Bacon is not one of my most favorite foods. I have a very clear ‘taste of a memory’ from the bacon my father would cure on the farm when I was growing up. It was way too salty and fatty for my liking, so I avoided it like the plaque. Brion, on the other hand, loves bacon! Over the years I have come to find there are many versions of smoked bacon that can really take a recipe to another level. I have used it on, in and around so many things. I have dipped filets in it, encrusted filets in it, wrapped chicken and salmon filets in it, extra, extra …
Bacon fans are an innovative bunch. Forget the simple slice alongside eggs. Diehards have dipped the meat in chocolate, crumbled it into ice cream, infused it into vodka and the list goes on. You’d have to be living under a rock to miss the signs of our cultural obsession with bacon these days.
In this meal I’m making some sliced turkey-bacon rolls to have with our mushroom risotto. Should be quite flavorful.
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Turkey-Bacon Rolls w/ Mushroom Risotto
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Instructions
Turkey/Bacon Rolls
Chop the rosemary & thyme leaves, add a pinch of dried marjoram, parmesan, breadcrumbs & a little lemon zest.
Lay out turkey slices on a work surface, brush them with mustard, distribute the prepared mixture & roll them up to perfectly contain filling. Wrap each roll tightly with a slice of bacon. Secure with a toothpick if necessary.
Sauté garlic in a drizzle of oil for 1-2 minutes over low heat. Add more oil if necessary & brown mini rolls evenly for 3-4 minutes, turning occasionally & adding salt & pepper to taste.
Add wine, lower heat a little & put the lid on & continue cooking for 5-6 minutes, adding very little boiling water if necessary, Remove from heat & keep warm until risotto is cooked.
Mushroom Risotto
In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the porcini mushrooms, remove the pan from the heat & set aside for 30 minutes until mushrooms are tender. Then, using a slotted spoon, remove the mushrooms & set aside.
Return the broth to a simmer & keep warm over low heat.
In a large, heavy saucepan, melt 2 Tbsp of the butter over medium-high heat. Add onion & mushrooms & cook for about 3 minutes, until the onions are tender but not brown. Add rice & stir to coat with butter. Add wine & simmer for about 3 minutes, until the wine has almost completely evaporated.
Add a soup ladle full of warm broth & stir for about 2 minutes, until almost completely absorbed.
Continue with remaining broth, adding a ladle full at a time & allowing each addition to be absorbed, until rice is tender to the bite & the mixture is creamy. This should take about 20-25 minutes in total.
Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the parmesan, gorgonzola, chives, salt & pepper. Transfer to a warm serving bowl & serve immediately.
Most experts believe that dumplings were invented by a Chinese medicine practitioner. As legend tells it, it was a difficult winter, and many were experiencing ill effects from the cold. To help people warm up, he used mutton, herbs, and chilis and wrapped them in dough, then steamed them to bind everything together and keep them warm. These steaming, pillow-like treats helped people overcome the cold weather, while the herbs worked to improve blood circulation and prevent frostbite.
‘Dumpling’ is broad term that spans across cuisines and can vary greatly depending on where you’re eating. Typically, in Asian cuisines, a dumpling is a thin wheat-based dough filled with meats, or other proteins, and vegetables before being folded up and either steamed, boiled, or fried. Today we have an incredible variety of shapes, sizes, tastes and styles. The main difference from country to country is the preferred fillings and how the dough is folded.
Homemade dumplings are a labor of love! And there is nothing else quite like them. Even though making dumpling wrappers from scratch is not as difficult as it is often made to seem, commercially sold wrappers are a super convenient option when time is of the essence.
By purchasing generic dumpling wrappers, also sometimes referred to as ‘dumpling skins’, you’ll have a world of flavors to play with. Typically made with wheat flour and round in shape, store-bought dumpling wrappers can be steamed, boiled in soups, or fried.
These dumpling wrapper shrimp ‘ravioli’ are easy to make and the lemon garlic butter adds such a great flavor boost.
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Dumpling Wrapper Shrimp Ravioli w/ Lemon Garlic Butter
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Instructions
Ravioli
In a saucepan, sauté shrimp meat in butter for a few minutes until just cooked.
In a bowl, combine all but 1 Tbsp of the beaten egg (reserve the Tbsp for later). Strip thyme & discard the stalks, add leaves to the bowl with parmesan, breadcrumbs, salt & 1 tsp of lemon juice. Chop shrimp meat fine & add to bowl; mix well.
On a work surface, lay out 18 dumpling wrappers. Carefully divide shrimp filling between them. Moisten the edges with remaining egg, lay a second wrapper on top & seal around the edges by pressing firmly, making a crimped border with a fork.
If making ahead of time, you can refrigerate the ravioli at this stage. Just lay them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper & cover with plastic wrap.
Cooking
In a large saucepan, bring 2 liters of water to a boil. Cook ravioli in small batches for about a minute or two, drain.
Melt butter & minced garlic on a griddle, add 1 Tbsp lemon juice & a little lemon zest. Add cooked ravioli & sauté just until lightly browned. Serve.
Quiche seems like a springtime dish, but the truth is its an ‘any season’ dish in my opinion. This version skips the pastry and is built on a crispy, grated, potato hash brown crust.
Hash browns can always be counted on to add heartiness and can be made several different ways, incorporating a variety of ingredients, including leftovers or whatever happens to be on hand in the fridge. Although hash browns are credited as being from the USA, there are similar dishes elsewhere that likely contributed towards the hash browns of today, and should be mentioned:
- Rösti of Switzerland – like a potato pancake
- Latkes of the Jewish folks – also like a potato pancake, but with eggs
- Tortilla de papas (or patatas) of Spain – like an omelet
The original ‘quiche Lorraine’ was an open pie with a filling consisting of an egg and cream custard with smoked bacon. It was only later that cheese was added to the quiche Lorraine. The bottom crust was originally made from bread dough, but that has long since evolved into numerous other ideas such as puff pastry or hash brown crusts.
Although quiche is now a classic dish of French cuisine, quiche actually originated in Germany, in the medieval kingdom of Lothringen, under German rule, and which the French later renamed Lorraine. The word ‘quiche’ is from the German ‘Kuchen’, meaning cake.
The specialty quiche from Lorraine features gruyere cheese, onion, bacon as its primary flavors. The nice thing is, quiche is something that anyone can make and can be served as an entrée, for lunch, breakfast, or an evening snack.
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Quiche Lorraine w/ Hash Brown Crust
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Instructions
Potato Crust
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Thaw & pat dry shredded hashbrowns on paper towels. Lightly toss with remaining crust ingredients. Press into the bottom & up the sides of a 9" quiche pan. Bake until golden brown around the edges, about 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 F.
Filling
In a skillet, cook bacon until crisp, 5-6 minutes; transfer to a paper towel lined plate & allow to cool.
Wipe out skillet & heat oil. Add leeks & garlic; cook covered , stirring occasionally, for 6 minutes or until tender.
In a bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, heavy cream & smoked paprika. Stir in bacon, leeks & cheese. Spoon mixture into hashbrown crust. Slightly press sliced tomatoes , cut side up, into quiche. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp each salt & pepper.
Bake until set & golden brown about 20-25 minutes. Let rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
- To cut out a few calories, I use a low fat milk instead of the heavy cream. It just requires a little longer cooking time but still tastes great.
Fresh garden veggies are what summer is made for. Eating fresh and in season not only tastes amazing but is so enjoyable.
I’m sure everyone is well acquainted with the zucchini ‘boat‘ idea. Basically zucchini sliced in half lengthwise, hollowed out and filled with whatever you choose. I think incorporating the zucchini you scoop out into the filling is a good idea. This versatile veggie takes on the flavor of whatever your cooking, so the possibilities are endless.
For this recipe, I’m keeping it simple and filled the zucchini boats with rice and succulent pieces of marinated shrimp then topped them with parmesan cheese. I find the best zucchini to use is a medium size, about 8-10 inches in length. Zucchini that is smaller than that really tastes the best but should be saved for other recipes because their not big or sturdy enough to hold the filling. Those super large zucchinis are best for grating to add to baked goods like bread and muffins.
It seems like just about the time you think you made everything possible with this veggie, one more idea pops up. Yay zucchini!
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Shrimp Zucchini Boats
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Instructions
Marinade
In a container with a lid, place cleaned shrimp & remaining marinade ingredients. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Rice
Cook rice in chicken broth until tender.
Zucchini
Slice zucchinis in half lengthwise; scoop out centers, leaving 1/8-inch thick shells. Place in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
Chop zucchini flesh that was scooped out of centers. In a large skillet, melt butter; add chopped zucchini & sauté until tender crisp. Remove from heat & add cooked rice, garlic powder & some of the parmesan.
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Fill hollowed shells with rice mixture. Drain shrimp & place on top of rice mixture. Drizzle marinade over top of shrimp boats. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan.
