Recipes

Grape And Gorgonzola Pizzettas

Grape And Gorgonzola Pizzettas

Individual “pizzettas” like these are the perfect size for a light lunch, starter, a cocktail nosh or a late night snack. Use your favorite pizza dough recipe or any good quality commercially prepared pizza dough.
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Ingredients

Makes 4 (6-inch) individual pizzas

Instructions

  • If the pizza dough is cold, let it sit at room temperature while you prepare the toppings.
  • If you have a pizza stone, put it in the cold oven.
  • If you do not have a pizza stone, the pizzettas can be baked on a baking sheet.
  • Preheat oven to 425°F.
  • Toss the grapes and onions with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil and ½ teaspoon of salt.
  • Spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet.
  • Roast until the grapes are wrinkled and the onions are soft, about 25 minutes.
  • In a medium bowl, mix together the ricotta, Italian seasoning, garlic, pepper, the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and ¼ teaspoon of salt.
  • Divide the pizza dough into four equal pieces.
  • On a lightly floured surface or floured pizza peel, roll out the dough pieces into 6-inch rounds.
  • Spread a quarter of the ricotta mixture onto each pizza, leaving ½-inch of space around the edges.
  • Cover each pizza evenly with the grape and onion mixture and crumbled Gorgonzola cheese.
  • Break 2 slices of bacon onto each pizza.
  • Bake pizzettas on the preheated pizza stone or on lightly oiled baking sheets until the crust is golden brown, 10-12 minutes.
  • Serve hot.
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Course; Pizza / Pork

Steamed Mussels With Tomato And Fennel

Steamed Mussels With Tomato And Fennel

Cooking mussels with tomatoes and fennel in a light bacon broth creates a dish reminiscent of sea breezes. You’ll need a whole loaf of crusty bread to sop up all the precious broth.
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Ingredients

Serves 4

  • 2 pounds fresh mussels
  • 6 slices bacon coarsely chopped (about 1½ cups)
  • 1 large shallot minced (about ⅓ cup)
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1½ cups fennel bulb sliced
  • 2 cups dry white wine such as a Sauvignon Blanc
  • ½ cup 1 stick butter, melted
  • 1 can 28 ounces whole tomatoes
  • ½ cup packed chopped basil leaves
  • 3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • Artisan bread or baguette
  • Scrub and de-beard the mussels.

Instructions

  • Cook the bacon in a large stock pot over medium heat until it is almost crisp, about 6 minutes.
  • Add the shallots, garlic, and fennel and cook for 1 minute.
  • Add the mussels to the pot along with the wine and butter.
  • Lightly crush the tomatoes by hand and add them to the pot.
  • Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until all of the mussels have opened, 7-10 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and stir in the basil and parsley.
  • Ladle the mussels and broth into bowls and serve hot with plenty of bread for dipping in the broth.
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Course; Fish / Pork

lt Mac And Cheese

lt Mac And Cheese

Bacon and melted cheese is a magical pairing, but many bacon mac and cheese recipes seem intensely salty or cloying. BLT mac and cheese … now that’s a whole different story! Tomatoes and fresh basil brighten up the dish for a much better balance. The dish is still very rich, which is why we include the “L” as a simple, crisp salad served alongside. To keep the pasta from absorbing too much liquid, we assemble the casserole at the last minute and brown it in a hot oven.
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Ingredients

Serves 6

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 450°F.
  • Lightly grease a deep (9×13 inch) casserole or baking dish.
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  • Add the pasta and cook, according to package directions, until al dente.
  • Drain.
  • Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until just starting to crisp, about 6 minutes.
  • Add the leeks and cook until they are softened, 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute more.
  • Stir in the half-and-half and tomato sauce until well combined.
  • Add the mascarpone cheese, and simmer, stirring constantly until it is melted.
  • Remove the pan from the heat, add ¾ cup of the Parmesan cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.
  • Combine the sauce, cooked pasta, cherry tomatoes, and basil and gently toss to coat.
  • Transfer to the prepared casserole or baking dish and sprinkle with the bread crumbs and remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese.
  • Bake until bubbling at the edges and is browned on top, about 15 minutes.
  • In a large bowl, toss the arugula or spinach with vinaigrette.
  • Serve the greens alongside warm portions of pasta.
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Course; Cheese / Pork

Bacon Butternut Squash Soup

Bacon Butternut Squash Soup

This is a velvety, comforting soup garnished with bacon, crispy fried sage leaves and roasted, salted pumpkin seeds. It is perfect for fall or winter. Serve it in tiny bowls as a first course, or in bigger portions as an entrée.
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Ingredients

Serves 4-6

Instructions

  • Cook the bacon in a large soup pot over medium heat until almost crisp, about 6 minutes.
  • Transfer to paper towels, reserving rendered bacon fat in the pot.
  • Cook the carrots, shallots, and garlic in the reserved bacon fat until soft and golden, about 5 minutes.
  • Stir in the salt and pepper.
  • Add the chopped herbs, bay leaf, squash cubes, stock, and half of the cooked bacon to the soup pot.
  • Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender, 20-25 minutes.
  • Remove and discard the bay leaf.
  • Blend the soup to a smooth puree with an immersion blender or in batches in a traditional blender.
  • Season with vinegar and nutmeg.
  • Keep the soup warm until it is ready to serve.

