Sautéed Zucchini with Bacon & Thyme
This simple recipe from the Homegrown Harvest cookbook is packed with flavor.
Ingredients:
1 pound zucchini
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 pieces thick-cut bacon, cut into cubes or lardons
1 tablespoon freshly-chopped thyme
Juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Trim the zucchini and cut into cubes. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan or skillet, add the bacon and fry until golden brown and crispy.
2. Add the zucchini cubes and fry over brisk heat for 3-4 minutes, tossing them around in the pan from time to time, until the cut sides start to turn golden.
3. Add the thyme and plenty of black pepper, also adding salt, if needed. Season with the lemon juice and serve immediately.
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Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Onions
This fragrant recipe, also from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters, balances the natural pairing of Brussels sprouts and bacon with fresh onion and thyme.
Ingredients:
1 pound Brussels sprouts
2 slices of bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small onion, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 sprigs of thyme
Sea salt
Lemon juice (optional)
Method:
1. Trim away any damaged outer leaves and cut stems from the Brussels sprouts. If the sprouts are very small, cut the sprouts in half; for medium-sized ones, cut into quarters. Cook the sprouts until tender in salted boiling water. Drain well.
2. Heat a heavy sauté pan over high heat and add olive oil and bacon. Cook bacon until rendered and brown, but not crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon.
3. Add onion and thyme to the fat in the pan. Cook until onion is soft, but not browned. Season with salt and a squeeze of lemon (optional).
3. Turn heat down to medium-high, add the drained sprouts and cook, tossing occasionally, until sprouts are warmed through and starting to brown. Add bacon and toss. Season to taste as needed.
Variations: For a vegetarian option, this dish is also delicious sans bacon, or tossed with chopped fresh thyme. It can also be prepared with Brussels sprout leaves: Cut stem from sprouts and separate the leaves. Thinly slice the compact centers. Do not boil leaves, instead add to onion after it has been cooked and salted. Cook for 2 minutes. Pour in a splash of chicken broth to a depth of about ¼ inch, cover and cook until leaves are tender, about 10-15 minutes.
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Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Sautéed in chicken broth and tossed with garlic and shallots, these Brussels sprouts pair beautifully with bacon.
Ingredients:
1 pound (about 4-5 cups) Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
2 cups Skagit River Ranch bacon ends, chopped into bite-size pieces (as necessary)
1 large shallot, peeled and minced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
¾ cup chicken stock
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon, and sauté for 5-8 minutes or until bacon begins to brown. Remove pan from heat. Remove the bacon from pan with a slotted spoon, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in pan (discard any remaining drippings).
2. Return pan to medium-high heat, and stir in bacon, shallot, and Brussels sprouts; sauté 4 minutes. Add garlic, and sauté for 4 minutes or until garlic begins to brown, stirring frequently. Add the chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes or until the broth mostly evaporates and the sprouts are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in salt and pepper.
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Duck Egg Carbonara with Bacon
Creamy and indulgent, simple and satisfying, this classic-style carbonara dish gets an added boost from this week’s silky duck eggs.
Ingredients:
6 ounces thick-cut bacon, about 4-6 slices
1 pound bucatini
4 duck egg yolks, plus 1 duck egg
½ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Cut the bacon into ½ inch pieces. Cook slowly on low heat in a medium skillet until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crisp, but not crumbling. Drain the bacon from the fat and reserve the drippings to use later. Let the bacon cool.
2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of well-salted boiling water. While pasta is boiling, whisk together the egg and egg yolks in a large mixing bowl. Add a pinch of salt, a couple twists of fresh ground black pepper, and the bacon.
3. When the pasta has finished cooking, drain and reserve about ½ cup of the cooking water. Transfer the pasta right away to the bowl of egg mixture. Use a pair of tongs to mix the pasta noodles in with the sauce, turning and scraping the sides of the bowl often. Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta water and 2 tablespoons of the reserved bacon fat and continue to mix.
4. Gradually add in the grated parmesan cheese, mixing well before adding more, until you have used the entire ½ cup amount. Continue adding pasta water as needed until the sauce is creamy and emulsified, just a tablespoon at a time. (If you add too much water, the sauce will become thin and start to pool at the bottom of the bowl. Adding a little bit at a time will help you achieve that perfect luscious sauce without accidentally overdoing it.) Serve while hot. Garnish with a final grating of cheese and twist of black pepper.
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Jacob’s Cattle Beans with Bacon & Sage
Smoky and savory, this is a bowlful of comfort on a fall day!
Ingredients:
½ pound dried Jacob’s Cattle beans, soaked
3 pieces (about 5 ounces) thick-cut bacon
1 small onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
4-5 small cloves garlic, minced
4 heaping teaspoons crumbled sage, divided
1 teaspoon sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
A splash of wine or vinegar, for deglazing
Olive oil, for garnish
Method:
1. Transfer beans and their soaking liquid to a medium saucepan. Add water to cover by at least 1 inch, if necessary, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently, covered, until beans just begin to soften, about 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon to a clean plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of bacon grease. Deglaze pan with a splash of wine or vinegar and scrape up all of the browned bits. Add onions, celery, carrot, and garlic to the skillet. Crumble in 2 teaspoons of sage and sprinkle with salt. Sauté over low heat, very slowly, until vegetables are very soft and slightly caramelized, about 20 minutes.
3. Add vegetables and salt to the beans. Simmer, partially covered, until beans are tender and cooking liquid has thickened, about 1 hour 15 minutes. During the final 5 minutes of cooking, add the remaining sage and freshly ground black pepper: taste and adjust seasonings. Serve hot, drizzled with olive oil and topped with crumbled bacon.
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Smoky Bacon, Sweet Onion & Chanterelle Mushroom Crostata
The show-stopping crostata makes for a delicious entrée; just serve with a side salad of summer greens.
Ingredients:
F&L crostata dough, rolled into a 12-inch circle, wrapped in plastic and chilled in the fridge
4 slices bacon
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
½ pound Chanterelle mushrooms, trimmed and coarsely chopped
1 large sweet onion, such as Walla Walla, thinly sliced, rinsed, and patted dry
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
3 tablespoons dry white wine
2 tablespoons heavy cream
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts
¼ cup finely grated Parmesan
Leaves from 2 thyme sprigs
Method:
1. To prepare the filling: Place bacon in a heavy skillet and cook over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crispy and golden brown on both sides. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, let cool and then finely chop. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from the skillet and then add the olive oil, before adding the mushrooms, onions and garlic; season lightly with salt. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring and scraping bottom of skillet, until it evaporates, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in cream and cook, stirring, until mostly absorbed. Remove from heat; stir in bacon, pepper (to taste), walnuts, 2 tablespoons cheese and thyme.
2. Remove the dough from the fridge and let stand on counter for a few minutes, until it’s pliable enough to lift and fold without cracking. Preheat oven to 400° with a rack positioned in the center. Line a baking sheet with parchment and transfer the crostata dough to the sheet. Scrape filling onto dough using a spatula, spread into a 9-inch circle. Lift the border of the dough and fold over filling, crimping as you go to create a crust.
3. Bake until the crust is deeply golden and then filling is hot, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack and sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons cheese over the filling, and if desired, the crust. Drizzle with oil, if desired. Let cool about 10 minutes or let cool to room temperature, then cut into wedges and serve.
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Dublin Coddle
Combining sausage, potatoes, onions and bacon, this slow-cooked, one-pot dish is pure comfort food.
Ingredients:
10 slices of bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces*
1 pound Double D Meats Irish sausages
4 small yellow onions, sliced into rings
3½ pound potatoes, roughly peeled
2-3 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
2 cups chicken broth or water
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 300°. Place bacon into a 5-quart Dutch oven and heat over medium heat until cooked and crispy, about 8-10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate, leaving excess bacon grease in the pot.
2. Sear sausages for 3-4 minutes on both sides. Transfer to a cutting board and slice into thirds.
3. Remove the pot from the burner and layer the onions, bacon, sausage pieces and potatoes in the Dutch oven, sprinkling with healthy pinches of salt and pepper and the chopped parsley.
4. Pour chicken broth over top, cover and place back onto burner. Bring liquids to a boil before transferring pot to preheated oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender. Remove and ladle into bowls; serve immediately with soda bread for sopping up the flavorful gravy.
*If you would prefer to omit the bacon, sear sausages in 1-2 tablespoons olive oil instead.
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Smashed Sunchokes with Thyme Butter
Enriched with butter and thyme and the perfect side dish for any spring meal.
1 pound sunchokes, rinsed and trimmed of any dark spots
6-8 tablespoons canola or other neutral oil for frying
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Large pinch freshly picked thyme leaves
Flaky salt, such as Maldon, for serving
Method:
1. In a medium saucepan, cover the sunchokes with cold water. Season generously with salt (the water should taste nicely salted, as if you were seasoning soup). Set over high heat and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until a paring knife inserted into a sunchoke meets little resistance, about 10 minutes; be careful not to overcook.
2. Drain sunchokes using a fine-mesh strainer or colander. When cool enough to handle, place sunchokes on a work surface or cutting board. Working 1 sunchoke at a time, use the bottom of a heavy skillet to press firmly on each sunchoke until it is flattened but still in one piece; take care not to press so hard that the sunchokes break apart.
3. In a large cast iron or other heavy bottomed skillet, heat oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add sunchokes in a single layer and cook without moving until well browned, about 3 minutes. Add more oil, if needed. Flip sunchokes, then add butter to the pan and allow to melt. Add half of the thyme to the melted butter and continue to cook, spooning butter over sunchokes, until browned on the second side, about 3 minutes longer.
4. Transfer sunchokes to a serving plate and spoon the thyme butter on top. Garnish with remaining freshly picked thyme leaves and sprinkle with flaky salt. Serve immediately.
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Butter-Braised Carrots with Thyme
Braised in sweet butter and tossed with garlic and thyme, these carrots are truly sublime.
Ingredients:
1½ pounds carrots, peeled and cut into thick matchsticks
2 tablespoons butter
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (if desired)
2 thyme sprigs
1¾ cups chicken stock
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large ovenproof skillet (one that has an accompanying lid, which will be used later), melt the butter over moderately low heat. Add the carrots, garlic and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing frequently, until the carrots are tender but not browned, about 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil and remove from the heat.
2. Cover the skillet with the lid. Braise the carrots in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until they are very tender. Discard the thyme sprigs and serve.
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Honey-Roasted Pear Salad with Thyme-Apple Verjus Vinaigrette
This salad is a stunner!
Ingredients:
1 bunch fresh thyme sprigs
4 ripe but firm Bosc pears (about 2 ½ pounds), halved, cored
¼ cup honey
6 cups mixed spring greens, such as this week’s Wrinkled Crinkled Cress, Claytonia and salad mix
6 ounces blue cheese, sliced or coarsely crumbled
½ cup hazelnuts, toasted, coarsely chopped
Dressing:
⅓ cup apple verjus
⅓ cup olive oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
Method:
1. To prepare the dressing, whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl to blend. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Preheat the oven to 400°. Scatter thyme sprigs on a rimmed baking sheet. Place the pear halves cut side down on a work surface. Starting ½ -inch from stem and leaving the pear half intact, cut each lengthwise into scant ⅓- to 1/2 -inch-wide slices. Press pear gently to fan slices; place atop thyme sprigs. Drizzle pears with honey; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until pears are tender, about 15 minutes. Let stand on a baking sheet at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours.
3. Combine the greens in a large bowl. Add a drizzle dressing and toss to coat, adding more to taste. Divide the salad among plates and place a pear half on top of the greens. Garnish salads with cheese; sprinkle with nuts.
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