Bake 20-25 minutes or until shrimp is cooked & zucchini is tender crisp.
Like many recipes with folk origins, pierogi dough can be made in a variety of ways with some people using eggs & sour cream & others don’t. Making your own pierogis is actually an easier job than you might expect (just a little time consuming).
Like all ‘dumplings’, pierogis can pretty much do no wrong. They’re great as a side, as the main event or you guessed it ….. in a casserole or even dessert.
What makes it even better is that the filling possibilities are endless ….. the pierogi knows no boundaries!
Brion & I always enjoy a seafood meal. On a quest to come up with something different it occurred to me I had never put shrimp in a pierogi filling before. If it works in seafood lasagna why not a pierogis?!
Last summer I had posted a meal using a sun-dried tomato sauce. The once, incredibly popular, sun-dried tomatoes have become an underrated, ingredient that few people stock in their pantries anymore.
Sun-dried tomatoes are very versatile & can be used in unlimited ways, Because they’re dried, the flavors of the tomatoes are intensified. This sauce, with its bold & rich garlic & herb flavors was the perfect accompaniment for these shrimp pierogis. Definitely a keeper!
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Shrimp Pierogis w/ Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce
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Ingredients
Shrimp Filling
- 1 leek, washed & thinly sliced then chopped USE ALL of the leek, discarding only discolored stalk ends
- 200 gm Crimini mushrooms, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp butter, divided
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 236 ml clam juice, bottled DIVIDED
- 300 gm WILD shrimp, peeled, deveined, rinsed & slightly chopped
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper, divided
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 30 gm Parmesan, grated
Ingredients
Shrimp Filling
- 1 leek, washed & thinly sliced then chopped USE ALL of the leek, discarding only discolored stalk ends
- 200 gm Crimini mushrooms, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp butter, divided
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 236 ml clam juice, bottled DIVIDED
- 300 gm WILD shrimp, peeled, deveined, rinsed & slightly chopped
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper, divided
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 30 gm Parmesan, grated
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Instructions
Pierogi Dough ( Yield = 18)
In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, beaten egg, butter & sour cream. Mix until dough comes together. On a work surface, knead dough for 3-4 minutes until elastic. Place in a plastic container with a lid & refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.
Shrimp Filling
In a large skillet over medium heat melt 1 Tbsp each, oil & butter. Saute leeks, mushrooms & garlic until tender.
Stir in half of the bottle of clam juice & the 1/4 cup chicken broth; bring mixture to a boil. Once boiling, add shrimp & 1/8 tsp pepper. Return to a boil, then reduce heat & let simmer for 4-5 minutes. Drain the filling, reserving liquid. Set aside.
In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the remaining 1/4 cup butter. Stir in flour & mix until smooth. Gradually add in the milk & reserved liquid (from filling), while stirring constantly. Sprinkle in the rest of the salt & pepper. Bring sauce to a boil & cook for about 2 minutes until thickened, continuing to stir.
Remove the sauce from heat & mix in the heavy cream & Parmesan cheese. Take about 1/3 cup of the sauce & mix it with the shrimp filling. Place remaining sauce in a bowl & set aside to be added to the SUN-DRIED TOMATO SAUCE later.
Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce
Add oil to skillet & heat on a medium heat. Add onion & saute until it starts to soften. Add mushrooms, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, zucchini, oregano & smoked paprika.
Cook for 2 minutes, while stirring, then add remaining clam juice, sea salt & RESERVED sauce. Gently combine. Set aside until pierogis are cooked & ready to serve.
Roll & Fill Pierogis
Remove pierogi dough from refrigerator & cut into 18 equal pieces (about 30 gm each). Roll each piece into about a 3 1/2-inch round. Place a heaping Tbsp of shrimp filling (about 30 gm) in the middle of pierogi. Dip your finger in a bowl of water & run it along the edge of the dough. Fold pierogi in half, carefully pinching together edges to seal it completely.
Cook & Serve
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Carefully drop pierogis in & boil until all the pierogis float to the surface & dough becomes somewhat translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Remove pierogis with a slotted spoon, making sure to let as much of the excess water drip off as possible.
In a large skillet, heat a Tbsp of butter. Place drained pierogis in skillet. Do not over-crowd so that they can all lightly brown on both sides. Reheat sun-dried tomato sauce & place in a serving dish. When pierogis have fried a bit, (blot on paper towel if you wish), then add to sauce on serving dish.
