Bar BQ Grills

makes ten servings


8 slices smoked bacon, diced
2 leeks (white part only), chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound kale, chard, greens or spinach, cut into thin strips
1 cup chopped dates
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 cups half-and-half
12 large eggs
8 cups challah bread or brioche cubes
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) grated Gruyère or Swiss cheese

Coat a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a large skillet, sauté bacon and leeks until bacon is crisp and leeks are tender, about 15 minutes. Add garlic, kale, dates, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cook until kale is wilted. (You may need to add the kale in batches.) Combine half-and-half and eggs in a large bowl. Beat until blended. Stir in bread cubes, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, rosemary and 1 cup Gruyère. Add vegetable mixture and stir well. Pour egg mixture into baking dish. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 375F. Remove strata from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Top with remaining ½ cup Gruyère. Bake 40 minutes, until a knife inserted in the middle of the strata comes out clean. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Chefs Kathleen and Charlie Schaffer, Relish.com

serves 4-6


approx. 1 pound cheese tortellini (16-20 ounces)
6 slices bacon, diced and cooked until crisp
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup vodka
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 6-ounce bag baby spinach
1/4 cup water
grated parmesan cheese for garnish

Start by crisping up 6 diced slices of bacon in a large, heavy bottomed soup pot and getting another large pot of water going for eventually cooking the tortellini.

Once the bacon is nice and crisp, pour off at least half of the rendered bacon fat and then add 1 medium diced onion and 1 large minced clove of garlic and cook those to soften up.

Once the onions have softened up, add a pinch of red pepper flakes, 1 cup heavy cream and 1/3 cup vodka and let that reduce down a bit.

After the cream has been reducing along for a couple of minutes, add about 1 pound of cheese tortellini to a large pot of boiling water.

Next, add 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes to the cream and 1 6-ounce bag of baby spinach and continue to cook that along.

Rinse the tomato can with 1/4 cup water and add that liquid to the pan with the tomato, spinach cream and, once the spinach has wilted…and the sauce is nice and hot....and after the cheese tortellini have been boiling along and floating on the surface for 4 minutes or so.....use a slotted utensil to scoop those right into the pot with the tomato vodka sauce.

Serve it up in individual bowls with a little grated parmesan cheese over the top.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Dan Eaton, Finger Lakes YNN, Your News Now, 71 Mt. Hope Avenue, Rochester, New York 14620, February 26, 2011

serves four


store-bought gnocchi
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
8 baby marrows
8 rashers pan-fried bacon, chopped
Parmesan

Cook a pack of store-bought gnocchi in boiling water until the dumplings float to the surface, then drain and toss with olive oil and chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Thinly slice baby marrows and char-grill, then drape over the gnocchi along with rashers pan-fried bacon, chopped. Scatter over grated Parmesan and season to taste.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Abigail Donnelly, Woolworths Taste Magazine, South Africa

makes six servings


6 eggs
6 slices bacon
1/2 cup frozen baby sweet peas
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (8 oz)
6 frozen plain or buttermilk waffles

In 2-quart saucepan, place eggs in single layer. Add enough water to cover eggs by 1 inch. Heat to boiling. Immediately remove from heat; cover and let stand 15 minutes. Drain; rinse with cold water. Place eggs in ice water; let stand 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cook bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels; crumble. Set aside. Cook peas as directed on package. Drain peas; set aside. In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook about 3 minutes or until tender. Stir in flour; cook until bubbly, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly until mixture boils and thickens, about 2 minutes. Add cheese; stir until melted. Peel eggs; coarsely chop. Add eggs and peas to cheese sauce; cook 1 to 2 minutes or until hot. Toast waffles as directed on package. Place 1 waffle on each individual serving plate. Top with egg mixture. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon. Serve immediately.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Pillsbury.com, Pillsbury, General Mills, Inc., P.O. Box 9452, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55440

“When my food blog grows up it wantsto be just like _______________”

4-5 min is a guide, check them often so you don't burn them.

Grate slid away from the coals when they are fresh and hot.

As the coals die and cool down some, slide the grate closer and closer to them.

serves 2 hungry people as a main and 4-6 as a side


1 lb cauliflower florets
1 lb potatoes, scrubbed and roughly chopped
1 head pan-roasted garlic
1/4 cup sour cream
about 6 cups of beet greens, washed well, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
3 strips bacon, cooked and chopped
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon crushed red chile pepper
salt, pepper

In a medium pot, boil the potatoes in salted water until about 10 minutes from being done (they should still have some hardness to them). Add the cauliflower florets and cook until both are fork-tender. Drain and put back on the heat for a minute or two.

While the potatoes boil, saute onions with the spices in a bit of oil until tender and, yes, a bit brown. Remove.

In a large skillet, melt butter over moderate heat. Add chopped beet greens, a bit of salt and pepper, then cover for 2-3 minutes. Uncover and stir greens well. They're done when wilted.

Combine everything in a large bowl (or the potatoes' pot) and mash well. Add hot sauce to your taste and adjust other seasonings as needed.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Cori Rozentāle, The Kitchen Mouse, September 21, 2009

I didn'tcatch the Weather Channel's forecast for Hades but I'm pretty surethe place has frozen over.

No Excuses BBQ:

Bob’s Brew & Que:

GrillAdventures:

Cooking By The Seat Of My Pants:

TheBBQ Grail:

Livefire:

TheDaily Dish

makes four servings


12 ounces soba noodles
1/4 cup shelled edamame
2 cups carbonara sauce (recipe below)
1/4 pound smoked bacon, diced small, rendered crisp and drained
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup dashi-soy sauce (see Note)
1/2 pound dry bay scallops
chopped chives
truffle oil

Bring 8 quarts water to a boil. Cook soba just tender, 4 minutes. Add the edamame after 3 minutes. Drain. Rinse.

Prepare the carbonara sauce (recipe below). Add bacon and chives.

On low heat, toss the noodles and edamame in the sauce for 2 minutes to coat and thicken. Do not overheat or the sauce will break down. Remove from heat.

Bring the dashi-soy to a simmer. Add the scallops, turn off heat and let cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

Portion the noodle mixture into serving bowls. Finish with grated Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of truffle oil. Spoon the soy-poached scallops on top and a tablespoon of the dashi-soy poaching liquid around noodles on each dish.

Serve at once warm, at room temperature or chilled.

For the Carbonara Sauce: Bring 1/2 cup dry white wine to a boil to cook off the alcohol. Add ¼ cup dashi-soy and 1 cup heavy cream. Return to a low simmer. Meanwhile, set up a double boiler. Crack 3 egg yolks into a nonreactive bowl and whisk, slowly tempering in the wine-dashi-cream mixture. Set the bowl over simmering water. Whisk until eggs set at 160 degrees F. (the mixture will ribbon lightly). Do not overheat or mixture will separate. Add salt, freshly cracked white pepper and truffle oil, to taste.

Note: Dashi is a Japanese broth, often seaweed stock, sold in Asian and specialty food markets. For dashi-soy, mix 1 1/2 cups prepared dashi with 1/2 cup soy sauce. Refrigerate.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Chef Gerald Drummond, Morimoto, 723 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | philly.com, 400 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19130

serves 6-7; yields about 6-1/2 to 7 cups


8 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips
2-1/2 lb. butternut squash (about 1 medium), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice (to yield about 6 cups)
1 small Granny Smith or other tart-sweet apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch dice (to yield about 1 cup)
1-1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups homemade or low-salt chicken or vegetable broth

In a 5-quart or larger stockpot set over medium heat, cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until crisp and golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels.

Increase heat to medium high. Add the squash to the pot with the bacon fat and cook until lightly browned, 4 to 6 minutes (resist the urge to stir it too often or it won’t brown). Stir in the apple, sage, salt, and pepper and cook for about 4 minutes (you’ll see more browning occur on the bottom of the pot than on the vegetables). Add the broth, scraping up any browned bits in the pot with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook until the squash and apples are very soft, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool somewhat.

Add about half the bacon to the soup and purée, using a stand or immersion blender (you’ll need to work in batches if using a stand blender). Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Reheat the soup and garnish each serving with the remaining bacon.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Jill Hough, Fine Cooking, p. 67, November 1, 2005

makes 8 cucumber cups


1 cucumber cut into roughly 1 1/2 inch pieces crosswise.
about 4 tablespoons of caramelized onions and shallots
chopped chives, 1 â€" 2 teaspoons plus more for garnish
about 2 tablespoons sour cream
bacon pieces
granulated garlic or fresh garlic, to taste
salt, to taste
lemon juice, optional

Scoop out the center of the cucumber cups for the filling using a melon baller. Make sure your cucumber pieces are big enough to leave a base for the cups after you scoop most of the meat out.

For the filling: Combine the caramelized onions and shallots with the sour cream and chives in a bowl. Start with just a little until you have the right onion to sour cream ratio you prefer. Season to taste with garlic, salt and lemon juice.

Spoon the filling into the cucumber cups, top with bacon pieces. These are best chilled a bit for serving.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Jean, Lemons and Anchovies, June 7, 2011

yields four servings


Four 9-11 oz. herrings, filleted so that the backbone is removed, but the back is still held together in one piece
3.5 oz. finely chopped bacon
2 small turnips, finely diced

½ small celeriac, finely diced

1 carrot, finely diced
1 apple, finely diced
one handful of parsley

Fry the bacon in a hot pan until it is crispy. Add the celeriac and turnip and sizzle until the vegetables start to become tender. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the apple, carrot and parsley.

Brush a bit of mustard onto the inside of the fish and sprinkle with salt. Fry in a neutral type of oil in a hot pan with the meaty side facing downwards until it turns a light golden brown color and the meat falls off the bone, usually around 7 minutes.

Arrange the fish on the plate with the bacon, vegetable and apple mixture on top.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Martin Norstrøm, New Scandinavian Cooking, Geitmyrsveien 7, N-0171 Oslo, Norway

"Hey Napoleon...give me some of your tots!"

Sorry about the "naked" tots, I ran out of bacon.

See how the bacon crushed one or two of them?  Doesn't matter!

serves four


200 grams shelled broad beans
300 grams penne pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
100 grams streaky bacon, cut into 1-cm strips
1 clove garlic, crushed
200 ml creme fraiche
1 handful freshly chopped mint
25 grams parmesan
black pepper, coarsely ground

Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling water until tender. While the pasta is cooking, cook the broad beans in boiling water until tender, about 5 minutes, & drain. Fry the bacon until crispy and brown, then add the garlic & fry for one minute. Stir in the crème fraiche & broad beans; simmer for 1 minute to heat the crème fraiche through and then add the mint. When the pasta is cooked, drain away the water & stir in the sauce. Serve with grated parmesan & black pepper.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Eat Seasonably

serves four


3 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 1/2 pounds eggplant
1/3 cup peanut or vegetable oil
3 ounces uncooked bacon, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chili bean sauce
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
Salt to taste
3 scallion stalks, thinly sliced

Soak the shiitake mushrooms in hot water for 20 minutes, until they soften. Drain the shiitakes and squeeze them dry. Finely chop them and set aside.

Quarter eggplants along the length, then cut 1/2-inch thick slices from each quarter.

Heat the 1/3 cup oil in a wok over high heat until just beginning to smoke. Add the eggplants and stir-fry for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until the outsides turn golden brown. Remove the eggplant with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on paper towels.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the bacon. Cook the bacon for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and shittakes and stir-fry for another minute. Add the chili bean sauce and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Return the eggplant to the wok. Pour in the chicken stock, soy sauce and sesame oil. Allow everything to simmer for a few minutes while the flavors penetrate the eggplants. Add salt if needed.

Add the chopped scallions to the eggplant mix and cook for another minute. Remove from the wok and serve.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Diana, Appetite for China, August 5, 2010

serves four


1 (2.5 pound) whole yellowtail snapper
salt, pepper
handful of mixed herbs, parsley, dill, thyme are good ones
1 lemon, thinly sliced
about 6-8 slices good bacon
lemon wedges, for serving

Turn the grill on high. Check that the fish has been scaled fully, and remove any stray scales. Salt and pepper the inside cavity of the fish and fill with herbs and lemon slices. Salt and pepper the outside of the fish and then wrap in bacon, overlapping each slice with other slices (to ensure that everything stays put). Grill 7 minutes on each side, or until the fish is opaque and tender and the bacon is crisp and beginning to blacken. Fillet and serve with lemon wedges.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Caviar and Codfish, July 13, 2009

serves four


CHEESE TOASTS:
8 long diagonal slices from a baguette
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar (12 ounces)

SOUP:
1/4 pound sliced bacon (about 6 slices), chopped
2 cups frozen peas (one 12-ounce package)
1 cup shredded carrot (2 carrots if shredding yourself)
1 cup water
2 cans split pea soup (18- to 19-ounces each)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or celery leaves (optional)

To make the cheese toasts, preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle position.

Arrange bread slices side by side on a foil-lined baking sheet and cover with cheese (by keeping them side by side you’ll loose less cheese off the edges). Bake in oven until bread is crisp, 10 to 15 minutes.

While cheese toasts are baking, cook bacon in a medium skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, and transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl.

Meanwhile, combine peas, carrots, and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add soup and simmer, uncovered, stirring, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes.

Stir in parsley, if using. Ladle into bowls, top with bacon, and serve with toasts.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Kemp Minifie, for KitchenDaily / SlashFood, January 6, 2011

Sadly it isthe end of summer but the good thing about that is people have morechiles than they think they can use. Chiles were our most fruitful“crop” this year and I've also been given 3 bags of a variety ofchiles from co-workers.