The Road of Excess Leads to the Palace of Wisdom

Certain moments in humanity's passage on this earth have demanded extremity.  We have the Pyramids of Giza, the Burj Khalifa, and the Hummer.  Artist, poet and Christian mystic William Blake recognized this most human of conditions when he wrote the words to today's blog title (okay--he didn't write it for my blog, I just borrowed it), and Susan Sarandon made it memorable to many in a context of sex and baseball.   I think it's a good opening to express the extremity of our next attack on cuisine, for today the world will know what it is to have too much bacon.  Can we eat 6 bacon dishes and NOT be nauseous.  Can we even enjoy it?  I love a challenge.

First we have to decide on what kind of bacon to explore.  By definition, bacon is the salt-cured fatty meat of our porcine friends.  It may be smoked or not.  If smoked, it may be ready to eat.  Therefore, Turkey Bacon, while also unpleasant, does not qualify for bacon.  Canadian Bacon may be back bacon, but more often is simply cured and processed ham.  (As a side note, when you move to Toronto, and you get there late, and you need to eat, but it's too late and you're too tired to go out for dinner so you want to order a pizza and you really like Canadian bacon and pineapple, do NOT order Canadian bacon.  They call it ham.  Curiously, however, when asking for bacon, Canadians ask for American-style bacon.  Silly Canadians.)  I've also heard of lamb bacon.  Intriguing, but still not technically bacon.  I'm staying American and with pork for today's experiment.

Bacon Steak
Back Bacon
Belly Bacon
Bacon Jam  Yes, that's right, I said Bacon Jam.  My sister in law thought I needed Bacon Jam.  I didn't know I did.  You can find out more here.

I went to my favorite little neighborhood butcher shop to examine the possibilities. Wally's Quality Meats and Delicatessen.  Great guys who know their meat products and take pride in presenting the best.  They are always happy to take the time to answer questions and give good advice.  Yes, it is usually (but not always) more expensive than King Soopers, but it's worth it.  Try them out and let me know what you think. 

I asked them to give me the differences and show me their selection of bacon.  Belly bacon is higher in layered fat.  Back bacon is considerably leaner.  A bacon steak (or what I'm calling bacon steak) is simply a bacon slab from the belly of a pig left uncut.  You can ALWAYS ask your local butcher to cut your bacon to order.  Thinner cuts will cook up crispier.

In the morning aftermath of our bacon foray I can happily report that we are all still alive, and perhaps more importantly, that we all still love bacon.  Each dish was perfect in its own way.

The evening's dinner (and thank you to our friends for providing wine, a WONDERFUL potato cassarole, and delicious brownies and ice cream):

Bacon Barley Soup
3/4 cup uncooked, chopped Bacon
1 Leek, greens removed, chopped
1 medium Parsnip, peeled, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 small Rutabaga, peeled, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
6 cups unsalted Vegetable Broth (homemade, use the greens from the leaks and the ends of the root veggies, if you like)
1/2 cup Barley, uncooked
Salt and Pepper, to taste

In a large saucepan, brown the bacon on medium high heat, until most of the fat has been rendered.  Drain the fat, reserving 1 tablespoon.  Add the leak and continue to stir until it starts to turn translucent.  Add the remaining vegetables and saute, adding the reserved bacon fat as needed.  Stir and cook for about 5 minutes.  Pour in the broth and let come to a slow boil.  Reduce the heat and let simmer until the veggies have softened but are still hard in their centers.  Add the barley and salt and pepper to taste (better to add it here after you know how salty your bacon is).  Let simmer until the barley is cooked and starts to open up.

Back Bacon with Grilled Pineapple & Ginger
1 fresh Pineapple, ends and skins removed
2 slices Back Bacon per person
1 large tuber of Ginger, peeled, shaved

Section the pineapple length-wise into 4 even wedges and remove the core.  Grill over medium hot coals turning and checking regularly.  (The sugars can burn very quickly, but the juices may keep it from burning hardly at all.  Best to watch it closely until you know what you're dealing with.  If it does burn on one side, no worries; simply cut off the burnt stuff.)

When pineapple has been evenly roasted, remove to a cooler part of the grill and lay your bacon slices over the heat.  When sizzling on one side, flip the bacon and layer a thin shaving of ginger and a slice from one of your pineapple wedges.  When the bacon has become slightly crispy, remove from the heat and serve.

Chicken Roulade with Bacon Jam
2 boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts (per 4 people)
Bacon Jam
1/2 cup grated Swiss Cheese

Pound the chicken breasts out to a thin cutlet on a length of plastic wrap.  Spread the bacon jam and sprinkle the cheese evenly over the cutlet saving about 1 inch from one of the edges.  Starting at the edge opposite the naked edge, roll the cutlet toward the naked edge, firming the roulade as you go.  Wrap it tightly in the plastic wrap and refrigerate for a least a 1/2 hour or until the meat has firmed to the touch.  Remove from the plastic wrap, slice into 1 inch widths and cook in a skillet set to medium high, about 3-4 minutes per side.  Let cool, covered, for 5 minutes, then serve. 


Sauteed Kale with Walnuts
1 bunch of Kale, stems removed, rinsed, drained and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons Bacon Fat
Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup Walnuts, chopped

In a very large skillet, melt the bacon fat.  Quickly add the kale--it WILL sizzle, pop and steam.  BE CAREFUL!  Using long handled tongs, toss the kale until evenly wilted and some bits turn crispy.  (The whole thing will be done in about 90 seconds to 3 minutes.  Don't walk away.)  Add the nuts, toss again, remove from the pan into your serving dish.  Keep warm until served.

Bacon Steak
1 slab of Belly Bacon
1/2 cup of Dark Brown Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 tablespoons mild Red Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon grated Lemon Zest

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix the sugar, salt, chili powder and lemon zest and combine thoroughly.  Place bacon steak onto a cooling rack in a baking pan, fat-side up.  Rub the chili mixture all over the fat side, covering uniformly. 

Bake for 45 minutes or until the chili rub is bubbling in the center of the steak.  (Internal temp of the steak should be about 165 degrees.)  Move to serving tray and carve at the dinner table for your guests!  (This tastes like the most wonderful and tender short ribs.  I loved it!)

Chocolate Chili Bacon Bars

16oz Chocolate Chips (I used Milk Chocolate for this batch)

6 strips of Bacon, crispy and crumbled to fine bits

3 tablespoons Chimayo Red Chili Powder (more or less to taste)

1/4 stick of Cinnamon, ground

In double boiler, melt the chocolate.  Stir in the bacon and chili. 

Pour out onto large piece of parchment paper, and spread even and about 1/4 inch high and a rectangular shape.  While still hot, shave or grind fresh cinnamon until the bar is well covered.

Let cool, score with a knife and break apart.  Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.