509. POSSUM, POTATOES, and BACON

1 young, fat possum
8 sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon sugar
bacon
thyme
marjoram
salt

First, catch a possum. Skin the possum and remove the head and feet. Be sure to wash it thoroughly. Freeze overnight either outside or in a refrigerator. When ready to cook, peel the potatoes and boil them tender in lightly salted water along with the butter and sugar. At the same time, stew the possum tender in a tightly covered pan with a little water. Arrange the taters around the possum, strip with bacon, sprinkle with thyme or marjoram, or pepper, and brown in the oven. Baste often with the drippings.


courtesy of: Dave Baker, Lakeland, Florida

508. BACON-WRAPPED TUNA STEAKS with FRISEE and AVOCADO SALAD

serves 4


4 slices smoked bacon
One 1-pound tuna steak, 1 inch thick, cut into 4 pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 head frisée, torn into bite-size pieces (about 4 cups)
2 Hass avocados, thinly sliced

Lay the bacon strips on a cutting board and place a piece of tuna in the center of each; season with salt and pepper. Fold the bacon around the tuna and secure with toothpicks.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil until shimmering. Add the tuna and cook over moderately high heat, turning once, until the bacon is crisp and the tuna is still pink inside, about 6 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil with the vinegar; season with salt and pepper.

Toss in the frisée and avocados and transfer to plates.

Remove the toothpicks from the tuna and cut each piece in half. Arrange the tuna over the frisée and serve right away, drizzling any remaining dressing left in the bowl over the fish.


courtesy of: Katy Sparks, "Minimalist Recicpes," Food & Wine, April 2005

507. BACON-WRAPPED BRAISED WOODCOCK

yields 2 servings


4 woodcock
salt and pepper
4 slices bacon
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
4 slices toast, buttered

Sprinkle woodcocks inside and out with salt and pepper. Wrap weach with a slice of bacon and fasten with string or a wooden pick. Place woodcocks in broiler pan about 6 inches from heat. Broil 8 to 10 minutes on each side, or until tender, basting frequently with butter. Remove string or wooden pick. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve on buttered toast.


courtesy of: Traders Creek, 55 East Main Street, Johnstown, New York, 12095

506. BABY ONION, SMOKY BACON and TELEME TARTS

1 12" x 12" sheet of Puff Pastry
½ lbs. Teleme cheese (cut into 1" pieces)
24 baby spring onions (washed and trimmed and cut into 1" pieces)
1/3 lbs. smoked slab bacon (cut into 1" pieces)
1 egg
1 T. garlic chives (minced)
sea salt

Roll out pastry to 1/8 " and place on lightly floured sheet pan. Scatter pieces of cheese on dough leaving at least 1/2 " border in all places Remembering that the cheese will spread generously when melted. Cook bacon until crisp but leaving pieces still slightly juicy and drain. Scatter bacon and onions on dough and brush borders with beaten egg. Refrigerate covered until ready to bake (at least 1 hour and up to 12). Preheat oven to 425 degrees and when ready remove tart from cold and bake till crispy, golden and bubbly, about 15 -20 minutes depending on how thin the crust is. Remove and hit with chives and sea salt to taste just before serving.


courtesy of: Christopher Greenwald, Iron Horse Vineyards, 9786 Ross Station Road, Sebastopol, California 95472

505. COD and VEGETABLE CHOWDER with BACON

Serving Size: 8


2 pounds cod, diced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup clam juice
1 cup water
6 potatoes, sliced
4 onions, peeled and sliced
4 carrots, sliced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 cup canned corn, drained
1/2 cup 2% milk
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled

Sprinkle cod with lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate for several hours. In a stockpot, combine clam juice, water, potatoes, onions, carrots, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Stir in fish, peas, corn, milk and curry. Cover and simmer an additional 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf and sprinkle with bacon before serving.


courtesy of: Sportsman Fishing Adventures, Ltd., Box 645, Gold River, British Columbia, V0P 1G0, 250-283-2142

504. MISO SOUP with BACON and VEGETABLES

makes one serving
　
20 grams potatoes (half of a medium-size potato)
20 grams carrots (1/10th of a medium-size carrot)
20 grams onion (1/10th of a medium-size onion)
10 grams garden peas
half a rasher of bacon
50ml milk
7 grams miso (half of one tablespoonful)
150ml water
soup stock (half a cube).