Notes & Wine Advice

Ladle the soup into warm bowls and garnish with reserved bacon, pepitas, and Fried Sage Leaves.
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Course; Pork / Soup

Fried Sage Leaves

Fried Sage Leaves

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Equipment

  • Saucepan

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a saucepan to 350°F.
  • Deep-fry the sage leaves until they are crisp, about 10 seconds.
  • Transfer to paper towels.
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Course; Pork

Bros, Beers And Brats

Bros, Beers And Brats

Are you one of those people with a brother who considers brats and beer to be his “special” recipe? Maybe you are that brother? Even if you are an only child, this bacon-enriched, sauerkraut-simmered variation of the Midwestern classic is how good brats deserve to be done.
Couverts6
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Ingredients

  • 8 slices of bacon chopped into
  • 2- inch pieces about 2 cups
  • 1 large onion thinly sliced
  • 1 bottle of lager-style beer 12-ounce
  • 4 cups sauerkraut drained
  • 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 6 bratwurst sausages
  • Rye bread or hoagie rolls
  • Stone ground or Dijon mustard

Instructions

  • Heat a large, deep sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium heat.
  • Cook the bacon until it is brown, but not completely crisp, about 5 minutes.
  • Add the onion and cook until soft and golden, about 7 minutes.
  • Deglaze the pan with half the beer, scraping gently to dissolve any brown bits.
  • Stir in the sauerkraut, ketchup, caraway seeds, fennel seeds, peppercorns, and remaining beer.
  • Add the bay leaves.
  • Bring the sauerkraut to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low.
  • Pierce each bratwurst on both sides with the tip of a knife.
  • Nestle the sausages into the sauerkraut.
  • Cover the pan and simmer for 20-25 minutes, turning the sausages and stirring the sauerkraut occasionally.
  • At this point the sausages can be served as is, or if you prefer a crispier skin for your bratwurst continue as follows.
  • Position a rack in center of the oven and preheat the broiler.
  • Lift the cooked sausages from the sauerkraut and arrange them on a lightly-greased, foil-lined baking sheet.
  • Roast until the edges of the sausages begin to brown, about 3-5 minutes per side.

Notes & Wine Advice

Serve bratwurst with sauerkraut on rye bread or hoagie rolls slathered with mustard.
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Course; Pork

Deconstructed Blt

Deconstructed Blt

Like gazpacho, this soup is best when it is made with the freshest, most flavorful summer produce. All of the components of a classic BLT are in here, but the presentation is all new. The bread is part of the broth, the lettuce forms the cup and the soup is garnished with “cookies”—delicate disks of crisp bacon made from pressed and molded slivers of sliced bacon.
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Ingredients

Serves 6

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, combine tomato juice and bread cubes and let soak until the bread is very soft, about 30 minutes.
  • Transfer the mixture to a blender and purée until smooth.
  • Add the tomatoes, cucumber, garlic, bell pepper, onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt, paprika, cumin and pepper.
  • Blend to a very smooth puree.
  • You may need to work in batches.
  • With the mixer running on high speed, add the oil slowly, in a steady stream.
  • Cover and refrigerate the gazpacho until it is well chilled, at least 1 hour.
  • Place a Bibb lettuce leaf in the center of 6 bowls.
  • Ladle the chilled gazpacho over lettuce cups into the bowls, sprinkle with diced cucumber and garnish with a Bacon “Cookie”.

Notes & Wine Advice

Serve immediately.
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Course; Pork / Soup

Bacon “Cookies”

Bacon “Cookies”

Couverts6 cookies
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Ingredients

  • 6 slices bacon sliced into ⅛ inch slivers

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400°F.
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Make “cookies” by packing about 1 slice of slivered bacon, about 2 tablespoons, into a 3-inch pastry mold or biscuit cutter.
  • Lift the mold off, leaving a round of compressed bacon slivers.
  • Repeat with the remaining bacon.
  • Bake until brown and crispy, about 15 minutes.
  • Carefully remove bacon “cookies” from the tray with a spatula and transfer to paper towels to cool.
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Course; Pork

Bacon Blt Sandwich

Bacon Blt Sandwich

Real bacon lovers don’t settle for a simple BLT. This is our, over-the-top version, with freshly made Bacon Mayonnaise on thick slices of crispy, smoked bacon with avocado, arugula leaves, and juicy slices of sweet heirloom tomato. Bacon mayonnaise is available commercially, but nothing compares to this version made with real bacon fat. We like a locally made rustic multi-grain bread, but you can substitute your favorite.
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Ingredients

Makes 4 sandwiches

  • 8 slices of artisan multi-grain bread, toasted
  • ¼ cup Bacon Mayonnaise
  • 1 avocado sliced
  • 8 slices heirloom tomato
  • 12 slices thick-cut bacon cooked
  • 2 cups arugula loosely packed

Instructions

  • Spread the Bacon Mayonnaise liberally on the toast slices.
  • Divide the tomato slices, avocado slices and arugula evenly among 4 slices of bread.
  • Top with bacon and the remaining pieces of toast.

Notes & Wine Advice

Serve immediately.
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Course; Pork

Bacon Mayonnaise

Bacon Mayonnaise

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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine the egg yolks, mustard and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor, blender, or stand mixer.
  • Combine the bacon fat and oil in a liquid measuring cup.
  • With the machine running, gradually add the mixture, a few drops at a time, to the egg mixture.
  • Gradually increase to a thin stream to form a fully emulsified mayonnaise.
  • Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  • Refrigerate until ready to use.
  • Because of the bacon fat, the mayonnaise may harden more than usual when it is chilled.
  • It can still be spread, or you can leave it at room temperature for 30 minutes to soften.
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Course; Pork / Sauce