Bringing Home the Bacon

1. Pasta Sauce contributors Dan and Anne Marie Lodholz credit Winslow’s Home’s Cary McDowell for inspiring what has become a family fave. Render ½ pound of chopped bacon until it begins to crisp. Add 1 small diced onion and saute until golden. Deglaze the pan with up to ¼ cup of bourbon. Add 1 pound of halved Brussels sprouts, season with salt and pepper, and cook until caramelized. When the Brussels have caramelized, add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 ladle of hot chicken or vegetable stock. Repeat this process until you have built enough sauce for the pasta. Toss with al dente pasta and finish with Parmesan and red pepper flakes. 2. Bagels Fry 5 strips of bacon. Drain and chop finely, reserving bacon grease. In a large bowl, combine 1½ cups of flour and 2 teaspoons of active dry yeast. In a separate bowl, combine 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of salt and 1¼ cup of warm water. Add to flour-yeast mix. Add the bacon and bacon grease to mixture, stirring to mix well. In ¼-cup increments, add 1½ cups of additional flour to make a kneadable dough. Turn onto floured surface and knead until smooth. Cover. Let rest until doubled in size, about 1½ hours. Divide into 12 portions. With floured hands, shape into smooth balls. Poke hole in center with your finger and pull apart to form a bagel shape. Set on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover. Let rise for 1 hour. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Boil bagels for 7 minutes, turning once. Drain. Bake for 35 minutes at 375 degrees. 3. Hot salad Fry 4 strips of bacon. Drain and crumble, reserving bacon grease. Combine 2 teaspoons of whole grain mustard with 3 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar. Set aside. Reheat the pan used to fry the bacon. Add 4 cups of fresh spinach and ¼ cup of thinly sliced red onion, stirring to coat with rendered bacon grease. Quickly stir in mustard and vinegar mixture. Add generous pinch of salt and sugar, and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Keep on heat until spinach is just wilted, less than 1 minute. Divide into 2 bowls, sprinkle with crumbled bacon and serve immediately. 4. Grits Fry 5 slices of bacon. Drain, then crumble. In the same frying pan, saute 1 jalapeño (deseeded and finely chopped) and ½ cup of finely chopped onion. Combine with crumbled bacon plus 3 dashes roasted jalapeño sauce (such as Smoke Canyon brand) in a bowl. Set aside. In a pot, combine 2¼ cups of whole milk and 2¼ cups of water. Bring to a boil. Whisk in 1 cup of quick-cooking grits, ¼ teaspoon of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Reduce to low, stirring periodically. Cook 15 minutes or until creamy. Stir in bacon mix, plus 1 to 1½ cups (depending on taste) grated extra sharp cheddar cheese. Mix well. Cover and let sit 5 minutes or until cheese melts. 5. Peanut butter bacon sandwich In a skillet over medium-low heat, cook 3 pieces of thick-cut bacon until crisp (but not burnt). Drain. Toast 2 pieces of white bread. Generously spread creamy peanut butter on each piece. Layer bacon evenly on 1 piece of toast. Top with other piece. 6. Brownies Add ½ cup of semisweet chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons of bourbon to your favorite brownie batter. Pour ½ of batter into a 13-by-19-inch pan. Combine ¾ cup of caramel sauce, ½ teaspoon of salt and 4 strips of crumbled, crisp bacon. Heat the mixture in the microwave and pour onto the batter in an even layer. Cover with remaining batter. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. 7. Praline bacon To make Monarch’s Josh Galliano’s addictive candied bacon, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place 1 pound of thick-sliced bacon on a foil-lined sheet pan. Do not overlap strips. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature. In a food processor, pulse 1 cup of light brown sugar with 1 cup of chopped pecans. Distribute nut mixture over the bacon slices, covering the tops of the bacon completely. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until crisp but the nuts haven’t burned. Remove from the oven and let cool for 3 minutes before serving.