Peel the potato and carrot, and cut them into fan-shaped pieces 5mm thick. Slice the onion. Pour boiling water over the bacon and cut it into 1cm-long pieces. String the garden peas. Mix the soup stock cube, bacon, potato, carrot, onion and water, and bring them to the boil. When they are cooked, add the garden peas and milk. Add miso by dissolving it in the soup. When the soup starts to the boil, turn off the heat.


courtesy of: Miyasaka Brewery, Kamisuwa, Nagana, Japan

503. FRESH PEA SOUP with BACON and MINT

Servings: 6


1 lb green Peas, freshly shelled
2 tablespoons Butter
1 Medium-sized onion, chopped
1 Head iceberg lettuce/chopped
1 Sprig mint, chopped
1 Sprig parsley, chopped
3 Strips bacon, chopped
2 1/2 cups Ham stock
Salt and pepper
Chopped parsley & mint for garnish

After shelling the peas, save the pods, wash them and put them to boil in the ham stock while preparing the soup. Heat the butter in a large saucepan and soften the onion in it, then add the lettuce, mint and parsley. De-rind and chop the bacon. Fry it for about 2 minutes, turning it from time to time; add to the saucepan with the peas, salt, pepper and a small amount of sugar. Strain the stock and add. Bring to the boil, stirring, then simmer for about half an hour until the peas are quite soft. Sieve or liquidize, taste for seasonings and add a little milk or cream if needed (but not too much, for the fresh flavor must be preserved). Garnish with chopped parsley or mint.


courtesy of: CelticTV, Unlimited Ventures Corp., William A. Phillips, 7 Sterling Place, Edgewater, New Jersey, 07020, (201)-491-4055

502. BACON and GHERKIN SALMON

4-6 slices bacon
4-6 pieces of salmon fillet (about 6 oz. each)
2 sweet gherkins (small pickled cucumbers) diced

Fry bacon until crisp In heavy skillet. Drain fat. keep fat in skillet. Put fillets, skin down, into skillet, Fry until skin is crisp, about 2 minutes. Turn and fry until browned. Place salmon fillets on platter. Crumble bacon over tops and sprinkle with gherkins. Serve.


courtesy of: Island Angler, 30 Acacia Avenue, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada V9R 3L4

501. CODFISH with BACON and LIMA BEANS

Serves 4


1 kg salt cod
300g frozen lima beans
2 medium onions chopped
2 large tomatoes peeled, seeded and chopped
1 clove garlic chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 strips bacon
2 tablespoons tomato puree

Soak cod overnight with one change of water. Drain and rinse well. Poach fish until it is barely cooked. Set aside. Heat oil and sauté onion and garlic until lightly
browned, add tomatoes and cook until tomatoes tender. Place vegetables in casserole and arrange fish on top. Lay bacon strips on fish and dot with tomato puree. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degree oven.


courtesy of: Sea-Ex, P.O. Box 3152, Bracken Ridge, Qld, 4017, Australia

500. SAVORY CHEDDAR BACON TRUFFLES

6 slices side bacon, chopped
8 oz (250 g) old or extra old cheddar cheese, cubed
1/4 cup (50 mL) butter, cubed
2 tbsp (30 mL) each chopped parsley & green onions
2 tbsp (30 mL) drained hot banana pepper rings or to taste
3/4 cup (175 mL) toasted finely chopped pecans

Cook bacon until crisp; drain well reserving 1 tbsp (15 mL) drippings. Set bacon and drippings aside. Combine cheese, butter, parsley, green onions and banana pepper rings in bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade. Cover and process until smooth, stopping machine to scrape down sides of bowl as necessary. Add bacon and drippings to bowl and process until bacon is finely chopped. Chill mixture 3 hours or until firm enough to roll into 2 dozen balls, about 1-inch (2.5 cm) in diameter. (If mixture softens too much during rolling, return to refrigerator until firm.) Roll balls in chopped pecans and store in refrigerator up to 2 days before serving. Garnish as desired. Serve with crackers.


