Marie Rama's Blog, page 13
May 31, 2013
New York Times Reviews Bacon Nation
Thank you William Grimes for leading off your summer cookbook picks with a review of Bacon Nation!
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/02/books/review/bacon-nation-and-more.html?ref=review
May 28, 2013
An Easy Casserole for Any Summer Barbecue
Three generations of family members and many good friends celebrated Memorial Day weekend with us at our Sleepy Hollow Lake House. Along with a Pulled Pork Shoulder, which I cooked in a slow-cooker, Fresh Cole Slaw, German Potato Salad, and this Easy Three Bean and Bacon Bake made everybody very happy. The weather cleared just enough to pull us and our dog Abbey into the water for a brisk, first-of-the-summer swim. Bring on those summer days!
Easy Three-Bean and Bacon Bake
With the addition of bacon, this 3-bean casserole never fails to please a crowd gathering for a barbecue on a hot summer’s day. It’s easily assembled the night before and then baked the next day. Adjust the spiciness, by varying the amounts of hot sauce and habanero pepper. And if you can’t find wonderful orange or red habanero peppers in your grocery market, you can substitute half a seeded jalapeno. Either applewood smoked or hickory-flavored bacon works; just make sure it’s thick-cut.
4 to 5 slices thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into ½-inch pieces
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1/2 teaspoon habanero pepper, seeded and chopped
½ cup molasses
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 10-ounce package frozen lima beans
1 28-ounce can baked beans
1 16-ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Hot sauce to taste, if desired
1.) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees with a rack positioned in the middle of the oven.
2.) In a large saucepan or skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat about 7 to 8 minutes, or until lightly browned, but not crisp, and most of the fat is rendered. Transfer the bacon to a paper-towel lined plate to drain, reserving the drippings in the pan.
3.) Add the onion to the saucepan and cook over medium heat until softened, about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the habanero and cook for about 30 seconds or just to soften. Add the molasses, ketchup and vinegar; bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Recipe Tip: This molasses and vinegar-based sauce is also perfect for coating chicken or ribs on the grill.
4.) While the sauce simmers, in a small saucepan, cook the lima beans according to package directions. Transfer the drained lima beans, the baked beans, and the kidney beans to a large ovenproof casserole, fitted with a lid.
Recipe Tip: Use whichever brand of baked beans you like, but my preference is Bush’s or B&M.
5.) Add the molasses sauce and stir well to combine. Season to taste with black peppers and hot sauce, if desired; sprinkle the bacon pieces over the top.
6.) Cover the casserole and bake for about 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Hmmm! … Easy Three-Bean and Bacon Bake ready for the crowd!
Serves 8 to 10
May 22, 2013
More Reasons to Love Bacon
Is bacon a “good for you food?” Nutritionist Kaayla Daniel thinks so. Read her article Naughty Nutrition, in Psychology Today.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/naughty-nutrition/201207/bacon-the-feel-good-food
May 21, 2013
May 17, 2013
Memorial Day Weekend Paella with Chicken and Bacon
It’s not too early to start thinking about the food you’ll serve your hungry party guests this Memorial Day weekend. At our little cabin on Sleepy Hollow Lake in Athens, NY, we gather round the pine kitchen table with our two adult sons and their wonderful friends, who have been coming up for weekends on the lake for so many years that they now feel like family to us. Here’s one of my favorite dishes to serve a crowd: Paella with Chicken and Bacon. It’s a dish with a little something for every taste: shrimp, mussels, chicken, rice, spices and the powerful effect of bacon that seasons it all.
Our Bacon Nation Paella calls for using the largest shrimp you can find, clams, mussels, chicken, rice, and the ingredient that fuses all the flavors together — bacon.
After the Paella is placed on the table, guests help themselves and the cook can relax and enjoy the party. Corn on the cob, a tossed salad and sliced tomatoes with fresh basil and red onion are suggested simple sides.
May your Memorial Day weekend be full of family, friends and great food!
May 15, 2013
Live By the Book: Bacon Nation
What bacon-infused-inspired product will they think of next? What would you add to this list?
May 13, 2013
Wonderful Uses for Slab Bacon
If you love bacon but haven’t ever bought it as a slab, you’re in for a treat when you finally bring some home. Slab bacon (and its rind) can improve your soups, stews, and stir-fries. You can even braise it to serve, for example, with Caramelized Sea Scallops, as we do in Bacon Nation. Here are just a few suggestions.
1.) Remove and save the bacon rind on the slab for making homemade soups, such as a hearty minestrone or savory lentil. The rind adds distinctive smoky- salty-meaty flavors to a soup or fish broth.
The broth for this Minestrone, in Bacon Nation, was made with bacon rind. For instructions showing how to remove the rind and how to cut the slab into even cubes or lardons, read my next post.
2.) Use slab bacon in your next slow-cooker and baked beans recipe. In Bacon Nation we first coat a 10-ounce slab of bacon in a sweet spice rub of brown sugar and cayenne pepper. The bacon cooks slowly in the pot, along with the beans, some onions, Bourbon, and molasses, and when it’s done the bacon has softened so much it falls apart into the beans, becoming an inseparable part of the dish.
This slab of bacon, coated with a dry rub, is ready for the bean pot!
3.) Slab bacon is wonderful when braised in the oven in a flavored liquid. Use your imagination and your palate to season the braising liquid with any combination of herbs, spices, and seasoning agents you like. In Bacon Nation we take a French approach, flavoring the braising liquid with carrots, celery, onion, garlic, white wine, peppercorns, ginger and stock. But I’ve seen braising broths that turn to soy sauce, chicken broth, scallions, and star anise for an Asian tone. What you decide to use in the braising liquid is entirely up to you.
After the bacon slab is braised, it’s cut into chunks or thick strips, which are then sauteed until lightly browned. Delicious with Bronzed Sea Scallops or a breakfast omelette. Or, just stick them with toothpicks and serve with a little honey mustard as a party appetizer.
4.) Chinese stir-fries often use long, 1/2-inch-thick strips cut from slab bacon. The strips are first browned in a large wok or skillet and the fat rendered is then used to stir-fry an assortment of vegetables and spices. In this Bacon Nation stir-fry inspired by food blogger Cathy Erway, slab bacon is first boiled, cut into floppy strips, and then stir-fried with celery, leeks and bean sprouts. Fermented bean sauce, Szechuan pepper corns, and fresh ginger enliven the lovely pan sauce.
Cathy Erway’s Twice-Cooked Bacon with Celery and Leek from Bacon Nation
Vermont makes a corn cob and maple wood smoked slab bacon, available at Whole Foods, but almost every good butcher will also carry slab bacon for you to buy.
In my former blog, learn how to remove the rind from a slab of bacon and how to cut it into lardons, cubes, or strips.
May 11, 2013
Happy Mother's Day!
What do spring lilacs and bacon share?
Smells that intoxicate!
Esther's Review of Lentil Salad with Seared Tuna
Thanks, Esther for your lovely review of my Bacon Nation recipe!