Recipe Notes
- When making the pierogis, nothing wrong with rolling out all the dough at the same time & cutting your circles with a cookie cutter. I just personally like dividing the dough so I don't have to do any re-rolling with the scraps. Just personal preference.
- If you happened to have any filling leftover, just add it to you sun-dried tomato sauce.
If foods were granted awards, bacon wouldn’t rank high for healthiness but it might win first prize in the food addition category.
Bacon simultaneously appeals to all three flavors many people crave …. sugar, salt & fat. Its the perfect combination that goes to the brain which says, take another bite. Even the distinctive scent of bacon is unique.
Flavor variations of bacon include peppered bacon, Applewood, chicory, maple and wood smoke options, which are derived from woods that impart their own unique flavor notes. It all becomes very, very complex. This ‘salty-sweet-fat’ combination has been used to enhance any food group from breakfast to dessert nowadays.
This recipe combines bacon with potatoes and cheese to make an ultimate comfort food meal.
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Bacon & Potato Cheese Ring
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Instructions
In a large pot, cook potatoes & mash. Add flour, egg, butter & Parmesan. Season with salt & pepper.
Line a 10-inch ring mold pan with half of the bacon so that the slices overlap & cover the inner & outer walls of the pan.
Distribute about 2/3 of the potato mixture evenly over the bacon. Use a spoon to create a 'tunnel' in the potato all the way around the pan.
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Place the cubes of Swiss cheese in the tunnel then add the rest of the potato mixture on top, smoothing it flat.
Add another layer of bacon on top & bake for about 50 minutes. Flip out of ring pan & bake another 40 minutes or until bacon is browned.
This is an example of great classic Belgium cuisine. Sweet, sour and savory all in one dish! It seems, in Europe alone, many countries have their own special version of meatball dishes, from Swedish and German meatballs in brown or white sauce to Italian meatballs with their classic red sauce.
Although meatballs are a staple of Belgium home cooking, you will find a variety of different recipes throughout the country.
Boulets a la Liegeoise, (a traditional Belgium meatball originating from the city of Liege), are a blend of ground beef and pork, eggs, some bread crumbs, salt, pepper and a bit of nutmeg. That’s it …. no fusion cooking, bells and whistles. Just good, plain food made special with a tart cherry sauce.
I just couldn’t resist making a variation of these since Brion & I have our own little cherry tree in our back yard.
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Belgium Meatballs w/ Sour Cherries
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Instructions
Meatballs
Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a baking tray.
In a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients & mix well. Measure out 20 meatballs, approximately 40 gm each, & place on the baking tray.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through.
Cherry Sauce
Measure cherry juice & cornstarch into a dish to combine.
In a small saucepan, heat cherries & add cornstarch mixture. Stir until sauce thickens, add honey & stir again.
Remove from heat. Drizzle over meatballs or serve on the side. Serve hot.
Brown Sauce
In a saucepan, melt butter; add flour to make a roux. Cook, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes.
Slowly add beef broth, stirring until sauce thickens. Season to taste.
Serve as an alternate to the cherry sauce with Belgium meatballs.
While there are numerous ways to enjoy spaghetti squash, I favor stuffed. You are only limited by your imagination when it comes to stuffing. Beef, turkey, chicken along with rice and a nice smoky cheese like Gruyere or even mozzarella and Parmesan work really well.
It’s called spaghetti squash for a reason. Just steam, microwave or bake the squash in its shell and scrape out the flesh with a fork or spoon. No need for a spiralizer as it separates its own flesh in slender pasta-like strands. It makes for a remarkable stand-in for pasta dishes and with such a mild flavor you can chose from any number of sauces to give it a flavor boost.
This stuffed squash is the full meal deal. Along with veggies, you have chicken, sausage and cheese. Super good!
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Sausage & Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
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Instructions
Squash
Preheat oven to 400 F. Drizzle cut sides of spaghetti squash with oil & season with salt & pepper. Place cut side down on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Roast until tender, 30-35 minutes. Allow to cool slightly. Using a fork, break up squash strands. Set aside.
Filling & Topping
In a large skillet, scramble-fry sausage in olive oil; drain on paper towels. Add another Tbsp oil to skillet; saute onion & pepper about 3-4 minutes then add tomatoes, zucchini, garlic & lemon zest. Season with salt, pepper & Italian seasoning & cook 3-4 minutes more. Gently stir in squash, cooked chicken & sausage & remove from heat.
Divide mixture between spaghetti squash halves (or quarters). Top each spaghetti squash portion with mozzarella cheese & return to oven to melt for 5 minutes. Garnish with Parmesan & serve.
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