courtesy of: The Village Cheese Co, Farmstead Artisan Cheese, 3475 Smith Dr. Armstrong, BC V0E 1B0

499. BACON PECAN CORNBREAD STUFFING

Makes 16 cups per 3/4 serving


1 1/2 bags (16 oz each) cornbread stuffing mix
1 1/2 cups pecan halves, toasted
5 Tbsp butter or margarine
2 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped celery with leaves
6 oz sliced Canadian bacon, stacked and cut in 1/2-inch pieces (1 1/2 cups)
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup water
3/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp each dried sage and thyme
1/4 tsp each dried marjoram and rosemary

Put stuffing mix and pecans in a very large bowl or pot. Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onions, celery and bacon; saute 5 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Add to stuffing; toss to mix and moisten evenly. Bag and refrigerate until ready to stuff turkey.

Stuff neck and body cavities, and bake the remainder of the stuffing separately.

Stuffing Tip: After stuffing the bird, you'll still have extra stuffing. Spoon it into a greased baking dish, drizzle with 1/2 cup broth, cover and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes longer until lightly browned.


courtesy of: Razzle Dazzle Recipes

498. STIR-FRIED SHRIMP with BACON, MINT and CHILES

serves 4


2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/4 pound thickly sliced bacon, cut crosswise 1/4 inch thick
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 Thai bird chiles or 4 serrano chiles
1 1/2 pounds shelled and deveined large shrimp
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup vermouth or dry white wine
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped mint

In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil. Add the bacon and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the fat has been rendered. Spoon off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the skillet. Stir in the garlic and whole chiles and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until they are pink and curled, about 3 minutes. Add the vermouth and cook until nearly evaporated, about 1 minute. Stir in the mint, transfer to plates and serve.


courtesy of: Jerry Traunfeld, "Herbal Remedy," Food & Wine, August 2005

497. BEAR PAW EGGS IN A HATCH

serves 6


6 frozen puff pastry shells (in freezer section)
6 eggs - poached
3/4 lb bacon
1.5 lb mushrooms
1 garlic clove
fresh parsley, minced

Plus your favorite hollandaise recipe - I use citrus hollandaise. Bake puff pastry shells according to directions. When done, take top off, and take out insides and discard. Keep warm in low oven. Cut bacon in small pieces and cook until crisp. Drain on paper towels and set aside. Pour off most of the bacon grease - keep a few tablespoons. Mince garlic and saute in grease for 1 min (not too hot) Put in mushrooms that have been chopped very small...and cook for 8 or 10 min on low. Drain mushrooms - keep warm. When ready to serve: poach eggs. Take out pastry shells and put on place. Divide bacon equally among plates. Put a little bacon outside the shell, as well. Divide mushrooms equally - put in nest, and add some surrounding the nest, as well. Put on poached egg (carefully) and top with hollandaise. Garnish w/ minced parsley.


courtesy of: Bear Paw Inn, Winter Park, Colorado

496. SALMON BAKE with SOUR CREAM, BACON, and NEW RED POTATOES

Serves 4

1 lb. small red potatoes
1 lb. spinach, stems removed, washed and drained
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 cup shredded, extra old white Cheddar cheese or Asiago
1 clove garlic, minced
½ tsp sea salt
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
4 6-ounce skinless boneless salmon fillets
2 tsp lemon juice
8 slices good quality bacon
4 Tbsp sour cream, heaping
1 Tbsp minced chives
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Cook the potatoes in boiling water until just tender, approximately 20–25 minutes. Drain and cool.

Place the spinach in a large pot, turn the heat to high and cover with a lid. Steam until it wilts, turning it over occasionally. Transfer to a large plate AND SPREAD OUT TO COOL. When cool, squeeze into small balls with your hands to remove the water. Finely chop and place in a bowl. Add the melted butter, cheese, garlic and salt. Mix well. The potatoes and the spinach mixture may be prepared up to a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate.

