Category: Types of Foods

Posted in - Pork, Breakfast, Tips and Tricks

Sunday Brunch: Make Your Own Pre-Cooked Bacon

Posted on by Northerly Nosh

Make Your Own Pre-Cooked Bacon

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I love bacon as much as the next person, but cooking bacon is not always simple as it requires careful attention while cooking and can make a mess in the process.

When I want to turn out a really efficient and easy hot breakfast, I will cook my bacon in advance and freeze it.

Prep Day: Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with foil. Make sure the rims are deep enough to prevent bacon fat dripping. Lay the strips of bacon on the foil in a single layer. Put on racks in the middle of a cold oven and turn the oven on to 400F. Bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn the sheets around and switch shelves to encourage even cooking. Bake a second 10 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure you are not overcooking the bacon.Remove the bacon to plates or baking sheets lined with paper towels to drain. When sufficiently cooled, layer with freezer paper, parchment, or waxed paper in between and freeze.

Note: When I’m feeling really celebratory, I’ll glaze the bacon with pure maple syrup during the last few minutes of baking. Oh boy!

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Serve Day: To serve, briefly microwave between layers of paper towels or pan fry. Or Use as-is for dishes that will be further cooked such as chowders and casseroles.

Posted in - Pork, Side Dish

Side Dish ‘n’ Saturdays: Mushroom and Bacon Risotto

Posted on by Northerly Nosh

Mushroom and Bacon Risotto

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2 -3 tablespoons butter
1 large onions, chopped
2 -4 slices bacon, streaky, chopped
6 -10 small mushrooms, chopped in half
9 oz. risotto rice
2 -3 tablespoons frozen peas
9 oz. boiling water
18 oz. hot stock, chicken or turkey
4 oz. of any leftover cheese ( I used a mix of mild and strong cheddar)

Prep Day: Melt butter in a large pan. When hot add onion, then bacon, then mushrooms. Fry for 5 minutes or until onions are turning clear. Now add rice, simmering for 5 minutes, again until translucent, stirring most of the time. Add peas. Now start to add the stock to the pan a little (3 or 4 tablespoons at a time). When you run out of stock, then use boiled water. Now turn heat as low as you can go. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until the liquid has all gone.

When cooked, add cheese as much or as little as you like (I don’t grate it–just chop it in bits) stir in the pan and turn off heat. Leave with lid on a minute or two, just so the cheese goes all gooey.

You can serve right away or cool to be frozen. Package for freezing. Then freeze.

Serve Day: Thaw. Then heat gently in a pot and add some broth to loosen. Stir in a touch of cream before serving if you would like.

Posted in - Red Meat, Budget Friendly

Frugal Fridays: Stuffed Blue Cheese Burgers with Red Wine Sauce

Posted on by Northerly Nosh

Stuffed Blue Cheese Burgers

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Serve 4

1-1/2 lb. ground 80% to 85% lean beef, preferably chuck – $5
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce – $.06
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – $.02
4 oz. crumbled creamy blue cheese – $2.95

Red Wine Pan Sauce:
4 Tbs. unsalted butter – $.44
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots – $1.20
1 cup lower salt beef or chicken broth – $.71
3/4 cup red wine – $1.25
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar – $.13
2 tsp. Dijon mustard, preferably grainy – $.14
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – $.02

Total Cost: $11.92
Cost Per Serving: $2.98

Prep Day –

Burgers: Gently break the meat into large pieces in a large bowl. Add the Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper and gently mix with your hands; avoid overworking.

Wet your hands and shape the meat into 8 equal 1/2-inch-thick patties. Make a slight indentation in the center of 4 of the patties to hold the cheese. Divide the blue cheese into 4 equal portions, shape into disks, and set a disk in each of the 4 indentations. Top the cheese with the remaining patties and gently but firmly seal the edges to completely encase the cheese. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 20 minutes and up to 4 hours or wrap individually and freeze in a labeled freezer bag.

Pan Sauce: In a medium sauté pan, heat 1 Tbs. of the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring often, until softened but not brown, about 2 minutes. Cool. Then put it in a quart size freezer bag. Add the broth, wine, vinegar, and mustard. Mix and freeze.

Serve Day –

Burgers: Thaw. Prepare a hot charcoal or gas grill fire. Grill the burgers, covered with vents open, until nicely marked and cooked to your liking (2 minutes per side for rare, 3 minutes per side for medium rare, 4 minutes per side for medium). Don’t press on the burgers while they’re cooking—you want to keep the juices and cheese inside the burger, not on your grill. Serve with the Red Wine Pan Sauce.

Pan Sauce: Thaw. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Boil pan sauce until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 9 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the remaining 3 Tbs. butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm.