Bacon Nation: 125 Irresistible Recipes (26 page)

You can vary this risotto in many ways, substituting lightly sautéed asparagus for the spinach, for example, or using sea scallops instead of shrimp.

2½ cups low-sodium chicken stock

3 slices thick-cut bacon, coarsely chopped into ½-inch pieces

1 small onion, finely chopped (about ⅔ cup)

1 cup Arborio or other short-grain Italian rice

½ cup dry white wine

Scant ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

¾ pound extra-large shrimp (21 to 24 per pound), peeled and deveined

4 packed cups (4 ounces) fresh spinach, well-rinsed, coarse stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Freshly grated zest of half a lemon (optional)

1
Combine the chicken stock and 1 cup of water in a medium-size saucepan over high heat. Cover and bring to a simmer, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat as low as possible and move the pan to the back burner. You want to keep the broth warm without allowing it to evaporate.

2
Cook the bacon over medium heat in a large heavy saucepan or skillet (see Note), stirring occasionally, until very lightly browned and some fat is rendered, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until all the rice kernels are coated in the bacon fat, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the wine and cook until it has been completely absorbed by the rice, about 2 minutes.

3
Stir in 1½ cups of the hot stock mixture into the rice and raise the heat as necessary to bring the risotto to a simmer. Let simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the bottom of the pan is nearly dry, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir well every 3 to 4 minutes and adjust the heat as necessary to maintain a simmer.

4
Stir in ½ cup more of the hot stock mixture and cook until the liquid has nearly evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes. (You don’t want the bottom of the pan to become dry.) Stir often and adjust the heat to maintain the simmer. Stir in another ½ cup of the stock mixture and cook until the liquid has nearly evaporated (but before the bottom of the pan becomes dry), 3 to 5 minutes, again stirring often and maintaining a simmer. After 8 to 10 minutes, the risotto should be nearly cooked through but still firm to the bite and appears slightly wet and creamy. (Different brands of rice will use different amounts of broth, so we call for a little more liquid than you will probably need to cook the risotto. On the other hand, if all the broth is used up before the rice is cooked, add hot water to the risotto, ¼ to ½ cup at a time, and continue to cook until the rice is nearly firm to the bite and slightly creamy.)

5
Add the nutmeg, another ¼ cup of the stock mixture (or hot water if no stock remains), and the shrimp. Cover the skillet; reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the shrimp is nearly cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.

6
Remove the cover and gently fold the spinach into the risotto, cover and cook just until the spinach has wilted but is still bright green and the shrimp are cooked, 1 minute more. Season with a little salt and pepper, if desired.

7
Spoon the risotto onto individual serving plates and garnish with freshly grated lemon zest, if using. Serve immediately.

Serves 8

A clambake conjures delicious memories of summer by the sea: Picture digging a pit in the sand and steaming shellfish and sausages between layers of corn, potatoes, and seaweed while the kids run in and out of the surf, the grown-ups sip ice-cold beer, and the sky is a happy unbroken blue. If you don’t live by the shore, you’re not out of luck in the clambake department. In fact, we made this on a July Fourth weekend at an upstate lake house in a four-gallon pot with a tight-fitting lid. Instead of seaweed (we were a hundred and fifty miles from the nearest ocean) we used a bunch each of parsley and cilantro, which lent a fresh and grassy flavor to the corn and potatoes. A half-pound piece of slab bacon added to the steaming liquid of wine and water along with garlic, ginger, and a little salt makes for a rich, satiny finish to the broth. Buy the biggest shrimp you can find (in some markets they are called colossal or jumbo) and allow them to steam with the mussels and clams just until they are pink and no longer translucent, four to five minutes.

14 to 16 hard-shell clams (each about 2 inches in diameter)

8 ounces slab bacon (see
page 173
)

1 cup dry white wine

4 large cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed with the flat side of a chef’s knife

3 to 4 quarter-size pieces fresh ginger

½ teaspoon sea salt

8 medium-size red potatoes (each about 4 inches around), scrubbed

Large bunch fresh parsley

Large bunch fresh cilantro

1 to 1¼ pounds chorizo or andouille sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces

1½ pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded (see
page 171
)

4 large ears corn, cut in half crosswise

1 to 1½ pounds colossal shrimp (10 to 15 per pound), unpeeled

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 loaf French bread, sliced

1
Place the clams in a large bowl, cover them with cold water, and let them soak for about 20 minutes so they can release their sand and grit. After soaking and draining the clams, use a firm brush to scrub off any additional sand or barnacles that may cling to the shells.