Slice the potatoes into ¼-inch slices and arrange in slightly overlapping rows in an 8×11½-inch baking dish. Season well with salt and pepper and dot with half the 1 Tbsp butter. Divide the spinach mixture into 4 equal portions, flatten each into an elongated patty and place one in each quarter of the baking dish over the potatoes. Place a salmon fillet over each patty of spinach, sprinkle with the lemon juice, dot with the remaining butter and season with salt and pepper. Cover snugly with foil and bake for 20–30 minutes, until the salmon is cooked through.

While the salmon is cooking, fry the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels and crumble when cool. When the salmon is done, lift each portion onto heated individual plates or leave in the baking dish. Top each piece of salmon with a dollop of sour cream. Sprinkle the bacon and chives over the sour dream and serve immediately.


courtesy of: The Passionate Cook, Karen Barnaby. Whitecap Books, 2004

495. COCKLE CHOWDER with BACON

Serves 8


1 kg cockles (in their shell)
1.5 litres water
40g streaky smoked bacon
2 medium onions, finely chopped.
3 medium potatoes, diced.
1 bay leaf
475 ml milk
250 ml single cream
salt & pepper to taste

Rinse the cockles well in cold water and drain. Bring the water to the boil in a deep pan and add the cockles. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes until the shells are open.

When the cockles have cooled a little, drain the pan, retaining the cooking liquid, and remove the cockles from their shells – discard any shells which have not opened. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve or muslin cloth.

In a large pan, fry the bacon until golden brown. Add the onions and sweat over a medium heat until softened.

In a milk pan, bring the milk to a simmer and take off the heat.

Add the bay leaf, potatoes and the cockle liquid to the bacon and onions and bring to the boil. Cook for about 8-10 minutes until the potatoes are just turning soft, but still retaining their shape. Stir occasionally to prevent the onions or bacon sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Add the milk, cream and cockle meat and gently heat cook for a further 3 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and season to taste.

Serve in soup bowls with warm crusty rolls. Garnish simply with chopped parsley or snipped chives.


courtesy of: The Soup Ladle, Blueprint Foods Limited, Unit 8, The Nelson Centre, Portfield Road, Portsmouth, PO3 5SF, Tel: 02392 620020

494. BACON-CURED SKIRT STEAK with CHANTERELLES and SHALLOTS

serves 4


3/4 pound double-smoked bacon, sliced 1/8 inch thick
Four 1/2-pound skirt steaks
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large shallots, thinly sliced
3/4 pound white mushrooms, thickly sliced
1/4 pound small chanterelle mushrooms, thickly sliced if large
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped parsley

Lay half of the bacon slices on a large sheet of plastic wrap. Set the skirt steaks on top and cover with the remaining bacon. Wrap and refrigerate overnight, or for 24 hours.
Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet. Add the shallots and cook over low heat, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add all of the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, cover and cook until they have released their liquid, about 4 minutes. Uncover and cook over moderate heat until the mushrooms are browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Stir and cook for 4 minutes longer. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a saucepan.

Remove the bacon slices from the steak and save for another use. Heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil in each of 2 large skillets. Add 2 steaks to each skillet and cook over moderately high heat until browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Turn the steaks and cook until medium rare, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer the steaks to a carving board and let rest for 5 minutes.

Gently reheat the mushrooms and stir in the parsley. Thinly slice the steaks across the grain and arrange on plates. Top with the mushrooms and serve.


courtesy of: Marcia Kiesel, "From Skirt Steak & Zinfandel," Food & Wine, April 2002

493. SPINACH CANNELLONI with BACON and WALNUTS

serves 6


2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups minced onions (2 medium)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 cup canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 quart milk
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of white pepper
2 pounds fresh spinach, large stems discarded
1/4 pound bacon, cut into 1/4-inch strips
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
Basic Crêpes

In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add 1 cup of the onions and cook over moderately high heat, stirring frequently, until golden. Add the oregano and sugar and season with salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the wine and simmer, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce and water and simmer over moderate heat until slightly thickened, 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Melt the butter in a medium sauce-pan. Add 1/4 cup of the onions and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 4 minutes. Whisk in the flour until combined. Add the milk in 2 batches, whisking constantly until smooth before adding more. Bring to a boil over moderately high heat, then simmer over moderate heat until thickened, about 2 minutes. Whisk in 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, the nutmeg, white pepper and 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Remove from the heat and press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the white sauce.

