Bacon Nation: 125 Irresistible Recipes (38 page)

4
Transfer the tomatoes to a small bowl. Using a spatula, scrape the peppers, onion, garlic, and any juices in the baking sheet into a food processor. Process until smooth, about 10 seconds, stopping to scrape down the side of the processor bowl. Add the tomatoes and their juices and pulse until the salsa is slightly chunky, 4 to 5 pulses. Transfer the salsa to a bowl and stir in the cilantro and lime juice. Season the salsa with salt, black pepper, and hot sauce to taste.

Serves 4

Some recipes cry out for a particular kind of bacon. We first tried this with streaky supermarket bacon, but it was really blah. Then we made it with Benton’s country bacon. We knew we were on to something good as we nibbled our way through half the bacon before we even began to make the recipe. The tantalizing smokiness as it sizzled in the skillet awoke memories of great cuts of meat on the charcoal grill. With this, as with many recipes in this book, experiment with different bacons until you find the one you like best. Picking the right bacon is like wine pairing, though nowhere near as complicated.

In the summertime, when tomatoes are at their flavorful best, take the time to make the Roasted Tomato and Pepper Salsa on the facing page. As for the rest of the year, a really good store-bought salsa is the way to go.

6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into ½-inch-wide pieces

5 to 6 packed cups (5 to 6 ounces) spinach, rinsed, tough stems removed and discarded

1 cup Roasted Tomato and Pepper Salsa (see facing page), or your favorite store-bought salsa

4 large eggs

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 whole-wheat English muffins, or 4 slices multigrain bread

Butter, for the toasted muffins or bread

1
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400˚F.

2
Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until browned and most of the fat is rendered, 6 to 9 minutes, stirring often and adjusting the heat as necessary. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Pour all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat into a small bowl, then set aside the skillet with the 1 tablespoon of fat.

3
Chop the spinach coarsely. (If you use baby spinach, don’t bother with this step.) Place the skillet over medium heat and heat the 1 tablespoon of bacon fat. Add the spinach to the skillet and cook it for a few seconds, using tongs to turn the spinach over in the fat, until the spinach is just wilted.

4
Place four ½ cup ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, brush the inside of each ramekin lightly with the reserved bacon fat.

5
Layer the drained bacon and then the wilted spinach in the ramekins, dividing them evenly among the ramekins. Add ¼ cup of salsa to each ramekin. Using the back of a spoon, make an indentation in the center of the salsa in each ramekin. Gently crack 1 egg, without breaking the yolk, into the indentation in each ramekin. Season the eggs with salt and pepper to taste.

6
Bake eggs until the whites are just set and the yolks are still runny, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the oven and let them sit on the baking sheet for 1 to 2 minutes; the eggs will continue to cook. As the eggs set, toast and butter the whole-wheat English muffins or multigrain bread and then serve them with the baked eggs.

Serves 4

Although we are firm believers that almost everything is better with bacon—hence this book—few vegetables are better paired with bacon than spinach. As everyone who has stopped by a salad bar knows, bacon and spinach is a favorite combo. The same goes for cooked spinach and bacon: The slight bitterness of spinach is a great counterpoint to the deep powerful taste of bacon. Even better, cooked baby spinach has an ethereal creaminess that blends in so well with the light custardy texture and melty, slightly tart taste of the Gruyère in this soufflé. Parmesan also works well, so if you want, substitute an aged Parmesan cheese for about one third of the Gruyère.

5 slices bacon, cut into ¼-inch pieces

Extra-virgin olive oil, if necessary

1 large onion, chopped

1 medium-size clove garlic, minced

1 package (9 ounces) baby spinach, rinsed and well drained

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 large eggs, separated

1½ cups (6 ounces) grated Gruyère cheese

2 to 3 drops of your choice of hot sauce

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 the bacon fat in the skillet.

2
Using a pastry brush, brush the inside of the ramekins or the soufflé dish with some of the bacon fat that has been reserved in the skillet. Set the ramekins or soufflé dish aside.

3
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325˚F (see Note).

4
If necessary, add enough olive oil to the remaining bacon fat in the skillet to make 2 tablespoons of fat. Place the skillet over medium heat, and when the fat is hot and shimmers, after about 1 minute, add the onion and cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the spinach, reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet, and cook until the spinach is wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the nutmeg and season the spinach mixture with salt and pepper to taste (or don’t salt it at all as the bacon will add salt). Stir to combine. Set the spinach mixture aside to cool.

