINGS

serves four


Wild Boar Ragout:
600 grams wild boar leg
250 grams onions
200 ml red wine
150 ml sunflower oil
50 ml hazelnut oil
10 grams juniper berries
20 grams sugar
5 grams cardamom whole
10 grams cinnamon sticks
150 grams frozen cranberries
15 grams fresh thyme
100 grams rose hip jam
salt, to taste

Bacon Dumplings:
200 grams bacon
300 grams flour (hruba mouka)
200 ml milk
250 grams white bread
100 grams onions
30 grams chopped parsley
30 grams butter
salt, pepper, nutmeg to taste

Wild Boar Ragout: Clean the meat and cut in cubes. Heat the casserole and add sunflower oil and hazelnut oil. Sauté the meat until it becomes very brown, then take out. Add sliced onions and all the spices, and sauté until golden. Deglaze the pan with red wine and water. Add the meat back and cook until soft. When ragout is ready, add frozen cranberries and rose hip jam.

Bacon Dumplings: Slice the white bread in small cubes and let dry over night. Slice bacon and onions in small cubes and sauté in same pan. Combine the bread with egg yolk, warm milk, flour, onions with bacon and chopped parsley. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. After all this, slowly mix a whipped egg white inside the mixture.

Brush a cake form with butter or lay out with baking paper, and place the mixture inside and bake at 140°C for 20 minutes. When slightly cooled, slice and serve with the ragout.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Chef Marek Fichtner, Le Grill at Kempinski Hybernská, Prague

2223. ASPARAGUS BUNDLES with BACON, PANKO and CHILI MAYONNAISE

serves 4-6 as an appetizer


200 grams thin asparagus
about 200 grams thinly sliced bacon
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup of panko breadcrumbs (more or less)
300-400 ml sunflower oil for frying

For the chili mayonnaise
1/4 cup mayonnaise (homemade or store-bought)
2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce

The asparagus should be about 20cm long (8 inches or so, or less). This makes it easier to wrap in the bacon and to fry. Group the asparagus in bundles of five. Wrap each bundle with one or two slices of bacon, keeping the asparagus tips exposed. Basically there should be two layers of bacon to keep the bundle together. Place the egg in a shallow dish, and the panko in a separate shallow dish. Dip each bundle first in the egg, then the panko. Heat the oil in a saucepan to 325 degrees F (160 C). Fry the bundles in batches, turning them with tongs as they become golden. Each bundle shouldn’t take more than 2-3 minutes. Slice each bundle into two pieces. Combine the mayo and chili sauce. Serve immediately.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Sheryl Cababa, crispywaffle, The Hague, Netherlands, April 1, 2010

1966. STEAMED BACON CLANGER with PIQUANT SAUCE

yields one serving


1 pound(s) self raising flour
8 ounce(s) shredded suet
Cold water
5 tablespoon(s) parsley; chopped
Salt and pepper

Filling
8 ounce(s) streaky bacon; unsmoked
8 ounce(s) pancetta; diced
8 ounce(s) back bacon; unsmoked
3 onions; sliced
6 cloves garlic; sliced
2 ounce(s) butter
2 heaped tbsp fresh sage; chopped
1 small amount of beef stock
2 teaspoon(s) dripping

Piquant Oxford Sauce
2 tablespoon(s) dark brown sugar
2 teaspoon(s) made english mustard
1 pinches salt and pepper
6 tablespoon(s) sunflower oil; up to 8
4 tablespoon(s) vinegar

Sift the flour into a bowl, then add the suet and parsley. Dribble the water in and mix to a dough until the bowl becomes clean. Now roll it out see below. This suet pastry should be used immediately. Melt the butter and add the onion and garlic. Cook slowly for about 15 minutes until it caramelises, brown and sweet. Add a little sugar to help it on its way. Chop the bacon and blanch by placing the bacon in a saucepan of cold water and bringing it to the boil. Simmer for about 1 minute and all the scum will come to the top. This makes the bacon a lot easier to brown. Frizzle the bacon and pancetta in the dripping until golden brown and then add to the onions and garlic. Add the sage and season with salt and pepper. Roll the suet pastry into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick, then place on top of a rectangle of buttered greaseproof paper which in turn is on top of some foil. Lay the 8oz streaky raw bacon across the pastry, close together and lengthways so when you cut the clanger it will go across the bacon. Put the cooked filling on top of the bacon and pastry. Roll up and seal the ends. Then roll up the paper and foil, very loosely, to give room for the pastry to expand and seal the ends. Coil up in your steamer and steam for 11/2-2 hours. Sauce: heat all the ingredients together in a saucepan and adjust ingredients to taste.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Steve Murch, BigOven.com

1949. BACON-WRAPPED LOIN of KID and QUINCY JELLY GLAZE with GOATS' CHEESE DAUPHINOISE POTATOES, CARAWAY CARROT PUREE and BUTTERED BROAD BEANS

serves four


For the goats' cheese dauphinoise potatoes
2 oz. butter, for greasing
3 lb, 3 oz waxy potatoes, peeled, thinly sliced on a mandoline
salt and freshly ground black pepper
7 oz. goats' cheese
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
10½ fl oz double cream
10½ fl oz goats' milk

For the kid
2 kid loins, cut into 12 slices, each 2-in thick
12 rashers smoked streaky bacon, cut in half lengthways
knob of butter
4 tbsp sunflower oil
1 bunch fresh sage, leaves only

For the quince jelly glaze
2 oz. unsalted butter
1 garlic clove, crushed to a paste with the edge of a knife
5 oz. quince jelly
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves
3 tbsp fresh beef stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the vegetables
14 oz carrots, peeled, chopped
2 tbsp caraway seeds
salt and freshly ground black pepper
7 oz broad beans, pods removed (podless weight)
2 oz butter
2 oz quince and fig 'cheese', thinly sliced, to serve

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

For the goats' cheese dauphinoise potatoes, grease the insides of a large ovenproof dish liberally with butter. Arrange a layer of potato slices in the bottom of the dish, and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Repeat the layering process, seasoning between each potato layer, until the layers of potato slices reach halfway up the sides of the dish. Crumble over the goats' cheese and sprinkle over the garlic. Continue to layer the potatoes, seasoning between each layer of potato slices, until all of the potato slices have been used up. Pour over the cream and goats' milk until the liquid just covers top layer of potato slices. Cover the dish with aluminium foil and transfer to the oven. Bake for one hour, or until the potatoes are just tender, then remove the foil and return the dish to the oven for a further 12-15 minutes, or until the top layer is crisp and golden-brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly. Cut the dauphinoise potatoes into squares and keep warm.

For the kid, wrap each slice of kid loin in one of the halved bacon rashers and secure with a cocktail stick. Heat the butter and two tablespoons of the oil in a large, ovenproof frying pan over a medium to high heat. When the oil is hot, add the wrapped kid loins and fry for 1-2 minutes, on each side, or until browned on both sides. Transfer the pan to the oven and continue to cook for 5-8 minutes, or until the kid loins are just cooked and the bacon is crisp. Remove from the oven and set aside to rest for 4-5 minutes. Heat the remaining two tablespoons of oil in a separate pan, add the sage leaves and fry for one minute, or until crisp. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on kitchen paper.

For the quince jelly glaze, heat the butter in a pan over a medium heat. When the butter is foaming, add the garlic and fry for 1-2 minutes, or until softened but not coloured. Add the quince jelly and stir until it has dissolved. Add the rosemary leaves and beef stock and stir until well combined. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then bring the mixture to a simmer and continue to simmer for a further 1-2 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened slightly.

Meanwhile, for the vegetables, bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add the carrots and caraway seeds and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until tender. Drain well, then transfer the boiled carrots and caraway seeds to a food processor and blend to a purée. (Add a little cooking water to the mixture to loosen the purée as necessary.) Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring a separate pan of salted water to the boil, add the broad beans and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until just tender. Drain well and refresh the beans in cold water, then peel away the outer membranes from the beans and set aside. Heat the butter in a separate pan over a medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the cooked beans and stir until coated in the melted butter and warmed through. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

To serve, place one square of goats' cheese dauphinoise potatoes into the centre of each of four serving plates. Spread a spoonful of the quince jelly glaze in a circle onto each plate and place three pieces of wrapped kid loin on top of each. Balance a slice of the quince and fig 'cheese' on top of each serving. Top with one deep-fried sage leaf. Spoon the buttered broad beans alongside. Using two spoons, make quenelles of the carrot and caraway purée alongside.


bacon recipe courtesy of: The Hairy Bikers, The Hairy Bikers' Food Tour of Britain, BBC-Food

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

1713. CIDER and MUSTARD BACON JOINT

serves four


1 kg bacon joint
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
500 ml cider
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
400 grams potatoes, peeled and diced
500 grams leeks, trimmed and sliced into rings
1 savoy cabbage, trimmed and chopped
300 grams frozen peas
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Place the bacon joint in a large, flame-proof casserole dish and cover with water. Bring to the boil, then drain, rinse the bacon joint and return to a clean pan with the oil. Cook for 5 minutes over a high heat to seal the bacon joint all over.

Add the cider to the pan with the bay leaves, mustard and potatoes, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the leeks and cabbage and cook for another 30 minutes. Toss in the peas and parsley and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Lift out the joint and slice thinly. Serve 2 to 3 slices of bacon per person with a serving of the vegetables and juices.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Morrisons, Hilmore House, Gain Lane, Bradford, BD3 7DL