In a large skillet over high heat, add the spinach by handfuls and toss until wilted. Wipe out the skillet. Squeeze the spinach dry, then finely chop.

In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the bacon and cook over moderately high heat until golden, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of chopped onion and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of the white sauce and 1 teaspoon each of salt and black pepper. Remove from the heat and stir in 1/2 cup of the remaining Parmesan cheese and the chopped walnuts.

Preheat the oven to 400°. Lay 16 crêpes on a work surface and spread 3 tablespoons of the spinach filling in a strip down the center of each one. Tightly roll the crêpe around the filling, tucking in the edges as you roll to form a neat cylinder. Repeat with the remaining filling and crêpes.

Spread 1/4 cup of tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Arrange the cannelloni over the tomato sauce. Spread the remaining white sauce over the cannelloni. Drizzle the remaining tomato sauce on top and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and the cannelloni are heated through. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

MAKE AHEAD: All the components can be made up to 2 days ahead and assembled just before baking.


courtesy of: Maricel Presilla, "10 Top Dishes from South America," Food & Wine, May 2003.

492. SUGAR and SPICE BACON

1 cup brown sugar
1/2-1 tsp. ground red (cayenne) pepper
2 lb. sliced smoked bacon

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. In a small bowl combine sugar and red pepper. Sprinkle over both sides of bacon. Place slices on two foil-lined baking sheets. Bake 10-15 minutes, turning often until browned and crisp. Drain on paper towels.


courtesy of: One Whole Clove / Sarah Lou, Quebec, Canada

491. CAYUGA BLUE CHAMPIGNONS

1 dozen large, fresh Champignons (White Mushrooms)
1 small onion
4 oz. Cayuga Blue
1/4 stick of butter
2 strips of fresh bacon
salt
1 large toe of garlic
pepper

Wash and clean mushrooms and remove stem and scoop out central portion of gills. Chop the onion, garlic, bacon and mushroom stems into small pieces and sauté in a skillet with the butter until the onion is browned. Remove from skillet and place in a mixing bowl with the crumbled Cayuga Blue cheese and mix thoroughly by hand. Place a teaspoon full of this filling into each mushroom cap. Place the mushrooms on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes, being careful not to burn or overly dry out the dish. Serve while still hot.


courtesy of: Lively Run Goat Dairy, New York State's Finger Lakes Region

490. BROILED SALMON with BACON RASPBERRY BEURRE BLANC

Serves 2

2 - 8 oz. fresh Salmon Fillets
6 strips maple-flavored bacon (reserve 2 strips and cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons hazelnut syrup
1 tablespoon muscat wine
1/3 cup raspberry jam
1/4 cup hazelnuts (filberts), chopped

Place salmon fillets on an oven broiler pan and broil for 3 minutes, turn and place 2 strips of bacon on each fillet. Broil an additional 3-4 minutes or until bacon is soft-cooked. Remove, set aside, keep warm. In a non-stick skillet, over medium heat, sauté reserved bacon pieces until soft-cooked, drain and set aside. Bacon Raspberry Beurre Blanc: In the same skillet, over medium heat, melt butter, add hazelnut syrup, muscat wine and raspberry jam. Cook mixture several minutes until reduced and soft glaze is formed. Stir frequently to avoid sticking to skillet. Serve each salmon fillet by placing half of the bacon raspberry beurre blanc on each plate. Place the salmon fillet on the sauce and garnish with chopped hazelnuts.


courtesy of: Farmer John Meats / Clougherty Packing Company, 3049 E. Vernon Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90058, (323) 583-4621