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Squash & Apple Soup

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Squash & Apple Soup with Bacon & Beets

Of course the month I vow to start posting again is the month my site is hacked so badly that it’s down for a week. On the very bright side, symptoms I finally took some time to refresh the site design and logo. And by took the time, visit web I mean that I lost most of my old files and had no other choice than to start fresh. Which suits me just fine. A fresh site for for a fresh resolution.

Which brings us to this very lovely Squash & Apple Soup with Bacon and Beets. I actually made it for Thanksgiving without testing it out first. How’s that for ballsy? Luckily, it was just perfect. Of course, I did adapt it slightly – using a dash of chili oil for kick, subbing shallots for the onion and creme fraiche for the sour cream.

This soup makes the most beautiful appetizer. Slightly sweet and savory, but balanced by the acidity of the creme fraiche and the spice of the chili oil. The bacon and beets add earthiness and just the right amount of textural contrast. I loved this soup on Thanksgiving and I loved it with my leftovers. A very versatile dish that will work just as well on a holiday table or a Sunday supper in your sweatpants.

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Tomato Carrot Soup with Bacon Croutons

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Tomato Carrot Soup with Bacon Croutons

Diet food. Two words that make me shudder. I’ve always thought it better to take an extra walk or run an extra mile rather than give up the things I love to eat. I guess it’s good that I don’t like junk food, ailment but a life without full-fat cheese and pasta is no life at all. Even so, I find myself heavier than I’d like 6 weeks after pregnancy. I guess a pint or two of Ben & Jerry’s a week for 9 months will do that to you. So, it’s time to buckle down and diet. For me, that means more vegetables and more workouts, but no less flavor.

Tomato Carrot Soup with Bacon Croutons

This soup is packed with good-for-you stuff and lots of taste. Bacon on a diet? I say yes! A little bacon goes a long and delicious way. It’s an easy soup – carrots, diced tomatoes, onions and garlic. Some spicy smoked paprika and saffron give it loads of flavor, and everything is brightened with lemon juice. Torn bread toasted in bacon fat makes some nice bacon croutons that add just the right amount of crunch and interest. With diet food like this, I should be skinny in no time! That is, if I can stay away from the Ben & Jerry’s…

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Bacon, Black Pepper and Fig Scones

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Let me tell you about one of the best recipes I’ve made in a long time. But before I do, a little bit about my husband Tom. He’s always been a good eater. Meaning, he’s adventurous and will try just about anything. This makes me beyond happy. Not only do we have a great time on vacation trying all kinds of weird foods – jellyfish noodles and blood sausage come to mind – but he’s usually willing to eat just about anything I put in front of him. With the exception of a few seemingly innocent ingredients.

When I first started cooking for him, he informed me that he didn’t really like tomatoes, winter squash or asparagus. (Mind you, he comes from asparagus country in Michigan, so I don’t know how this is possible. Michigan asparagus in June is amazing.) I finally convinced him that restaurant tomatoes are not the same, and now he loves juicy heirloom tomatoes. He also likes winter squash and asparagus. But some quirks remain. Like scones. He claims to not like scones. I told him it’s probably because he worked at a bookstore Starbucks and has only tried those. Good scones are not bland and dry. He shrugged.

So I saw a recipe for Bacon Date Scones in Bon Appétit and finally got around to making them (with a few tweaks of course). Let me tell you – these scones are a revelation! I am not at all exaggerating here. They are the best thing I’ve made in a long time. I swapped dried mission figs for the dates and added a healthy dose of black pepper. I also subbed half the flour for whole wheat pastry flour. The tops are brushed with bacon drippings and sprinkled with coarse sugar before baking.

Bacon, Black Pepper and Fig Scones

They have a nice, sweet crust and tender crumb. They’re porky and smoky but not overwhelmingly so, and the slight sweetness from the dough and figs balances gives it a nice salty/sweet balance. If you like it when a little maple syrup gets on your bacon, you will love these scones. Tom has been converted. He’ll never hate on scones again. At least, not my scones.

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Corn, Bacon & Basil Spaghetti

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A few weeks ago I made a Corn Chowder with Bacon & Basil that I absolutely devoured. Fresh and seasonal, I loved the contrast between the sweet corn, smoky-salty bacon and fragrant basil. So when I saw a recipe for Pasta with Bacon & Corn Pesto on Serious Eats last week, I decided I had to make it immediately.

Instead of going the pesto route with pine nuts and olive oil, I wanted something more reminiscent of creamed corn. I crisped my bacon, then cooked the corn in the bacon fat. I pureed some of the corn with a little cream and Parmesan cheese into a creamy yellow sauce which was tossed with the bacon and spaghetti and topped with basil ribbons and lots of freshly ground pepper.

Corn, Bacon & Basil Spaghetti

This pasta is even better than the chowder. Same lovely flavor combination with all the addictive goodness of pasta. I followed my meal up with a juicy peach, making me glad that it’s summer despite the stifling heat. A perfect meal.

