5 posts tagged “bacon”

Have you heard of this?  It's called Bakon Vodka and it actually has bacon flavor.  Their website recommends using it for a Bloody Mary.  Right now, it's only available in the Pacific Northwest.  Last night on the Tonight Show, Conan had his sidekick, Andy Richter try it:

In the Bacon is God food category:  Yesterday at the LG Celebrity Chef Kitchen at NATPE, a chef made Bacon Ice Cream with dried ice.  It was also carbonated.  Carbonated Bacon Ice Cream.  Very strange.  Did I eat it all? Of course!  It was made by Richard Blais of Top Chef and Iron Chef fame.

Read about the Bacon Explosion in the New York Times.  

Tagliatelle with Endive and Bacon

There wasn't much in the larder except a couple of Belgian endive and some bacon, when I remembered a pasta dish I hadn't made in a long time -- tagliatelle with endive and bacon, compliments of the mistress of simplicity, Marcella Hazan.

Bon Appetit,

Chef John

Tagliatelle with Endive and Bacon

Ingredients:
1 pound of tagliatelle
1/2 pound of slab bacon or pancetta
butter
4 medium Belgian endive
1/2 cup of heavy cream
parmesan cheese
fresh parsley

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Salt.
2. Melt 2 tbsps of butter in a deep-sided sauté pan with a lid.  Cut bacon into 1/4 inch pieces and brown in the butter. 
3. Meanwhile, trim ends off endive.  Slice lengthwise in quarters, leaving about an inch at the base, so the endives hold together. 
4. Add endive to the bacon, salt lightly and season with ground pepper.  Cover and cook on a low flame for about 15 minutes, until the endives have collapsed and rendered their liquid.
5. Raise heat and cook off most of the liquid.  Add heavy cream and reduce by half.
6. Put the pasta in to boil.  Cook 6-8 minutes or until the tagliatelle is al dente.  
7. Drain and dump into the pan with the endive.   Raise heat and toss tagliatelle with the endive so it absorbs some of the liquid.  Sprinkle generously with parmesan cheese.  Toss lightly.  Garnish with Italian parsley. 

Serves 4

CellarWise Wine Pairing

A common temptation in matching wine with food is to try too hard.  This regional Italian dish will benefit from a similarly-traditional wine, and Piedmont’s signature grape, Nebbiolo, is the ticket.  While that might mean Barolo or Barbaresco if you’ve got $60 - $300 to throw at tonight’s wine, a more useful choice would be the “common” wines from many of the region’s best producers.  These wines, labeled either Nebbiolo d’Alba or Nebbiolo delle Langhe, are 100% Nebbiolo.  Three recent examples are the ’07 Elio Grasso Nebbiolo d’Alba “Gavarini” ($24), the ’06 Produttori del Barbaresco Nebbiolo delle Langhe ($17), and the ’06 Ruggeri Corsini Nebbiolo delle Langhe ($18), all of which are excellent.  Note:  wines labeled “Langhe Rosso” can contain Cabernet, Syrah, Merlot, and others.  While fine wines, their style and price typically miss the spirit of this match.

Some people say that everything tastes better with bacon.  Stuffing is no exception.  We have a great stuffing recipe to share this Thanksgiving.  It comes from Mark Bittman, a guest on Good Food and food writer for the New York Times. 

Bacon-Nut Stuffing
from How to Cook Everything Revised Anniversary Edition by Mark Bittman (Wiley, November 2009)

MAKES: At least 6 servings (enough for a 6-pound bird)
TIME: About 2 hours
 
A nice stuffing for chicken or turkey.

8 ounces slab or sliced bacon
2 cups roughly chopped onion
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 cups bread crumbs, preferably fresh
1/2 cup pine nuts or chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dry white wine, chicken or vegetable stock, or water
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
       
1. If you’re using slab bacon, cut it into 1/2-inch cubes; if you’re using sliced bacon, coarsely chop it. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring or turning until crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain, dry, and crumble.
2. Remove all but 3 tablespoons of the fat from the pan and, still over medium heat, cook the chopped onion, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, bread crumbs, nuts, wine, thyme, bay leaf, and bacon and remove from the heat. Season to taste with salt—you may not need any—and pepper.
3. Pack into a chicken or turkey if you like before roasting or just bake in an ovenproof glass or enameled baking dish for about 45 minutes at 350–400°F. (Or you can cook it up to 3 days in advance and just warm it up right before dinner.)

It must be true.  It's in the New York Times.