Bacon Freak

The truth is, gourmet sausage simply isn’t just for breakfast anymore!

Seems like everywhere I go, I see more and more gourmet sausage as (1) the featured item or (2) a primary part of a delicious lunch or dinner menu item.

Here’s one that will definitely make a positive impression on everyone who tries it!

Rocco’s Recipe For Pasta With Broccoli and Sausage!

Serves 4:

Ingredients:

1 lb. fresh broccoli, cut into florets
9 oz fettuccine
2 tbsp butter
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 clove minced garlic
1 lb. Gourmet smoked sausage, sliced
3 large eggs
3/4 cup whipping cream
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

First cook the broccoli and fettuccine in a pot of boiling water to be covered in a Dutch oven 4 minutes or until the broccoli is still firmly “crisp-tender.”

Drain with care.

Thoroughly rinse with cold water

Carefully drain.

Place the broccoli and fettuccine in a large bowl.

Melt the butter in a large heavy skillet.

Now add the mushrooms and garlic.

Sauté’ 3 minutes or until tender.

Add the mushrooms and garlic to fettuccine mixture.

Cook the gourmet sausage in skillet over medium-high heat for approximately 5 minutes or until done to taste.

Carefully drain and add to fettuccine mixture.

Wipe skillet clean with a paper towel.

Stir the eggs together with the whipping cream and pepper in skillet until well blended.

Add the fettuccine mixture and be sure to toss well.

Cook over a low heat, stirring constantly for approximately 3 to 5 minutes or until thickened.

Sprinkle it with Parmesan cheese and then toss.

Serve and enjoy!

Signing Off and Pigging Out,
Rocco “Boss Hog” Loosbrock
www.baconfreak.com

The Cocktail Goes Carnivorous.

Hey there my fellow Bacon Freaks.

As you know, we’ve been discussing the various versions and competing recipes for the “Bacontini,” otherwise known as the Bacon Martini for quite some time now.

However, I recently came across Brian Abrams’ article over at Chow Magazine and my interest was re-ignited once again as I suddenly felt the need to “wet my whistle” with wondrous wit and whimsy. No kidding, make this right and it truly does taste delicious. You’ve got to try it for yourself!

I hope it has the same effect on you as well!

Cheers!

Behind the bar, where the typical bartender macerates pineapple slices in vodka or maraschino cherries in bourbon, the mixologists at the Double Down Saloon in Las Vegas keep an unmarked bottle of vodka in which float several slices of bacon. The off-the-strip dive bar serves its signature Bacon Martini ‘round the clock, and quite a few early-morning lushes inhale the pork-belly libation as if it were a Grand Slam from Denny’s.

One of the advantages of infusing swine is that it’s easy to know when it’s ready: When the booze thickens into an opaque, filmy solution, shake it with ice and pour into a traditional martini glass. Sounds easy enough, but does the Sin City hipster actually prefer the taste of Castrol motor oil to the natural bite of quality Russian water?

Quite a few early-morning lushes inhale the pork-belly libation as if it were a Grand Slam from Denny’s.

“Our patrons have very refined tastes, and they will be the first to tell you that progress has passed the Soviets by,” says P. Moss, Double Down’s owner. “Rotgut vodka’s chemical makeup changes with pork fat and turns into a delightfully robust beverage.”

The extremist, dare-you-to-drink-it sort of concoction is nothing new to the happy-hour crowd but still has its devotees. From the 20-something slacker’s Gorilla Fart (Bacardi 151 rum and A1 steak sauce) to the age-old frontiersman’s bourbon–raw egg yolk combo, the shock-tail has established itself as an alternative form of expression for rebel boozers everywhere, as well as a clinching timesaver for those on a serious liquid-lunch diet.

The bacon martini may not offer much good to the palate. (Same probably goes for the Gorilla Fart.) But there is potential in the carnivorous cocktail.

At the Circle Bar in New Orleans, owner Lefty Parker’s Beefytini has garnered near-cult status within his Warehouse District hangout. A dirty martini gone filthy, the $5 cocktail has Beefeater gin for its base, includes a little vermouth, and is topped with a splash of “jerky juice,” a brine mixture from inside an olive jar infused with homemade Louisiana beef jerky. For garnish, a shard of jar-soaked jerky (instead of the usual pimiento stuffing) skewers a hollowed olive.