Related:
Corn Chowder with Bacon & Basil

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Corn Chowder with Bacon and Basil

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Corn Chowder with Bacon and Basil

I know what you’re thinking – it’s 100 degrees outside and this crazy girl in Miami is making soup? What can I say? I love a good corn chowder and a good chowder starts with good corn. Sure, viagra frozen corn works in the winter, but fresh corn is best and the best corn of the season is just starting to show up.

Corn Chowder with Bacon and Basil

Since I’ve been hitting the strawberries and Nutella pretty hard lately, I wanted to keep this light. I was not kidding about my pants being too snug lately. So instead of cream and flour, I thickened the soup with skim evaporated milk and potatoes. To keep it tasty, I added some crisp and crumbled pepper bacon and ribbons of fresh basil. It’s hearty enough to be called a chowder, but light enough for summer. A happy little summer soup.

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Warm Winter Vegetable Salad (with bacon!)

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Warm Winter Vegetable Salad (with bacon!)

We’re in the throes of winter! Actually, thumb we’re not here in Miami. After the ridiculous cold last week, order it’s been a crisp and beautiful 70 degrees every day. This is why I live here! But enough bragging. For most of you, it’s still freezing outside and that makes salads really unappealing. Cold vegetables? No thanks. You want something warm and rich, like a lasagna. Or like this warm winter vegetable salad.

You start with rutabaga (or potatoes), carrots, leeks and brussel sprouts. Those get roasted with some olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh herbs and just a little bit of applewood smoked bacon. You know, because it’s winter and you need bacon in the wintertime. Once they’re caramelized and delicious-looking, you toss everything with some whole wheat orzo and drizzle with a balsamic reduction.

Warm Winter Vegetable Salad (with bacon!)

This salad doesn’t mess around – it’s bold and rich from the roasted vegetables, woodsy from the herbs and a little smoky from of the bacon. It’s everything you could ever ask for in a salad – except for lettuce.

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Lentil & Sweet Potato Soup with Bacon & Cilantro

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Lentil & Sweet Potato Soup with Bacon & Cilantro

Happy New Year! It’s been a while, adiposity hasn’t it? My fingers feel stiff and rusty from lack of blogging. Or maybe it’s the frigid weather. Yes, medical it’s frigid in Miami! While you Michiganders and Minnesotans are probably scoffing at our Floridian fragility, capsule 40-degree weather is unheard of down here and I’m freezing. It doesn’t help that we don’t even know how to turn the heat on. So, what to do when it’s cold out? Make soup, of course.

In Italy, it’s good luck to eat lentils on New Year’s Day. I think everyone’s looking for a little luck this year because my local grocery store was completely sold out of lentils all week. I had to pilfer some from my mom’s pantry (thanks Mom!). So I’m kicking off 2010 on Bitchin’ Camero with lucky lentils and a resolution to blog more often and redesign the site. Here’s hoping.

This recipe is actually an adaptation from my favorite Christmas present – Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home cookbook (thanks Tom!). If you’re going to buy one cookbook this year, this should be it. Not only is it spectacularly beautiful, it’s full of all kinds of tips for mastering home cooking, from essential cookware to building the perfect salad dressing. Did I mention the hundreds of amazing recipes? I am in love with this book. It’s all about showcasing good ingredients in interesting ways. Like the Roasted Beet and Potato Salad with Smoked Salmon and Soft-cooked Eggs we had last night. Sounds weird, but tastes like heaven.

This soup caught my attention immediately. Sweet potatoes, lentils, bacon and cilantro are definitely a few of my favorite things. Of course I decided to make this before work, and the recipe ended up being too much for me to handle in the morning, so I simplified it a bit. When I have more time, I’ll be making it Thomas Keller’s way and I’m sure it will blow my mind. As it turns out, the simplified version is pretty darn good, too. A little smoky from the bacon and curry powder, a little sweet from the potatoes, carrots and onions, and brightened up with cilantro and sherry vinegar. For me, it’s the perfect bowl of soup and the perfect way to ring in this rather nippy new year.

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Bacon, Potato & Black Bean Stuffed Poblano Peppers

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On the rare occasion that I go out for brunch or breakfast, information pills it’s not the French Toast or Pancakes that grab my attention, page It’s the salty, starchy stuff. The eggs and omelets, the hash browns and tater tots, the hot sauce. If I see a “skillet” type thing on the menu, I’m probably ordering it. There’s nothing more satisfying than browned and crisp potatoes, smoky bacon and some eggs.

So, when I found myself wondering what to make with the random ingredients leftover from the week – poblano peppers, a potato, some eggs and not much else – breakfast-style stuffed peppers came to mind. No matter that it was 3pm on a Sunday afternoon, I love breakfast any time of day. I sauteed some peppered bacon until crisp, then cooked onions and potatoes in the bacon drippings. Toss everything together with some black beans, stuff into peppers, top with grated Cotija cheese and bake.