2
Place the slab bacon in the bottom of a 4-gallon (16-quart) pot. Add the white wine, garlic, ginger, sea salt, and enough water to bring the liquid in the pot to a depth of about 1½ inches. Place a steamer rack on top of the slab bacon, cover the pot, and bring the liquid to a boil over high heat.

3
When the liquid boils, place the potatoes on the steamer rack. Top them with half of the parsley and cilantro. Cover the pot and cook until the potatoes have softened slightly, about 10 minutes.

4
Remove the cover and layer the clams, then the sausage, the mussels, and the corn in the pot. Place the remaining parsley and cilantro on top of the corn, cover the pot tightly, and let steam over high heat for 10 minutes. Add the shrimp, cover the pot, and cook until the clams and mussels have opened and the shrimp are pink and no longer translucent, about 5 minutes. If the shrimp are done before the clams and mussels open, use tongs to remove them from the pot to keep them from becoming overdone and rubbery. Discard any clams or mussels that have not opened after steaming.

5
To serve, using tongs, transfer the shrimp, corn, mussels, sausage, clams, and potatoes to 8 large soup bowls, dividing them evenly. Remove and discard the slab bacon (see Note). Strain 4 to 5 cups of the broth from the pot through a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium-size bowl. Discard the garlic, ginger, parsley, and cilantro. Add the melted butter to the strained broth.

6
Spoon ⅓ to ½ cup of the broth and butter mixture over each serving of the clambake and serve immediately with the sliced French bread.

Serves 2 as a main dish, 4 as an appetizer

A bacon trifecta: We sauté the shallots in bacon drippings, add bacon to the pot to infuse the poaching liquid, and garnish the mussels with a mix of cooked bacon and cilantro. Saffron is a powerful ingredient so, even though it’s not cheap, a little goes a long way—bacon has the oomph to balance it perfectly. You’ll notice that we eliminated the heavy cream called for in many recipes for steamed mussels. Just about a tablespoon per serving of the lighter half-and-half marries the flavors of saffron, clam juice, tomatoes, and white wine in a soft velvety broth.

3 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 large shallot, diced

2 medium-size cloves garlic, minced

⅓ cup dry white wine

⅓ cup clam juice

1 large ripe tomato, seeded and diced

Scant ¼ teaspoon saffron threads

⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

⅓ cup half-and-half

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley

1 baguette, sliced and toasted

Extra-virgin olive oil

2 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded (see
page 171
)

1
Cook the bacon in a large deep saucepan over medium heat until browned and some of the fat is rendered, 5 to 8 minutes, stirring often and adjusting the heat as necessary. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, reserving about 1½ teaspoons of bacon fat in the pan.

2
Add the butter and shallot and cook over medium heat until the shallot has softened, 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the white wine, clam juice, tomato, saffron threads (crushing them first between your fingers), red pepper flakes, and half of the drained bacon and stir to combine. Let come to a boil with the pan partially covered. Then, reduce the heat as necessary and let the broth simmer gently until the flavors blend, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the half-and-half. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

3
Combine the remaining drained bacon and the cilantro or parsley in a small bowl, then set the bacon and cilantro garnish aside. Toast the slices of baguette and drizzle olive oil over them.

4
Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and add the mussels to the poaching broth. Cover the pan and let the mussels simmer until they open, 4 to 8 minutes, depending on the size of the mussels. Remove and discard any mussels that do not open after 8 minutes. Divide the mussels and the broth equally among individual serving bowls and sprinkle the bacon and cilantro garnish evenly over each serving. Serve with the toasted bread slices to sop up the sauce.

Serves 4

Many recipes feature bacon-wrapped sea scallops that are sautéed or baked until the bacon is crisp. Our recipe takes a different approach, serving braised bacon alongside caramelized sea scallops. It achieves maximum deliciousness when you prepare the braised bacon ahead of time, allowing it to sit in the strained braising liquid in the refrigerator for a day or two. Just before serving, you sauté the scallops very quickly in clarified butter and then arrange them on a serving platter with the chunks of bacon. You can complete this meal with a simple salad, a serving of grilled asparagus, or sautéed baby spinach with a squeeze of lemon.

Oven-Braised Slab Bacon (recipe follows)

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch-thick pieces

12 large sea scallops (1 to 1¼ pounds)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons brandy

1
Remove the slab of bacon from the braising liquid (save the liquid for flavoring soups, stews, or sauces). Cut the slab into ½-inch-thick slices.

2
Add 1 tablespoon of butter to a skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Place the braised bacon slices in the skillet and cook until lightly browned on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes per side, turning once. Cover the skillet to keep the bacon warm and set it aside.