Bacon in the Oven

Joe makes bacon in the oven.

A seemingly simple statement. But, I need to point out that Joe, my dad, used to leave the house when Gran Fran would cook meats that were too strong smelling.

I'm not clear when he turned the corner and actually began cooking the bacon himself, but a few years ago, I walked into my parents house and saw him lining up strips of bacon on a jelly roll pan. I was intrigued.

He told me my mother, Gran Fran, had discovered that if she cooked the bacon in the oven, there was a lot less mess. And, Joe wasn't bothered by the smell. Let me point out that this was well after they had spent a good 45 years living together, so it goes to show you that you new things can happen late in a marriage!

This method does take a little bit longer, but it's worth the effort. The bacon comes out nice and crispy, but not burnt, with a some chewiness left in the fat.

Ingredients

• 1 pound bacon, thick cut works really well, but any kind will do

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.
2. Place the bacon strips in one layer on a sheet pan.
3. Cook the bacon for 40 minutes then raise the heat to 400 and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Remove the bacon from the oven once it has become nicely browned.

Shredded Brussels Sprouts and Potato Salad

A version of this recipe is featured on The Fruit Guys website.

Please meet my new favorite way to prepare Brussels sprouts: shredded. What a delightfully easy way to make a very healthy salad, using something other than your standard issue salad greens.

I first came across this method in the Bi-Rite Market's Eat Good Food cookbook. Their version (which I made and wrote about here) includes bacon. Which, in so many ways, makes me so happy. But, I've found that I need to cut back on the pork products (oh wait, I have a rack of pork ribs in the oven right now....). Therefore, I've created a new recipe using the shredded Brussels sprouts in not only a vegetarian recipe, but also a vegan one. A girl's got to keep her sleek physique and all of the lovely recipes I've been writing have begun to add up on the I-think-my-pants-shrunk-in-the-dryer meter.

The potatoes are the only cooked item in the whole shebang. You can either roast them, dice them or fry them, just do whatever you prefer. And, I didn't include how many this recipe feeds. Seems that the shredded sprouts really go on for days. I've taken to shredding a while bunch of them and storing them in a zipper bag in the fridge. That way I can make any kind of salad I want whenever I want to.

Please do make this or the other recipe referenced above. It really tastes great and is a nice change in your salad repertoire.

Brussels Sprouts and Potato Salad

INGREDIENTS

• 1 to 2 cups shredded Brussels sprouts
• 2 cups potatoes in 3/4 inch dice, steamed, roasted, sautéed, or boiled until tender but not mushy
• 1 /2 cup fresh chopped carrots
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine or sherry vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced finely
• ½ teaspoon minced tarragon
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION

• Shred the Brussels sprouts.  You can use either a mandolin slicer or the slicer blade on your food processor. And, cutting them by hand is perfectly fine, just make them as thin as possible.
• Place the shredded Brussels sprouts, diced and cooked potatoes and carrots in a large bowl.
• Mix together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, sage, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper.
• Add the dressing to the vegetables and mix well.

No-Cook Cranberry Relish...Woo Hoo!

I don't really like cranberry sauce.

But wait, that was before I found this excellent no-cook cranberry relish.

Well, it was back in 2001, I believe, when Gourmet (R.I.P.) published this very simple no-cook cranberry relish. I was dead set against it. In 2002, my friend and co-worker at the time, Heidi, said she had made this and was thrilled with the results. The taste, said Heidi, was tart and the texture was crunchy, not soggy.

I sat down and thought through the pros and cons of cranberries. It occurred to me that I've been drinking cranberry juice for years and loved it. The thought also crossed my mind, though, that all other ways that cranberries were ever presented to me did nothing for me, and even turned me against this particular berry.

But, I promised Heidi I'd make it. She was right. The relish is nothing like the canned cranberry (or fresh cranberry) sauce I'd previously eaten. And, so, this has become a standard in my Thanksgiving repertoire.

Wait, wait, there's even more. Every year, I get the ingredients to make this, and somehow have convinced myself of a few things from the previous year:

1. There are shallots and fresh ginger in the original recipe (there are not, but they are now featured in my version).
2. You have to cook this recipe. (Nope, just pop everything in the food processor and that's it!)
3. Everyone at my sister's table loves this relish. (Not so much, but a few of us do love it, while others just want the traditional version).

This relish gets better over a couple of days, so make it today and it will wow your guests on Thanksgiving.

No-Cook Cranberry Orange Relish

Recipe adapted from Epicurious (Gourmet magazine, 2001)

Ingredients:

• 1 navel orange
• 1 (12-oz) bag fresh cranberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 small shallot, chopped coarsley
• 1/8 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

Method:

• Finely grate 2 teaspoons zest from orange.
• Cut away and discard peel and pith from orange, then cut sections free from membranes.
• Pulse cranberries with zest, orange sections, sugar, cinnamon, shallots and ginger in a food processor until coarsely chopped.
• Chill, covered, at least 2 hours to allow flavors to develop.

roasted veggies

"Kids will eat anything if you broil them in oil (the food, not the kids). Heck, you could probably get her to eat cardboard prepared that way."

So said my oldest sister D. when I reported that my daughter Iz, at the ripe young age of 2 was eating sweet potatoes, cauliflower and brussels sprouts. D. was especially impressed, having a son just one month younger than Ms. Iz, who would not think of touching any of these foods.

I recall Gran Fran making all kinds of food (that might have been considered odd for a home cook, even in NY in the late 70's and early 80's), such as okra, paté, bagna cauda, and any number of other off-the-beaten-path items she was inerested in trying out that week.

There were no options, as I mentioned in some earlier posts. You ate what the parents made. No questions, no exceptions. So, if a plateful of broccoli rabe with red pepper flakes showed up on the table, you ate it. I am not a fan of cooked spinach, never have been , never will be, but that is how it was served in those days on Gran Fran's table, so I had to eat it.

In my own adulthood, I have come to love okra, broccoli rabe and spinach (but uncooked, please). And, I've found a foolproof way to create veggies any kid (almost) will eat: roast the heck out of them. The longer they roast (or the higher the oven heat), the sweeter they become. To be fair, some of the important nutrients do disappate if you cook the veggies too long, but as an introduction to the different flavors and textures of a good variety of vegetables to a young one's palette, you can't beat this.

It is now possible for me to serve brussels sprouts and cauliflower just steamed, hence preserving their vitamins and minerals, to Ms. Iz, and she loves them. Of course, she likes it best when I add some olive oil to either a baking dish or a hot pan on the stove, and saute or roast her veggies, but she will eat them either way with pleasure.

Roasted Veggies

serves 4 as a side dish

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Brussels Sprouts (or caulifower works well, too), shredded or well chopped
• 3 Tbsps Olive Oil (best-quality, of course)
• Salt to taste (you can add pepper, but not for the little ones

Method:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees
• Take a sheet pan, add some olive oil and salt.
• Place the vegetables in question, and toss to coat with olive oil.
• Roast in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the veggies are nicely browned.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes serves 4 as a side dish

Ingredients:

• 2 Large Sweet Potatoes
• 4 Tbsps Olive Oil (best-quality, of course)
• Salt to taste (you can add pepper, but not for the little ones

Method:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees
• Take a sheet pan, add some olive oil and salt.
• Place the vegetables in question, and toss to coat with olive oil.
• Roast in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until the potatoes are nicely browned.