5
Place the egg yolks in a large bowl and beat until well blended. Add the Gruyère cheese, a pinch of salt, a couple of grindings of black pepper, and the hot sauce and stir well to combine. Add the spinach mixture and stir well. Add the bacon and stir again until well combined.

6
Place the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl (stainless steel is best) and beat them until they just hold a stiff peak. Gently fold about a third of the beaten whites into the yolk and spinach mixture to lighten it. Then, using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the remaining whites. Don’t overmix or you will deflate the whites.

7
Pour the soufflé mixture into the greased ramekins or the soufflé dish, dividing it evenly among the ramekins, if using. Bake the soufflé(s) until golden and puffy, about 30 minutes if you are using individual ramekins and about 35 minutes if you are using a soufflé dish. Serve the soufflé(s) immediately.

Serves 4 to 5 as a main dish, 6 to 8 as a side dish

Grits and bacon, often served with a calories-be-damned side of biscuits and sausage gravy, is a classic American breakfast. This is our “spa version.” It’s not exactly as cloudlike as a dessert soufflé—the grits give it a puddinglike body—but it is elegant and delicate in its own way. The soufflé is great for breakfast, naturally, but also as a light lunch. With a roast beef dinner or a Thanksgiving turkey, it’s a nice change from your standard Yorkshire pudding or stuffing. Be sure to use a good-quality cheddar, one that’s been aged for eight to twelve months. You’ll taste the difference.

1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus butter for greasing the soufflé dish

2 cups low-sodium chicken stock

½ cup half-and-half or light cream

¾ teaspoon salt

1 cup white grits (old-fashioned or quick cooking, but not instant)

1½ cups (6 ounces) grated sharp aged yellow or white cheddar cheese

1½ teaspoons your choice of hot sauce, or more to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

5 slices bacon, cut in ¼-inch pieces

1 large leek, white part only, well rinsed and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)

2 large cloves garlic, minced

5 large eggs, separated

1
Butter the soufflé dish.

2
Place the chicken stock, half-and-half or light cream, salt, and 1½ cups of water in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan and let come to a boil over medium-high heat. Slowly stir in the grits. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer gently, partially covered, stirring often, until the mixture is smooth, thick, and creamy, 10 to 12 minutes for old-fashioned grits, less time for quick-cooking grits. Stir in the cheddar cheese and hot sauce and season with pepper to taste. Set the grits mixture aside to cool.

3
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. Pour off and discard all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the skillet. If necessary, add enough butter to measure 2 tablespoons. Add the leek to the bacon fat and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the leek softens, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring often. Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in the drained bacon and 1 tablespoon of the butter into the leek mixture, and set the skillet aside.

4
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375˚F.

5
Beat the egg yolks in a small bowl until lemon colored. Stir a heaping tablespoon of grits into the yolks, then stir all of the yolks into the grits. Add the leek mixture and stir well to combine. Set aside.

6
Place the egg whites in a clean dry bowl (stainless steel is best) and beat them until they form stiff peaks. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold about one third of the beaten whites into the grits mixture to lighten it. Then fold in the remaining whites.

7
Transfer the soufflé mixture to the buttered soufflé dish. Bake the soufflé until the mixture is set, the soufflé has risen, and the top is a golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. If the soufflé browns too quickly as it bakes, cover the top loosely with aluminum foil. Serve the soufflé immediately.

Serves 4 as a main dish, 8 as an appetizer

Right up there with a plate of ham, a dish of olives, or Marcona almonds, the egg and potato tortilla (a kind of spanish omelet) is probably the most common item in Spanish restaurants that serve tapas (which includes every bar in Spain). The Basque people from the north of Spain and the southwest of France have their own variation; they cube the potatoes instead of slicing them and cook them in olive oil before combining them with the eggs. Adding sweet potatoes to the tortilla makes for a honeylike creaminess. We pep our tortilla up with jalapeño pepper. It contributes the kind of powerful accent that can stand up to the bacon that we added to the traditional recipe. Since we use bacon drippings to sauté all the vegetables and also to cook the eggs, very little extra oil and no butterfat is required. Serve the tortilla either warm or at room temperature.

6 slices thick-cut bacon, coarsely chopped

Extra-virgin olive oil, as necessary

½ pound Yukon Gold or russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes