Bacon Nation: 125 Irresistible Recipes (31 page)

3
Sprinkle the lemon zest over the broccoli rabe. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as necessary, and serve.

Serves 4

When brussels sprouts are crisped to a golden brown on one side and tossed with crumbled bacon and sautéed apples, you get one of those holiday dishes that never winds up in a Tupperware container the day after. The funkiness of the brussels sprouts, the crunchy, smoky saltiness of the bacon, and the tart, smooth sweetness of the apple are a trio that makes for a beautiful food melody.

4 slices bacon, cut into ¼-inch pieces

Kosher salt

1 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half

2 tablespoons (¼ stick) unsalted butter

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and cut into about ¼-inch dice

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

Pinch of sugar

Freshly ground white pepper

1
Cook the bacon in a medium-size skillet 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.

2
Bring a medium-size pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the salt and brussels sprouts and blanch them by boiling them for about 2 minutes. Drain the brussels sprouts, then shock them by placing them in cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain the brussels sprouts again.

3
Melt 1½ tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the brussels sprouts, cut side down, and cook them without moving until the bottoms turn a tempting brownish gold, about 2 minutes. Stir the sprouts and continue cooking them until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Transfer the brussels sprouts to a bowl and set them aside.

4
Add the remaining 1½ teaspoons of butter and the apple to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat until the apple softens and lightly browns, about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer the apple to a bowl and set it aside.

5
Place the skillet over medium heat and add the brussels sprouts, drained bacon, wine vinegar, and sugar. Season with white pepper to taste. Cook until the vinegar steams off, which should happen rapidly. Return the apple to the skillet and mix gently until all of the ingredients are heated through, about 2 minutes.

Serves 4

Add ginger and bacon to butternut squash and brussels sprouts and two fall vegetables become the basis of a sweet, creamy yet crunchy and fresh autumn medley. Don’t feel constrained about adding other ingredients such as chopped shallots, diced green apple, currants, or dried cranberries.

Because the brussels sprouts are shredded before they are added to the skillet, they need no blanching to retain their color, flavor, and crunch. Use a sharp chef’s knife to slice the sprouts first in half and then into shreds. Or use a food processor fitted with a slicing blade; it does the job in a few seconds. Serve as a side dish with pork, chicken, or fish.

6 slices bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces

Extra-virgin olive oil, if necessary

1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces (about 3 cups)

8 brussels sprouts, trimmed and thinly sliced or shredded

4 teaspoons coarsely shredded, peeled fresh ginger

2 medium-size cloves garlic, diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1
Cook the bacon in a large skillet 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 3 tablespoons of bacon fat in the skillet. If necessary, add enough olive oil to the skillet to measure 3 tablespoons.

2
Add the squash to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned at the edges and just tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the drained bacon and the brussels sprouts, ginger, garlic, and olive oil and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, partially covered, until the flavors blend, 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover the skillet and cook until the sprouts are just wilted, 3 to 5 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.

Serves 4

A terrific way to cook cauliflower is to roast it until it’s lightly browned and slightly caramelized. Roasting in a dry heat with a little fat and no water releases Mr. Cauliflower’s pleasing nuttiness. In some ways this recipe is in fact a “recipe-free” dish because the basic method gives you a direction, but you can alter the amounts of bacon, ginger, or curry powder as you wish, or even add a couple of cloves of garlic to the mix . . . or pine nuts . . . or dried cranberries . . . or Swiss chard . . . or, or, or . . .

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for oiling the baking dish or broiler pan

1 medium-size head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cored and cut into 2-inch florets

2 to 3 slices thick-cut bacon, coarsely chopped

1 piece (about 1 inch long) fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

1 teaspoon curry powder, or more to taste

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375˚F. Lightly coat a shallow baking dish or broiler pan with olive oil.

2
Place the cauliflower in the prepared baking dish or broiler pan. Drizzle the olive oil over the cauliflower and toss to coat. Scatter the bacon and ginger over the cauliflower. Sprinkle the curry powder over the cauliflower and season it with salt and pepper to taste.

3
Bake the cauliflower until it is tender but still firm, 25 to 30 minutes, stirring it once after about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Cauliflower can turn out bland and mushy, but it’s not the vegetable’s fault that most cooks boil the flavor out of it. The best way to cook cauliflower is to sauté or roast it, using little or no cooking liquid and allowing cauliflower’s natural sugars to caramelize to a nutty brown. This recipe was created as a side to accompany a grilled or broiled piece of chicken or fish, but it works equally well tossed into a bowl of steaming fusilli with a generous lashing of olive oil.

3 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces

½ large head cauliflower, cored and cut into 1- to 2-inch florets (about 4 cups)

⅓ cup dry white wine

15 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

⅓ cup pitted oil-packed kalamata olives

1 large clove garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Freshly ground black pepper

1
Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until lightly browned but not yet crisp and some of the fat is rendered, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring often and adjusting the heat as necessary. Add the cauliflower florets, cover the skillet, and cook the cauliflower until it is lightly browned, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2
Add the white wine, tomatoes, olives, garlic, and thyme. Increase the heat to medium-high, cover the skillet, and let the cauliflower simmer until it is tender but still firm and the wine has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Season the cauliflower with pepper to taste and serve.

Serves 6 to 8

This gratin recipe started as a lighter alternative to mac and cheese—same cheesy, gooey deliciousness, fewer calories. We’ve also added a little curry, some nutmeg, and some hot sauce, and topped it with a scallion-bread crumb mix for a layer of crunch. We prefer thicker-cut bacon when cooking casseroles since the bacon cooks twice: First it’s sautéed and then it’s baked with the cauliflower. You can substitute Gruyère cheese for the cheddar and add a little Parmesan to the sauce. Curry is traditionally paired with cauliflower in Indian cuisine and the nutmeg is used by Europeans to add aromatic spiciness. We first served this dish at our Labor Day picnic with grilled steak and chicken and when we asked our guests how to improve the sauce or seasoning, they gratefully replied, “Don’t change a thing!”

First rule of cooking for a crowd: Never argue with a good review.

2 tablespoons (¼ stick) unsalted butter, plus butter for greasing the baking dish

5 slices thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into ½-inch pieces

Extra-virgin olive oil, if necessary

2 large shallots, diced

1¼ cups low-sodium chicken stock

1 large head cauliflower (2½ to 2¾ pounds), cored and cut into 2-inch florets

2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

½ cup half-and-half or light cream 1 cup whole-milk ricotta

6 ounces good-quality sharp yellow cheddar, coarsely grated (about 1¾ cups)

½ teaspoon curry powder

¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg, preferably freshly grated

4 generous dashes of your choice of hot sauce, or more to taste

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup coarsely ground, homemade whole-wheat bread crumbs (see
page 32
)

½ cup finely chopped scallions, green parts only

1
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400˚F. Butter a shallow 3-quart baking dish (a 13- by 9-inch Pyrex casserole dish works well).

2
Cook the bacon in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat until browned but not crisp and most of the fat is rendered, 6 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, setting aside 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat in a small bowl and reserving 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the pan. If necessary, add enough olive oil to the pan to measure 2 tablespoons.

3
Add the shallots to the pan and cook over medium heat until they just begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock, using a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Add the cauliflower, cover the pan, and let come to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook until the cauliflower is barely tender, about 6 minutes. (Don’t overcook the cauliflower as it will continue to cook when the gratin bakes.) Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cauliflower to the prepared baking dish, reserving the liquid and shallots in the pan.