While a less successful experiment was his Comfort Food (pieces of salami muddled inside a rocks glass, followed by a couple of jiggers of Southern Comfort), Parker swears the Beefytini has a culinary quality about it. “The juniper and the beef jerky mix really well,” he says. “The smokiness of the jerky really allows the good flavor to come out.”

Want to know the recipe for trying this at home:

Lightly mist martini glass with vermouth, and rim the edge with bacon grease.
In a cocktail shaker, mix 3oz vodka, one dash tobasco, and one dash olive juice.
Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Skim excess bacon grease from surface of cocktail.

Garnish with one slice of bacon.

Signing Off and Pigging Out,
Rocco “Boss Hog” Loosbrock
www.baconfreak.com

People ask me several times a week if there is a best way or if I have a favorite way to cook our gourmet ribs.

I’ve decided to start sharing some of my favorite recipes for the ribs as well as a lot of the other premium quality gourmet food and wine that we proudly present our valued and appreciated club members and customers.

Here’s a delightfully delicious recipe that I think you are going to absolutely LOVE!

Give it a try and let us know what you think.

Ingredients:

Brine

-2 gallons water
-4 oz bourbon
-¼ cup kosher salt
-¼ cup sugar
-1 Tablespoon pickling spices
-½ teaspoon liquid smoke

BBQ Sauce

-1 14 oz bottle of ketchup
-¼ cup molasses
-¼ cup brown sugar
-1 Tablespoon garlic powder
-1 Tablespoon onion powder
-1 Tablespoon of your favorite hot sauce
-Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Go ahead and mix all of the ingredients for the Barbecue Sauce together and refrigerator until it is needed.

Then, in a deep pan, mix together the brine ingredients, stirring continuously until the salt and sugar are completely dissolved.

You can now put the Baby Back Ribs into the mixture and allow them to marinate in the refrigerator for 7 to 8 hours.

Now remove the ribs from the brine solution and be sure to pat them dry.

Place ribs on a medium-low heat grill and let them grill for about 45 minutes, turning them every 10 minutes or so, until tender.

Now brush the ribs with the barbecue sauce and grill then for another 15 minutes or so, turning them every 3 or 4 minutes.

Enjoy!

Signing Off and Pigging Out,
Rocco “Boss Hog” Loosbrock
www.baconfreak.com

I recently had the chance to work with Holly Clegg who is the author of the best selling book, “Trim & Terrific cookbook series and Eating Well Through Cancer. Holly has appeared on national television shows, including Fox & Friends, NBC Weekend Today Show, and The 700 Club. Her focus on a healthier lifestyle keeps her busy writing for national publications, Internet sites, and as a keynote speaker. Holly’s user friendly, pantry friendly and time friendly cookbooks have garnered her a national reputation that “food that’s good for you can also be delicious, fast and easy!”

Holly has prepared a few recipes for us that include bacon in recipes where you wouldn’t expect it. Healthy salmon and barbecue sauce topped with bacon give salmon the perfect savory-sweet-salty topping. Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas have unexpected bacon in the filling, maybe not southwestern, but a integral ingredient in the enchilada. You can find both these recipes in her Trim & Terrific cookbook series.

RECIPES

Barbecued Salmon
No grill needed here! Salmon with bacon roasted in a bold, rich sauce prepared in the convenience of your own kitchen.

Makes 4 servings

4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 strips center-cut bacon, cut in pieces
1 red onion half, thinly sliced
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
2 tablespoons honey

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 9 × 9 × 2-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Lay salmon in dish and season to taste. Sprinkle with garlic powder. Top with bacon pieces and onion slices.
3. In a small bowl, combine barbecue sauce and honey. Spread over salmon. Bake for 20–25 minutes or until salmon flakes easily with fork.

Nutritional information per serving
Calories 281 | Calories from fat 22% | Fat 7 g Saturated Fat 1 g | Cholesterol 91 mg | Sodium 284 mg Carbohydrate 17 g | Dietary Fiber 0 g | Sugars 16 g | Protein 35 g
Diabetic Exchanges1 carbohydrate | 5 lean meat

Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas
This easy enchilada includes chicken, crunchy salty bacon, black bean, salsa and cheese with all these great flavors working together in each bite.

Makes 6 (2 enchilada) servings

1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3 slices center-cut bacon
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 cups salsa, divided
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, undrained
1 red or green bell pepper, seeded and chopped, optional
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch green onions, chopped
12 (6-8-inch) flour tortillas
6 ounces reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cut the chicken into chunks; set aside.
2. In a skillet, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon to a paper towel to soak any excess grease; discard any grease in the skillet. In the same skillet, coated with nonstick cooking spray, sauté the chicken and garlic until the chicken is almost done, 5-7 minutes.
3. Stir in 1/2 cup salsa, the beans, bell pepper, cumin, salt, and pepper. Simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the chicken is done. Stir in the green onions and reserved bacon.
4. Divide the chicken-bean mixture among 12 tortillas, placing mixture down center of each tortilla. Top with 1 tablespoon shredded cheese. Roll up and place seam-side down in 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray.
5. Spoon remaining 1 cup salsa evenly over the enchiladas. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 15 minutes, or until thoroughly heated and the cheese is melted.

Nutritional information per serving
Calories 455, Protein (g) 40, Carbohydrate (g) 50, Fat (g) 8, Calories from Fat (%) 17, Saturated Fat (g) 4, Dietary Fiber (g) 6, Cholesterol (mg) 73, Sodium (mg) 1326 Diabetic Exchanges: 4 lean meat, 3 starch, 1 vegetable

For more information on Holly, visit her website at www.hollyclegg.com.

Signing Off and Pigging Out,
Rocco “Boss Hog” Loosbrock
www.baconfreak.com

I recently spoke with Executive Chef Justin Sledge of the Salish Lodge & Spa which is consistently ranked among the best small resorts in the world, the AAA Four Diamond Salish Lodge & Spa overlooks the 268-foot Snoqualmie Falls. Each of its 89 guest rooms has a bedside wood-burning fireplace, two-person whirlpool tub, goose-down comforter, feather bed and balcony or window seat. The resort offers a variety of recreational activities, treatments at the award-winning Spa, Executive Chef Justin Sledge’s seasonal cuisine, an award-winning wine list and personalized service. The resort is located 30 minutes east of downtown Seattle, within 40 minutes from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and three hours from Vancouver, B.C. and Portland, Oregon.

We asked Chef Justin about pairing with bacon and he told us that, “Pinot Noir is my go-to wine when I think about pairing with a bacon heavy dish. The deep fruit and subtle spice in pinot noir is able to progress through the rich fat of the bacon, and the smoke of the bacon compliments the bold depth and oak in the wine.” Chef Justin prepared the following dish for us based upon and evening of Pinot and Bacon.

Roasted breast of pheasant with smoked bacon lardons, fingerling potatoes, chanterelle mushrooms and a thyme butter sauce.”
Ingredients
4 cleaned airline pheasant breasts
12 oz. fingerling potatoes
8 oz. chanterelle mushrooms
8 oz. smoked slab bacon (cut 1 inch by ¼ inch)
1 Tablespoon chopped garlic
2 Tablespoon chopped shallots
3 Tablespoons of whole butter
2 teaspoons chopped thyme
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Method

Place the fingerling potatoes in a medium sized saucepot and cover with water and add 2 tablespoons of salt and bring to a boil. You want to cook the potatoes until tender and then cool them in an ice bath. When the potatoes are cool cut them into ¼ inch coins and set them aside. Season the pheasant breast with salt and pepper and sear in a hot skillet with the olive oil skin side down. Once the skin is golden brown flip the breast over and place in a 350-degree oven. In another skillet start rendering the bacon on a medium heat. When the bacon has released most of its fat add the garlic and shallots to the pan. Cook for about two minutes and then add the Chanterelle mushrooms. Finally add the sliced potatoes, thyme and slowly work in the whole butter.

For presentation spoon the ragout onto the center of the plate or platter using the excess liquid from the pan as the sauce. Place the pheasant on top of the ragout and garnish with a thyme sprig.

For more information visit http://www.salishlodge.com.

Signing Off and Pigging Out,
Rocco “Boss Hog” Loosbrock
www.baconfreak.com