Garden Niciose and Crispy Cracklings

Sunday mornings are always about bacon and eggs in my house. This morning, we had an unexpected surprise. We bought a pound of smoked bacon from a farmer at the market. The bacon is made from prized berkshire hogs and cured at Benton's farms, one of our favorite purveyors, known for their southern hams and peppered bacon. We couldn't wait to try it. When we opened the package, we realized the bacon was really thick and fatty, more so than even thick-cut bacon we had ever seen. We fired up the pan anyway, but after a few minutes, it was obvious that this was not going to give us the crunchy bacon we wanted. So, we decided to have a brunch dish instead of breakfast.



I cut the bacon into shards and tossed them back into the pan over medium high heat, to render out the fat and crisp up the bacon pieces. In france, they call these lardoons. In the south, they might call them cracklings. Though, cracklings are typically made only from the skin itself.



My dish married both the french and southern roots and became a "southern" version of a tuna nicoise salad. Needless to say, the bacon cracklings were delicious! They were deliciously smokey and wonderfully crunchy.

Don't you just love when something seemingly wrong works out to be so right?!

GARDEN NICOISE SALAD WITH CRISPY CRACKLINGS
This is a great summer salad anytime of the day. I prefer serving this salad with a slightly undercooked boiled egg served warm on the plate. You can also use crispy pancetta or any type of smoked bacon.

1/4 pound bacon slices, cut into small pieces
1 large handful of fresh lettuce leaves, gently washed and dried {I used hothouse arugula micro greens- no washing needed!}
2 oz. fresh seared, preserved or canned tuna
2 fresh, organic eggs
Wild Sage & Oregano savory salt
fresh cracked pepper

In a saute pan, cook r bacon over med. heat until all fat is rendered and the pieces are browned and crisp.
Remove the pieces with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper bag or towel. Set aside until ready to use.

Heat a saucepan over medium heat with 6 cups water until boiling. Gently place the eggs into the pan and cook for about 8 minutes. Drain the water and run the eggs under cool water for a few seconds, just until they are easy to handle and can be peeled. Peel the eggs, being carefully not to crack them open.

Toss the greens with enough vinaigrette just to lightly coat the leaves, or drizzle over the micro greens. Top the greens with fresh or canned albacore tuna.
On two plates, divide the greens and place one egg, slicing it open so the runny yolk spills over the plate.
Top with the bacon pieces. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the top. Serve Antipasti olives on the side.

For the Vinaigrette:
1 teaspoon mustard
1 Tablespoon sherry wine vinegar
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly cracked pepper

* Refrigerate any remaining vinaigrette for another use for up to 3 days.
* The bacon will be salty, so use the salt sparingly throughout.

serves two.


Buon appetito!
copyright 2008 Alisa Barry

Sunday Breakfast Ritual

I love Sunday mornings.
They are a sacred ritual at my home. The morning begins with Benton's applewood smoked bacon sizzling on the stovetop, waking me gently and deliciously up and out of bed. Organic eggs are not far behind. The coffee is already simmering in the french press and the local and NY Times Sunday edition papers have arrived from the grocer around the corner. It is cold out today, prompting an oakwood fire in my studio fireplace to warm it up for the next few hours, where I will spend the rest of the afternoon.

Today we are having one of my favorite Sunday breakfast dishes, Baked Organic Eggs with Sugo a la Peperonata. A light and flavorful tomato sauce with golden and red peppers and carmelized onions layered with fresh spinach, cracked whole eggs with brilliant sunny yolks and a dusting of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. This dish is deceitfully easy and deliciously elegant, so whether fixing it as breakfast for two or a brunch for a crowd, it can be made with little fuss and lots of fluff.

The last of the season's spinach; made it through two snowfalls!

Baked Organic Eggs with Sugo a la Peperonata and Sauteed Fresh Spinach

1 Cup Bella Cucina Sugo a la Peperonata* {or your favorite tomato sauce}
1/2 cup fresh spinach leaves { or arugula} cut into ribbons
4 fresh, organic eggs
Salt & pepper to taste.
2 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

You make this dish either in the oven or on the stovetop.
In the overn:
Heat oven at 350 degrees. In ovenproof cassarole dish, spoon sugo tomato sauce and spread to cover bottom of pan. Place in oven for 5-10 minutes, or until sauce is warm. Remove pan from oven and layer spinach leaves over sauce. Crack eggs one at a time and gently place over spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Place egg dish back in oven and baked until eggs are cooked to your liking, about 5-8 minutes should do it. Remove from oven and sprinkly with Parmesan cheese.
Serve warm from oven to table or spoon out on individual plates. You can also cook in individual ramekins.


If you don't have an oven {its possible!} you can cook on the stovetop over medium heat. Simply cook over medium heat, following same directions for the oven. You will love how easy it is!

Don't forget the bacon!
We love the bacon from a Tennessee family, Benton Hams.
If you can't find it at your local specialty grocer, you can order from their website. http://www.bentonshams.com.

* Bella Cucina's Sugo a la peperonata can be purchased at www.bellacucina.com

Buon appetito!
copyright 2008 Alisa Barry

From the garden

It is mid-December and it is almost 70 degrees today! The drought has finally had some relief with a luscious downpour early this morning and a few days before. In the backyard garden, herbs are still flourishing, a late harvest of newly grown arugula lettuces are ready to be cut for cooking, and the young white turnips are almost mature.

I can hardly think of a heavy Holiday feast when the sun is shining and the rosebuds are awakened unexpectedly.
Nonetheless, I welcome the warm interruption and take advantage of its gift.
What do we eat on a day like today? Our bodies have been eating dishes that offer comfort and warmth. Today, it is craving a refreshing, but satisfying salad to reflect the unexpected warm weather.

One of my favorite salads that I often have for a light Sunday Supper is a fresh garden salad with a still-tender center boiled egg and crispy pancetta or applewood smoked bacon. It is soothing dish without being too filling or complicated on the palate.

Garden Arugula Salad with Organic Boiled Egg and Applewood Smoked Bacon

1/4 pound pancetta or bacon slices, cut into small pieces
1 large handful of fresh spinach leaves, gently washed and dried
2 fresh, organic eggs

In a saute pan, cook pancetta or bacon over med. low heat until all fat is rendered and the pieces are browned and crisp.
Remove the pieces with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside until ready to use.

Heat a saucepan over medium heat with 6 cups water until boiling. Gently place the eggs into the pan and cook for about 8 minutes. Drain the water and run the eggs under cool water for a few seconds, just until they are easy to handle and can be peeled. Peel the eggs, being carefully not to crack them open.

Toss the spinach with enough vinaigrette just to lightly coat the leaves. Refrigerate any remaining vinaigrette for another use.
On two plates, divide the spinach leaves and place one egg, slicing it open so the runny yolk spills over the plate.
Top with the pancetta or bacon pieces. Sprinkle fresh cracked black pepper over the top.
Serve while eggs are still warm.

For the Vinaigrette:
1 teaspoon mustard
1 Tablespoon sherry wine vinegar
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly cracked pepper

serves two.

copyright 2007 Alisa Barry

In a small bowl, add the mustard and vinegar. Slowly drizzle in olive oil and whisk until emulsified.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. * NOTE: the pancetta or bacon will be salty, so adjust seasoning accordingly.