Showing posts with label bacon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bacon. Show all posts

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Turkey Bacon and Brie Tart

Its always a pleasure to make new dishes from food left over from other meals.  Christmas is the greatest opportunity to be creative with leftovers and I am drawn to the tart, flan or quiche as a vehicle to use up those bits and pieces of delicious food.

Turkey, Bacon and Brie Tart

Serves 6 

1 quantity of shortcrust pastry, baked blind in a flan tin.
1 small onion, finely chopped
100g streaky bacon, chopped
Approx. 200-300g cold cooked turkey
250ml double cream
3 large eggs
100g ripe Brie
25g Parmesan, grated
zest of half a lemon
salt & freshly ground pepper

Heat the oven to 170C

1. Gently saute the onion in a little butter, add the bacon pieces and cook until golden, leave to cool.
2. Spread the onion and bacon in the base of the flan, chop the turkey into generously sized pieces and scatter over the onion and bacon.
3. Break off pieces of Brie and distribute evenly across the flan base.
4. Whisk the eggs, add the cream, lemon zest, seasoning and grated Parmesan, pour into the flan case.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the filling is golden brown and just set in the centre.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

This is a very rich tart and only needs a green vegetable or salad to make a meal. 

What did you do with your leftovers?
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Thursday, March 27, 2014

Frittata Flattata with Bacon Potatoes and Greens

In case you dont know, a frittata is rustic Italian omelet-like concoction. The main difference between an omelet and a frittata, is an omelet is cooked on the stove and served folded, but a frittata is only partially cooked on the stove top and finished under a broiler (or sometimes oven), and served sliced into wedges. What is a "flattata?" Its a made-up, Italian-sounding word. The new pan I used was a bit larger than the one I usually use (12-inch vs.10-inch), so when I sliced it, it looked much flatter that I expected… it looked like a, well, flattata. One of the fun things about cooking, and creating recipes, is you get to name them anything you want; no matter how ridiculous. So, this was deemed the "Frittata Flattata."

Just like omelets, you can use almost anything in these, but this classic combination of bacon, Swiss chard, and potatoes I used is highly recommended. Bye the way, I dont want you to think of this as a breakfast item. Its a wonderful meal anytime of the day or night. Youll hear me mention my Grandfather at the end of the video. He used to make frittatas quite often, but instead of finishing it under the broiler, he would cook it halfway, then put a plate on top of the pan, flip it over and slide it back in the pan to cook the other side. Sometimes it would stick, and only part would "flip," and other times the hot oil would drip on him as he performed this somewhat high-risk maneuver. It was during these moments that I learned all the really good Italian curse words I still use to this day. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
8 eggs
6 strips bacon
1 clove garlic
1 potato
1 bunch Swiss chard
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and black pepper to taste

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Sunday, February 16, 2014

SANDRAS TRIPLE BAKED CHEDDAR BROCCOLI and BACON POTATO

Oh my, these are fabulous and a 1/2 of a triple-baked potato
with your favorite main dish will be utmost satisfying...
Servings: (2)
Prep: 5 Mins. |
Bake 30 Mins.

Posted by Sandra

INGREDIENTS

1) Par-Bake in Microwave
1 large russet potato, scrubbed and pierced

2) Finish Baking in Oven
baking spray
pinch of garlic powder
pinch of onion powder

3) Baked a Final Time Stuffed
1 strip bacon, cut into ½” strips
2 tablespoons spanish onion, chopped
1 small clove of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons frozen broccoli florets, thawed, and chopped
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 heaping tablespoons cheddar cheese, grated
kosher salt and ground pepper to taste

***Topping
--2 tablespoons cheddar cheese, grated

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Scrub and pierce potato, and par-bake in microwave on high for 5 minutes. Carefully remove from microwave (it’ll be hot), and place on a sheet of tin foil. Spray the potato all over with baking spray, and sprinkle lightly with garlic and onion powder all over, then roll up and place in preheated conventional oven for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, place a medium skillet over medium-heat, and brown bacon until crispy. Remove bacon to a paper towel lined saucer, reserving drippings. Add the onion to skillet, and saute until translucent. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add the broccoli, sour cream, 2 tablespoons cheddar cheese, and kosher salt and ground pepper, to taste, and remove from heat.

Remove the potato from the oven, unwrap from tin foil, and using tongs cut the potato in half lengthwise. Using a tablespoon, scoop out flesh while leaving ¼” of the walls of the potato intact. Place the scooped out potato flesh into skillet, and mash the mixture with a fork, then stir to combine. Generously stuff the potato halves with the filling, and top with remaining cheddar cheese, and bake on a foil-lined baking sheet for 12 to 15 minutes, until warmed through and cheese on top has melted. Remove from oven, and sprinkle with crispy bacon. - Enjoy!


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Thursday, December 26, 2013

SANDRAS ADDICTING MUSHROOM and JALAPENO POPPERS with BACON

A perfectly addicting 2-for-1 side dish/appetizer youre able to serve
 hot out of the oven or at room temperature.
Dont wait for game day to enjoy all such deliciousness...


Prep: 20 Mins.
Bake: 30 Mins.
Yields: (14 Mushrooms-7 Halved Jalapeno Poppers, with 1 jalapeno half being chopped to add to filling)

INGREDIENTS

14 medium fresh button mushrooms, stems removed; reserve stems
4 large (4" long) fresh jalapenos, stems removed, including half of the ribs and seeds after cutting in 1/2 lengthwise
--(Remove more or less ribs/seeds to your desired level of spiciness)
2 strips center-cut bacon, sliced into 1/2" pieces
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 (8 oz. tub) cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup medium shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
2 green onions (both green and white parts), finely sliced
1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon dry Italian seasoned bread crumbs

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a rack over a foil-lined baking sheet, spray rack, and set aside.

Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Carefully remove stems from mushrooms; set caps aside. Finely chop stems.


Cut stems from jalapenos, and toss. Remove half of the ribs and stems, more or less; set aside 7 halves.

Finely chop 1 half of a jalapeno, and set aside. [Remember to wash hands using hot water and soap!]


Place medium skillet over medium heat and saute bacon pieces until slightly crisp and brown.


Add chopped mushroom stems and granulated garlic to skillet with the bacon, and continue sauteing for 2 additional minutes. Remove skillet from heat and set aside for mixture to cool.


Meanwhile, in medium bowl add the finely-chopped reserved jalapeno, cream-cheddar-parmesan cheeses, green onions, sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Add the cooled mixture from skillet, including drippings; mix to incorporate.



Using a teaspoon, generously fill mushroom caps. Fill jalapeno halves so they are level with sides of peppers. (See photo below.) Lightly sprinkle filled mushroom caps and jalapeno pepper halves with Italian seasoned bread crumbs.


Place filled mushroom caps and jalapeno peppers (with cut jalapeno ends flush against each other to ensure filling remains intact during baking) on sprayed rack of prepared baking sheet.


Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, until tops are golden and mushrooms and jalapenos are hot but still crisp-tender (not mushy). ~ Enjoy!

Hot out of the oven...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tips: The beauty of this side dish/appetizer is that you can prepare the poppers well ahead of time, simply place in refrigerator until ready to bake.

Feel free to alternatively grill these poppers, just place the same baking rack (shown above) on top of barbecue grilling rack over indirect heat (using charcoal), covered, for the same amount of cooking time.

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