PERHAPS one of the most irresistible smells in the kitchen is that of bacon frying.
It never fails to get my mouth watering and wishing I had added an extra slice – or two.
Nothing on a cold morning beats a full breakfast with rashers of bacon, eggs, sausage and tomatoes.
And with Bacon Connoisseurs’ Week on its way (March 22-28) there’s even more excuse to pop a few rashers under the grill.
Basically, bacon is a meat prepared from a pig and cured in one of two ways – dry or wet.
The oldest method is dry curing. In days of yore, dry-cured bacon was taken by sailors on long voyagers as part of their staple diet – reports say that by the time the ships reached America eating the bacon was like eating your own boots.
Wet curing in brine is a milder form of curing and uses less salt to make the finished product. Flavourings such as brown sugar or maple are added for a deliciously different taste.
Unfortunately, today, many makers of bacon are pumping it full of water and phosphates to “bulk” it up, so we get that ghastly greyish foam when we fry it. But thanks to the great British public demanding the very best, there is now a trend for “real” bacon and we can again savour the delights of the traditionally cured meat.
Look out for butchers who still cut your bacon off a whole side – there are some around if you hunt around.
Bacon is a very versatile food and can be prepared in numerous ways: boiled, fried, roasted or grilled.
I love wrapping streaky bacon around chicken breast stuffed with Gorgonzola cheese; simply covering the top of a roasting chicken (the cook gets the perks here and has to eat the crumbly bacon when removed to brown the skin), or my real favourite, crispy bacon on top of French toast with a drizzle of real maple syrup.
Serves 4
12 rashers back bacon
4 eggs
4 thick slices of bread (white or brown)
75g butter
Grill the bacon until crisp.
Remove from the pan and keep warm.
Lightly whisk the eggs.
Season and pour into a shallow dish.
Dip the bread slices in the egg and press gently to help it absorb.
Heat the butter in a pan.
Fry the bread for 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
Cut each slice of bread into two triangles.
Top each with 3 slices of bacon.
Drizzle over maple syrup.
This has to be genuine maple syrup, not a substitute, as the flavour just isn’t intense enough.
Serves 3-4
450g floury potatoes, peeled and diced
1 medium turnip, peeled and diced
50g butter
3 tblspn milk
8 rashers crispy cooked streaky bacon
Good pinch nutmeg
Seasoning to taste
Place the potatoes and turnips in a large saucepan.
Cover with water and bring to the boil.
Cook until tender.
Drain the vegetables.
Return them to the saucepan and mash until fluffy.
Add the butter and milk and beat until creamy.
Stir in the chopped bacon and season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Serve hot.
I like to dice the vegetables as they cook more quickly. A hint of nutmeg really adds a great flavour to the clapshot. But go easy on it as nutmeg can spoil as well as enhance food.
Serves 4
1 bag washed baby spinach leaves
8 slices streaky bacon, cut in 1in pieces
12 walnut halves
Scant 50ml cider vinegar
3 tblspn vegetable oil
1 tblspn soy sauce
1 tspn sugar
Seasoning to taste
Optional to garnish:
8 cherry tomatoes
8 black olives
Fry bacon until crispy.
Just before it is ready, add the walnuts.
Toss well in the bacon juices, then remove and place on a sheet of kitchen roll to remove excess fat.
Add the vinegar, oil, soy sauce, sugar and seasoning to the frying pan.
Bring up to the boil, stirring all the time.
Scrape the bottom of the pan to mix all the little pieces in.
Turn off the heat.
Place the washed and cleaned spinach in a large serving bowl.
Add the bacon and walnuts.
Pour over the warm dressing.
Toss all well.
Garnish with halved baby tomato and black olives.
Serve immediately while the dressing is still warm.
(Note: 450g = 1lb; 600ml = 1pt)