bacon

Bready or Not Original: Pancetta Risotto

Posted by on Apr 28, 2021 in alcohol, bacon, Blog, boozy, Bready or Not, cheese galore, gluten-free, main dish, pork, side dish | Comments Off on Bready or Not Original: Pancetta Risotto

This Pancetta Risotto is a fantastic meal for two people, or a delicious side for a group. It’s time-consuming but very straightforward to make.

Bready or Not Original: Pancetta Risotto

I confess, I spent years being intimidated by the very idea of a risotto. I would see it done on cooking shows. So much stirring! When I finally got up the gumption to give it a try, I found risotto wasn’t hard at all. It really is about lots of stirring.

Bready or Not Original: Pancetta Risotto

This recipe here is my fancy occasion recipe, especially when I have some good pancetta on hand, such as the kind carried by Smoking Goose Meatery out of Indianapolis.

Bready or Not Original: Pancetta Risotto

As for the wine, I’ve tried this with fancier Sauvignon Blanc from Total Wine (Cloudy Bay from New Zealand) as well as a $6 Trader Joe’s Coastal Sauvignon Blanc. Both versions turned out great! You don’t need to go all-out, but get something that is (hopefully) drinkable with the finished meal.

Bready or Not Original: Pancetta Risotto

Bready or Not Original: Pancetta Risotto

Homemade risotto requires time standing at the stove, but makes for delicious results. This recipe takes about 45 minutes to an hour to completion, depending on your stove. Note that a small amount of bacon can be substituted for the pancetta, but it is much stronger in flavor and colors the risotto brown.
Course: Main Course, pork
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: alcohol, cheese, pork, rice
Author: Beth Cato

Equipment

  • large stock pot
  • medium saucepan

Ingredients

  • 8 oz pancetta diced
  • 1 Tablespoon dried shallots or fresh shallot, finely minced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 1/4 cups Arborio rice
  • 1 cup dry white wine Sauvignon Blanc works well
  • 4 cups chicken broth or chicken stock, equal to a 32 oz box or 2 cans
  • 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan or Pecorino Romano or Grana Padano, plus more to top rice
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • In a large stock pot, cook the pancetta for 10 to 12 minutes, until it starts to turn brown and crispy. At the same time, on another stove burner, use a medium sauce pan to bring the chicken broth to a very low simmer.
  • Use a slotted spoon to transfer pancetta to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside. Add dry shallots and garlic to the fat in the big pot. Sauté for two minutes. Add the Arborio rice and a pinch of salt. Sauté another 2 minutes, until the rice looks glossy with translucent edges.
  • Add the white wine and stir until it is absorbed. Add chicken broth in 1/2 cup increments, stirring well after each addition until it is absorbed. After about 12 to 15 minutes, when most of the broth has been added, begin to taste the rice. The goal is a chewy, al dente consistency. Add more broth as needed, and remember to turn off the burner for the broth pot when it is empty.
  • When the rice is creamy and al dente, stir in the pancetta and cheese. Taste the risotto again, adding more salt and pepper as needed. Serve with the remaining white wine.

OM NOM NOM!

    Read More

    Bready or Not: Bacon-Toffee Cookies

    Posted by on Mar 20, 2019 in bacon, Blog, Bready or Not, chocolate, cookies, pork | Comments Off on Bready or Not: Bacon-Toffee Cookies

    Bacon, chocolate, and toffee complement each other in these incredible Bacon-Toffee Cookies.

    Bready or Not: Bacon-Toffee Cookies

    Fact: My Bacon Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies (originally shared at the Holy Taco Church lo those many years ago) is among my most popular recipes.

    Bready or Not: Bacon-Toffee Cookies

    This recipe is different. The previous take makes a crisper cookie, while these are chewier with some extra sweetness and crunch from the Heath toffee pieces.

    Bready or Not: Bacon-Toffee Cookies

    This recipe makes a lot, too: about 70 cookies if you use a teaspoon scoop!

    Bready or Not: Bacon-Toffee Cookies

    That sounds like a lot, but my husband’s co-workers inhaled them, so I don’t know how well they keep beyond a day. One of those good/bad problems to have.

    Bready or Not: Bacon-Toffee Cookies

    Modified from Fall Baking 2016 by Better Homes & Gardens.

    Bready or Not: Bacon-Toffee Cookies

     

    Bready or Not: Bacon-Toffee Cookies

    These cookies mix salty and sweet in a chewy cookie. Using a teaspoon scoop, the recipe produces about 70 cookies.
    Course: Dessert, Snack
    Keyword: bacon, chocolate, cookies
    Author: Beth Cato

    Ingredients

    • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
    • 1/2 cup shortening
    • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar packed
    • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 2 eggs room temperature
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
    • 1/2 cup Heath bits
    • 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
    • 6 thick-cut bacon slices chopped up

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven at 375-degrees. Ina large bowl, beat butter and shortening together until turning fluffy. Add brown sugar, baking soda, and salt, followed by the eggs and vanilla. Gradually beat in the flour.
    • Stir in the Heath bits, chocolate chips, and bacon. Use a teaspoon scoop or spoon to dollop dough onto baking sheet, spaced out to allow for minor spreading. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until edges are just turning golden. Cool for five minutes, then transfer to a rack to finish cooling.
    • Store cookies in a sealed container.
    • OM NOM NOM!
    Read More

    Bready or Not Original: Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

    Posted by on Feb 6, 2019 in bacon, Blog, blondies, Bready or Not, chocolate, pork | Comments Off on Bready or Not Original: Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

    These soft, chewy blondies are savory, sweet, and amazing–and my original creation.

    Bready or Not Original: Bacon Chocolate Chip Bars

    The year 2018 was awful in a lot of ways, but it offered one bonus: frequent sales on bacon at my regular grocery stores around Phoenix. I developed quite a strategic stockpile.

    Bready or Not Original: Bacon Chocolate Chip Bars

    I then realized, hey, I should try baking bacon into more sweets. After all, my bacon fat chocolate chip cookies are among my most popular recipes.

    Bready or Not Original: Bacon Chocolate Chip Bars

    I didn’t have a lot of free time, though. I wanted something to bake up fast, without a lot of fuss. Therefore, cookies were out. I wanted bars.

    Bready or Not Original: Bacon Chocolate Chip Bars

    To my surprise, I couldn’t find an existing recipe that appealed to me. I decided that if I wanted soft, chewy bacon and chocolate chip bars, I needed to develop my own recipe.

    Bready or Not Original: Bacon Chocolate Chip Bars

    That’s exactly what I did.

    Bready or Not Original: Bacon Chocolate Chip Bars

    This is a recipe that utilizes sweet and savory together, and it’s a must-bake for any bacon lovers.

     

    Bready or Not Original: Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

    These soft, chewy bars combine sweet and savory by using bacon and bacon fat along with loads of butter and chocolate chips.
    Course: Dessert, Snack
    Keyword: bacon, bars, chocolate
    Author: Beth Cato

    Ingredients

    • 14 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened
    • 2 Tablespoons bacon fat
    • 1 cup light brown sugar packed
    • 3/4 cup white sugar
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 2 eggs room temperature
    • 3 cups all-purpose flour
    • 3/4 teaspoon salt
    • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 1/4 cup milk chocolate chips divided
    • 4 slices thick-cut cooked bacon chopped

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 13x9 pan with foil and grease with butter or nonstick spray.
    • Cream together the butter and bacon fat. Mix in the sugars until pale and fluffy, then add the vanilla and eggs.
    • In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet, until just combined. Fold in 1 cup of the chocolate chips along with the chopped bacon.
    • Press dough into prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips over the top.
    • Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until the middle passes the toothpick test. Cool until room temperature. Use foil to lift contents onto cutting board for easy slicing. Keep stored in sealed containers at room temperature or in the fridge.
    • OM NOM NOM!
    Read More

    Bready or Not: Cato Home-Cured Bacon

    Posted by on Jan 3, 2018 in bacon, Blog, Bready or Not, breakfast, gluten-free, pork | Comments Off on Bready or Not: Cato Home-Cured Bacon

    We’re kicking off a breakfast theme for a month with a recipe that will step-by-step teach you how to cure your own bacon.

    Bready or Not: Cato Home-Cured Bacon

    I guarantee this will be among the best, if not THE best, bacon you will have in your life. Fresh really makes the difference.

    Bready or Not: Cato Home-Cured Bacon

    This recipe is not difficult. In all honesty, the greatest challenge is that the curing bacon takes up a lot of fridge space for about 10 days.

    Bready or Not: Cato Home-Cured Bacon

    I completely modified this from a Michael Symon recipe featured in Food Network Magazine, March 2014. The only way that I can buy pork belly locally is from Costco (for about $2.69 a lb!), so this is a Costco-sized recipe.

    Bready or Not: Cato Home-Cured Bacon

    If you can buy a smaller pork belly slab, then just halve the ingredients. Otherwise, buy the big belly and follow all of the steps I provide… which means you’ll have another slab of frozen bacon already seasoned and prepped to cure in a few weeks or months.

    Bready or Not: Cato Home-Cured Bacon

    After the meat is smoked, slice it up and use it however you want. I find that home-cured bacon cooks much faster than the store stuff, though it can be much thicker, and the bits that look burned aren’t usually burned.

    Bready or Not: Cato Home-Cured Bacon

    The smoked meat also freezes and keeps for weeks or months. Just thaw it in the fridge when you’re ready, and use it however you wish.

    You’ll wish to eat every last morsel. Trust me.

    Bready or Not: Cato Home-Cured Bacon

    This recipe does require some supplies that you likely don’t have in the cupboard, and might be hard to find locally. Amazon, of course, has everything. I recommend them for buying 2-gallon zipper bags as well as pink curing salt (plus, you get enough salt to last through the apocalypse). Note that pink curing salt is essential here because it has salt and sodium nitrate, which keeps the meat pink and kills bacteria. Normal salts don’t pack that wallop.

     

    Bready or Not: Cato Home-Cured Bacon

    This recipe uses a 9-10 lb pork belly slab like those found at Costco, and cutting that in half to cure part now and the other part later. If you have a smaller pork belly, halve these ingredient amounts and go from there. Note that you need 2-gallon re-sealable plastic bags to hold the meat, and pink curing salt; neither is likely found in local grocery stores, but they are on Amazon. You cannot substitute other salts for the pink curing salt! The pink type is necessary for the curing process. Full preparation time on this includes about 9-10 days in the fridge: about 7 days to cure, and 2 days for it to dry, followed by the day of smoking.
    Course: Main Course, pork
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: bacon
    Author: Beth Cato

    Ingredients

    • 9 to 10 lb pork belly
    • 1/2 cup kosher salt
    • 4 teaspoons pink curing salt
    • 2 teaspoons cumin
    • 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
    • 1/2 cup honey
    • 1/4 cup red pepper flakes
    • 1/4 cup paprika sweet or smoky

    Instructions

    • Cut the pork belly slab in half and rinse and pat dry both pieces. Place them in separate re-sealable 2-gallon plastic bags.
    • Mix together the spice rub. It'll form a thick paste. Roughly divide it into quarters, and use a quarter on each side of a pork piece. The rub will be very lumpy. Don't worry about a perfect, even coating; the pork will release juices and the flavors will seep in during the curing process.
    • Close both bags, pressing out as much air as possible. Freeze one bag for later; as a precaution against holes getting torn in the bag, wrap it well in plastic wrap, too. When ready to start the curing process for this half, add another day or two to the curing time in the fridge to account for thawing time.
    • As for the ready piece of pork belly, set that bag in the fridge for the next 7 to 10 days, until it feels firm. Flip the meat once a day.
    • Remove the pork belly from the bag. Rinse it well and pat it dry. Set it on a rack on a small cookie sheet in the fridge and let it dry for another two days. No need to flip it at this point.
    • Set up your smoker at 200-degrees. Applewood chips are a great choice, but maple and hickory are fantastic as well. Smoke the pork belly for about 3 hours, until the bacon reaches an internal temperature of about 150-degrees.
    • From this point, slice and cook the meat as you would regular bacon, but note that this fresher, homemade variety will cook much faster. Use plastic wrap or plastic bags to store the sliced meat in the fridge for upwards of a week, or freeze for up to 2 months.
    • OM NOM NOM!
    Read More

    Bready or Not: Bacon Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies

    Posted by on Sep 7, 2016 in bacon, Blog, Bready or Not, chocolate, cookies | 1 comment

    As you might have noticed, I am gradually reposting all of my Holy Taco Church recipes here on Bready or Not. I knew I needed to move this cookie recipe forward in the queue when I was emailed by a woman who was dismayed the HTC website was gone and she needed this recipe again.

    Bready or Not: Bacon Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies

    She described them as by far the best chocolate chip cookies she had ever made. There’s just something magical about the combination of bacon and chocolate. I’ve worked that alchemy in some other recipes like chocolate-covered bacon toffee (aka BACON CRACK).

    Bready or Not: Bacon Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies

    Here, the combo plays well together in cookie form. The addition of the bacon fat infuses dough with savory flavor. It’s amazing that the single tablespoon of fat makes such a huge difference.

    Bready or Not: Bacon Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies

    These are not cakey, soft cookies. They are crisp and chewy–more like the old Fanny Farmer recipe cookies my mom used to make me when I was a kid. Except with added bacon.

    Bready or Not: Bacon Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies

    Try this out. Maybe you’ll join the club that thinks these are the chocolate chip cookies of all time!

    Modified from the recipe at Something Swanky and originally posted at the Holy Taco Church.

    Bready or Not: Bacon Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies

    These chocolate chips cookies are infused with bacon fat AND bacon to grant them a complex salty-sweet-savory flavor and crisp, chewy texture. Makes 55-60 teaspoon-size cookies. Originally posted at Holy Taco Church. Modified from Something Swanky.
    Course: Dessert, Snack
    Keyword: bacon, chocolate, cookies
    Author: Beth Cato

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
    • 1 Tb bacon fat solidified
    • 1 cup brown sugar packed
    • 1/2 cup white sugar
    • 2 eggs room temperature
    • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
    • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 tsp sea salt
    • 1/2 tsp baking soda
    • 2 cups milk chocolate chips or semi-sweet
    • 1/2 cup bacon cooked and chopped, about 4 thick strips
    • additional sea salt for tops

    Instructions

    • Beat together the butter, bacon fat, brown sugar, and white sugar until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.
    • Add the flour, salt, and baking soda to form the dough. Gradually mix in the chocolate chips and then the bacon.
    • Chill the dough for a minimum or two hours, covered with plastic wrap, up to a few days.
    • Preheat oven to 375-degrees. Use a teaspoon scoop to dole out dough onto a pan and sprinkle a little extra sea salt over the tops to add some savory oomph. Bake for 10-12 minutes; let cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes, then transition to a rack.
    • Recipe will make 55-60 teaspoon-size cookies.
    • OM NOM NOM!

    Bready or Not: Bacon Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies

    Save

    Read More