Bacon Nation: 125 Irresistible Recipes (27 page)

3
Remove the tough tendon from each scallop (see Note,
page 95
). Pat the scallops dry with paper towels and sprinkle them lightly with salt and pepper to taste.

4
Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan over very low heat without stirring. Using a large spoon, skim off and discard the foamy layer that rises to the top. Carefully pour off the clear yellow liquid into a large stainless steel skillet. The liquid is the clarified butter; there should be at least 2 tablespoons. Set the skillet over medium-high heat and heat until the clarified butter just begins to smoke.

5
Add the scallops to the clarified butter in the skillet without any of them touching. (If necessary, cook the scallops in 2 batches.) Cook the scallops without moving them until the bottoms are a rich golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the scallops and cook them until the second side is golden brown, 1 to 3 minutes, depending on the size of the scallops. When cooked the scallops will be mostly opaque with a slightly translucent center and firm sides. Transfer the scallops and the bacon to a serving platter and cover them with aluminum foil to keep warm.

6
To deglaze the skillet that cooked the scallops, pour in the brandy and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom. Pour the liquid from the pan over the scallops and bacon and serve.

Oven-Braised Slab Bacon

Makes one 12-ounce slab

One of the most popular comfort dishes to appear on restaurant menus in the last decade is pork belly. Restaurant owners like it because it’s an inexpensive cut of meat. Guess what? Bacon is nothing more than cured and smoked pork belly. By braising the belly until it is pull-apart fork-tender, it becomes supremely unctuous and much less salty, and much of the fat is rendered. Depending on what you use as a braising medium, you can create any number of complex, satisfying, soul-warming flavors. We’ve tried it with apple cider, spiked the cider with bourbon, and braised the bacon with beer and parsnips for a sweet-bitter combo. Cloves give an aromatic touch; rosemary, lemon zest, and garlic will add a Mediterranean feel that is a light counterpoint to the punch of the bacon.

12 ounces slab bacon, rind removed (see
page 57
)

1 medium-size carrot, trimmed, peeled, and coarsely chopped

1 rib celery, coarsely chopped

1 small yellow onion, thickly sliced

1 bay leaf

½-inch-thick piece peeled fresh ginger (optional), chopped

1 whole clove

1 large clove garlic, peeled and lightly crushed with the flat side of a chef’s knife

3 black peppercorns, crushed

½ cup dry white wine

¼ cup brandy or dry white vermouth

Low-sodium chicken stock

1
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 300˚F.

2
Place the bacon slab, fat side up, in a small Dutch oven or other stovetop-to-oven dish just large enough to hold the bacon and vegetables in a single layer, cutting the bacon into 2 pieces if necessary. Add the carrot, celery, onion, bay leaf, ginger, if using, whole clove, garlic, peppercorns, white wine, and brandy or vermouth to the Dutch oven. Add enough chicken stock to fill the Dutch oven to a depth of about 1 inch. Place the Dutch oven over medium heat and let the liquid come to a boil.

3
Cover the Dutch oven with a lid or aluminum foil and bake until the bacon is very tender, 2 to 2½ hours. Uncover the Dutch oven, turn on the broiler, and broil the bacon just until the top layer of fat is browned and golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Or transfer the bacon to a cast-iron skillet, arranging it fat side down, and cook it over medium heat until the fat is browned, 5 to 7 minutes.

4
Transfer the browned slab of bacon to a bowl and strain the braising liquid through a wire-mesh strainer into a saucepan, discarding the vegetables. Pour the strained liquid over the bacon, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate the braised bacon for at least 2 hours or until ready to use.

Serves 4

A full-on fish stew: Using bacon fat to sweat the leeks, carrots, and bell pepper (“aromatics” in chef speak) allows the vegetables to become tender, sweetly caramelized, and beautifully smoky. This infuses the whole stew with a depth of flavor that pairs beautifully with the bright acidity and almost smoky sweetness of ripe tomatoes. If any recipe ever cried out for mopping every last drop of juice up with a piece of crusty bread, this is the one. If you double the recipe, it becomes a simple and quick dish to make for a good-size dinner party.

8 small, hard-shell clams (no larger than 2 inches in diameter)

¾ pound sea scallops

4 slices bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces

Olive oil, as necessary

2 large leeks, white parts only, rinsed and chopped

2 carrots, trimmed, cut in half lengthwise, and thinly sliced crosswise

1 small red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced

3 ripe plum tomatoes (about ¾ pound total), cored and diced

1 cup dry white wine

1 bottle (8 ounces) clam juice

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 bay leaf

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

¾ pound extra-large shrimp (20 to 24 per pound), shelled and deveined

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley

1 loaf French or Italian bread, sliced and toasted

1
Place the clams in a large bowl, cover them with cold water, and let them soak for about 20 minutes so they can release their sand and grit. After soaking and draining the clams, use a firm brush to scrub off any additional sand or barnacles that may cling to the shells. Remove the tough tendon from each scallop (see Note,
page 95
). Cut the scallops in half.