The peppers roast in the oven while the potatoes, bacon and cheese brown perfectly into a salty, crisp crust. Top with a poached egg (not pictured), and you’ve got the breakfast (or dinner) of champions.

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Bacon, Blue Cheese & Jalapeño Twice Baked Potatoes

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September is here and with it comes football. My favorite thing about football? Tailgating food, sickness of course. Sure, public health I love a good college football game, but the real treat is the afternoon beer, wings, nachos and potato skins. In honor of Michigan defeating Notre Dame last weekend (hopefully Michigan State will do the same this weekend), I’m posting football-friendly food all week. And I’m kicking it off with Bacon, Blue Cheese and Jalapeno Twice Baked Potatoes.

The nice people over at Ile de France sent me a nice St. Agur Blue Cheese, which was the perfect ingredient for this amazing side. The filling is spicy and smoky, creamy and blue cheese-y, and the skins are crisp and chewy. If you’re making steak, these should be your side dish. And even if you’re not making steak, you should make these anyway. I promise you won’t have any leftovers.

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Bacon, Black Bean & Poblano Pepper Chowder

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I was poking around my computer and found a forgotten recipe. I’m not sure why, pharm but I never got around to posting this Bacon, Black Bean and Poblano Pepper Chowder. It would have been a shame to never post this, so here it is.

This soup was smoky, a little spicy and very flavorful. Top it off with some sliced avocado, radishes and cilantro and you’ve got yourself a meal. I’d also serve some nice, hot tortilla chips alongside for a little bit of crunch.

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Thanksgiving Test Recipe: Bacon-Wrapped Turkey Roulade

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Bacon-Wrapped Turkey Roulade

Some people might say there’s something missing at our Thanksgiving table. They might say that the conspicuous absence of a large, help roasted bird means that it’s not Thanksgiving at all. But my family would disagree. I don’t remember the last time my mom roasted a whole turkey. They’re difficult to carve, easily dry out and everyone fights for the white meat. My mom tried a Turkey Roulade one year, and we haven’t looked back since.

Usually, we make a prosciutto and sage-stuffed turkey breast, wrapped in peppered bacon and basted with pear jam. It’s absolutely delicious. The bacon and jam keep the turkey nice and juicy, and the pepper is a perfect contrast to the sweet jam. My mom’s been doing this turkey for years, and we decided to change it up a little this year. We picked our filling ingredients and I volunteered to make a test turkey.

Instead of prosciutto and sage, I stuffed it with caramelized onions and figs, goat cheese, cranberries and chopped toasted pecans. I still wrapped it in bacon — how could I not wrap it in bacon? — but I did skip the pear jam and I couldn’t find peppered bacon.

The new filling was a definite success. It was rich, tart and sweet without being overpowering. I had skipped the pear jam because I thought the filling would be too sweet, but the sweetness actually mellowed out while the turkey roasted and the bacon didn’t caramelize as well as I’d hoped, so the pear jam will be back on Thanksgiving day. I also missed the spicy kick from the peppered bacon to counteract the rich filling, so I’ll redouble my efforts to find before the big day.

It’s not a traditional turkey, but it’s delicious, easy to slice, easy to serve. I already can’t wait to hit up the leftovers in my fridge!

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Goat Cheese Tartlets, 5 Ways

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Photo Credit: Agustin Sanchez

Vote for this recipe!

Awhile back, oncology the Ile de France cheese company sent me a free wheel of Camembert cheese to blog about. Since one would be insane to turn down free cheese, I accepted and made roasted fig, prosciutto and camembert “sushi” drizzled with honey. Nothing better than creamy cheese, fruit, cured meat and honey. Nothing.

I guess it was a success because Ile de France sent me some more free cheese. This time, a large piece of goat cheese and the chance to submit my recipe for a chance to win $1,000! Free cheese and a chance to win some cash? Yes please. So, I invited my photographer friend and co-worker Augi and his wife Meli (one of my homeys from high school) over for goat cheese tartlets.

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Photo Credit: Agustin Sanchez

I made a simple tart crust, which I stuffed into mini-muffin tins for appetizer-sized tartlets. Because I couldn’t decide on just one filling, I made five. And it can’t hurt my chances in this contest, right? Here were the 5 finalists:

  • Cracked Pepper Smoked Salmon & Dill (my favorite, I think) – #4 in photo above
  • Dried Apricot, Almond and Honey (Tom’s favorite) – #1 in photo above
  • Roasted Fig – #3 in photo above
  • Cardamom and Mustard Seed-spiked Butternut Squash – sadly, not pictured
  • Caramelized Onion & Pear (my second favorite) – #2 & #5 in photo above

The point here is that you can have fun with the fillings and the possibilities are endless. Each were tasty little bites and my guest photographer snapped away while I cooked and sipped from a Red Hook ESB. A perfectly relaxing Sunday afternoon.

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