2
Cook the bacon in a heavy 3-quart saucepan over medium heat until lightly browned and most of the fat is rendered, 5 to 8 minutes, stirring often and adjusting the heat as necessary. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pan. If there are less than 2 tablespoons of bacon fat, add enough olive oil to make up the difference.

3
Place the pan over medium heat. Add the leeks and carrots and cook until the leeks soften, about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the red bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pepper softens, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, white wine, clam juice, garlic, cumin, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, and ¾ cup of water. Cover the pan and let come to a boil. Then, reduce the heat as necessary and let the stew simmer, partially covered, until the flavors blend, 10 to 12 minutes.

4
Add the shrimp, clams, scallops, and drained bacon. Cover the pan, increase the heat to high, and let the stew come to a boil. Then, reduce the heat as necessary and let the stew simmer, partially covered, until the shrimp is evenly pink, the scallops are opaque, and the clams have opened, 4 to 5 minutes. If after 5 minutes some of the clams have not opened, using tongs transfer the shrimp and scallops to a plate and cover them loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm. Cook the clams 2 to 3 minutes longer, then discard any that don’t open (the length of time the clams will take to cook depends upon the size of the clams and the pan). Remove and discard the bay leaf. Divide equal portions of the seafood stew into 4 individual soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with the cilantro or parsley. Serve the stew with thick slices of toasted French or Italian bread.

Linguine with Cauliflower and Bacon Bread Crumbs

 

In This Chapter

Carbonara with a Hint of Lemon

Bucatini all’Amatriciana

Broccoli with Bacon, Orecchiette, and Fresh Lemon

Fettuccine with Bacon and Kale

Linguine with Cauliflower and Bacon Bread Crumbs

Bacon Bolognese with Saffron

Linguine with Fresh Clams, Bacon, and Basil (and a Touch of Cream)

If you like pasta, bacon, and fresh vegetables, you’ll love these healthy dishes where all these ingredients shine. These recipes allow you to have your cake—at least your spaghetti—and eat it, too.

When you’ve tested dozens of recipes with bacon, you begin to have favorite combinations, and one of ours turned out to be bacon and cauliflower. It was not a stretch to combine these two winning partners with pasta in Linguine with Cauliflower and Bacon Bread Crumbs. The bacon bread crumbs added to the steaming pasta-cauliflower sauce provide a garnish of delicious crunch and saltiness. Yes, sir! What a pleasure to make and eat!

Three Variations on a Theme

Roman home cooks always have some cured pork around, which probably explains why the go-to pasta sauces of Rome all feature cured pork. In the Eternal City pancetta or guanciale (cured pork jowls) are the cured meat of choice, but American bacon adds smokiness to these simple sauces, all of which are robust enough to gain extra power from smoke.

Serves 3 as a main dish, 6 as a first course

We start with pasta alla gricia, perhaps the simplest sauce of all—just a blending of bacon and grated sharp cheese. It’s quick to prepare, so is perfect any time of the week. A little crusty bread on the side and call it a night.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more olive oil if necessary

5 slices bacon, diced

Salt

12 ounces linguine or other long, thin pasta

½ cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese, plus additional cheese for serving

Freshly ground black pepper

1
Bring 4 to 5 quarts of water to a rolling boil in a large pasta or soup pot.

2
While waiting for the water to boil, heat the olive oil in a medium-size skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until browned and most of the fat is rendered, 5 to 8 minutes, stirring often and adjusting the heat as necessary. Turn off the heat and set the skillet aside.

3
Salt the boiling water. Add the linguine, stir to separate the strands, and cook until al dente, following the package instructions. Set aside about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the linguine and return it to the cooking pot.

4
Add the bacon with its fat to the drained linguine and stir in the pecorino romano cheese. If the pasta mixture seems too dry, add a little of the pasta cooking water or a little more olive oil. Season the linguine with plenty of pepper and serve it with more pecorino romano on the side for those who want it.

Serves 4 as a main dish, 6 as a first course

Timing is the most important element in carbonara. The secret to doing this recipe justice is to make sure the sauce has finished cooking just before it’s tossed with the pasta. Don’t let the cooked pasta sit waiting while you’re finishing the sauce. So, do your prep and be sure the cheeses are grated, the garlic is peeled, and the wine is uncorked and measured before you turn on the heat. One other thing: Since you’ve worked so hard to time the preparation steps, call your dinner guests to the table and have them seated and waiting for you to serve. Pour them some wine and they’ll be happy.