Bacon

Here it is, the ultimate recipe for this blog — homemade bacon! We love the flavor it gets from smoking, but if you don’t have a smoker (or a charcoal grill you can turn into one), you can still make great bacon in the oven.

Beautiful. Just... beautiful.

• 1 pork belly (about 8 lbs.) from a pastured pig, skin still on
• 2 Tbs. black peppercorns
• 1 tsp. fennel seed
• 1 tsp. caraway seed
• 1 Tbs. dried rosemary
• 1 Tbs. dried thyme
• 4 bay leaves
• 8 Tbs. or ½ cup of sea salt (not coarse)
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced

Using either a mortar and pestle, small food processor, or coffee grinder, combine the peppercorns through the bay leaves. Then mix that powdery blend with the salt and garlic.

Cut the pork belly into slabs small enough to fit inside large plastic freezer bags. Divide the seasoning mixture evenly among the bags and coat the meat with it. Seal the bags and lay them flat in the refrigerator. Flip them every day, redistributing the seasoning and the liquid that will eventually gather in the bag.

After three or four days, remove the meat. Gently rinse with cold water and pat them dry on paper towel. Set your smoker or oven to 200 degrees. If using a smoker, place the meat skin-side down on the racks; for the oven, place them skin-side up in a baking dish. Smoke or bake for a few hours, until the internal temperature has reached 150 degrees.

Let them cool a little, then remove the skin by carefully slicing with a sharp knife into the layer of fat directly below the skin. If you let the bacon cool longer, you might be able to start it with a knife and gently peel the rest of the way by hand, wasting less of the fat. The reason you want a pasture-raised belly is because toxins are generally stored in the fat of the animals (think mercury in fatty fish), so CAFO animals’ fat will not be as pure and healthful as the fat from animals raised properly. It pays to spend the extra few bucks here. Slice your bacon to the desired thickness and enjoy your masterpiece.

Some tips:

• If your bacon is too salty, you can soak it in water for a few minutes, then rinse and pat dry again, before cooking it. Next time, reduce the curing time. Most recipes call for a week but we found that makes the bacon too salty for us.
• Bacon freezes well. If you made a lot, cut the slabs into smaller hunks; vacuum seal them and freeze. It will keep for at least a few months, but really — who keeps bacon around that long?
• Save the rendered fat after cooking the bacon; it’s a fabulous, stable fat that imparts awesome flavor onto everything it touches. It is wonderful on roasted broccoli, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, or as a fat in which to fry eggs or steaks.

Adapted from Tim Huntley, via Robb Wolf

Scotch eggs

Double this recipe and stock up on some protein bombs.

Almost the size of a baseball, these meat-covered eggs are just awesome. Shown are plain (front), potato-chip covered (rear), and almond-meal covered (right).

• 2 lbs ground pork
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• Pinch cinnamon
• Pinch cloves
• 1 tsp. dried tarragon leaves
• 1 Tbs. dried chives
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped (or 1 Tbs. dried)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 10 large hard-boiled eggs
• 1 bag of pork rinds, or olive oil potato chips, crushed to crumbs; or almond meal (optional)
• 2 eggs, raw and beaten (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Mix the seasonings together in a small bowl, then add to the ground pork. Incorporate it with your hands. Separate the meat into 10 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball, then flatten. Wrap the pork around a hard-boiled egg, rolling and smoothing the meat together. If it seems sticky, get your hands a little wet.

If you’d like a crust around the eggs, roll each one in the crumbs of the pork rinds or potato chips or almond meal. Then dip it in the beaten egg, then roll it again in the crumbs. We couldn’t find paleo-friendly pork rinds, so we used olive-oil potato chips on some and almond meal on others.

Place each meat-wrapped egg on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake the eggs for 25 minutes, then increase the temperature to 400 for another 5 to 10 minutes. If you still need to crisp up the crust, place the eggs under the broiler. Watch them closely and turn them often to brown the entire outside.

Dip into flavored mayonnaise.

Adapted from Well Fed Paleo Recipes

Lamb harissa stew

After receiving the wonderful gift of free food (gift certificate to Whole Foods), we went on a little spree and bought some things that we’ve had on our mind but didn’t really fit into the normal weekly plan. Harissa, a Moroccan blend of roasted chili peppers and seasoning, had been on my mind for a while. We also saw some grass-fed lamb (shoulder roast) for a good price, and decided that the combination might be just a little bit awesome. Here’s what we came up with. I thought the dish was a little on the sweet side, so if you think you’d be sensitive to that, cut back on the honey and dates.

Harissa is flavorful and spicy, and the lamb is so tender.

• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 1/2 tsp. ground tumeric
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 2.5 lbs. grass-fed lamb roast (the shoulder roast we used was incredibly tender) cut into stew-sized chunks
• 8 oz. pitted Medjool dates, chopped into large pieces
• 1 Tbs. raw honey
• 1/4 cup harissa (see the link at the bottom of the page for more info, including a recipe)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large dutch oven. Add the chopped onion and cook until golden. Add the tumeric, cinnamon, and ginger; mix until combined. Add the lamb, mix again until the seasoning is well-distributed among the lamb. Add enough water to just cover the meat. Lower the heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

Add the dates, honey, harissa, salt and pepper (don’t be shy on the salt and pepper). Simmer for another 20 minutes.

Adapted from Jun-Blog.

Jibarito sandwich

My friend Elysia wrote about a Venezuelan restaurant where she had a shredded pork sandwich made with fried plantains for the “bread.” It’s been years since Tyler and I made a medianoche sandwich (while watching Dexter — yeah, sometimes we theme our food), and so we decided to give it another try, using the plantains.

A variation of a traditional Cuban medianoche sandwich, using fried plantains for "bread."

• 2 plantains, still fairly green
• coconut oil
• Meats for the sandwich: shredded pork, ham, turkey, chicken, whatever
• Sliced cheese
• Sliced pickles
• Sliced avocado (why not?)
• Mustard

Peel the plantains, then slice them in half lengthwise, then cut them to half that length. Put the eight pieces of plantain on a cookie sheet and brush lightly with some melted coconut oil. Roast them on a foil-lined pan at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until they soften.

Meanwhile, heat coconut oil in a deep pan on medium-high. You’ll need enough to fry the flattened plantains, about 1/4 to 1/2 inches.

Once the plantains are softened, place a sheet of parchment paper over top of them and smash them with a spatula, flat pan, or other solid, flat item. This is the tricky part — you want them to be flat enough to make a good sandwich holder, but you don’t want to go so far as to have them fall apart.

Gently put the flattened plantains into the hot oil. They won’t brown much, so take them out when they start to feel crisp, about four minutes total. Drain on paper towel.

Assemble the meat and cheese on the plantains and put them back in the warm oven for a few minutes to warm up the meat and cheese. Add the pickles, avocado, and mustard.

Inspired by CravingNY

Ethiopian stew

This is hot and spicy and goes well over rice, quinoa, mashed cauliflower, or by itself. Feel free to use any stew meat, we have lots of venison so that’s what we used.

An intense blend of spices warms this dish. Add more tomato sauce, or yogurt or coconut milk, to calm the heat.

• 4 Tbs. combined coconut oil and/or butter
• 1 large red onion, halved and sliced
• 1 large eggplant, peeled and diced
• 1 C roasted red peppers
• 5 cloves garlic, mashed
• 1 Tbs. freshly-grated ginger
• 5 Tbs. berbere spice blend*
• 1/2 C dry red wine
• 1 can tomato sauce (we like Trader Joe’s organic, no sugar added)
• 3 cups stock (beef, venison, even chicken will do)
• 2-3 lbs. venison stew meat (or beef, lamb, goat, etc.)

In a slow cooker, place the stew meat, stock and tomato sauce. Warm on high.

Meanwhile, in a large pan, melt the butter and/or coconut oil. Add the onions and cook 2-4 minutes, or until they soften and begin to turn translucent. Add the eggplant, garlic and ginger, and stir for another minute or two. Add the berbere spice blend and red wine; scrape the pan to incorporate everything and remove from heat.

Add the onion-eggplant mixture and roasted red peppers to the slow cooker and stir well. Allow to cook until the stew meat is done, at least a couple hours. If you are leaving home and want it to cook longer, turn the heat to low.

Adapted from: Eating Well

*Note from Eating Well on berbere spice blend: “This staple in Ethiopian cooking is a heady mix that usually includes garlic, fenugreek, allspice, red pepper, ginger, chilies, coriander, cinnamon, and black pepper. If you can’t find it, use a mixture of 4 Tbs. garam masala, 1 Tbs. hot paprika, 1 tsp. ground fenugreek and 1 tsp. salt.” Upon further research, berbere is the Ethiopian version of curry — everyone has their own blend and no two are exactly the same. I used a recipe from epicurious.com.

Bacon blanket

If we ever open a paleo restaurant, this will be a featured item.

This time, the pig IS the blanket.

• 12 slices farmer’s bacon

Lay one slice of bacon at the edge of your pan. Lay another one at a right angle to the first, along another side of the pan, making a large “L” shape. Take the third piece of bacon, lay it alongside the second, and tuck the end under the first. Continue alternating with pieces four through seven along the length of the first.

Take the next five pieces and weave them perpendicularly into the others. Turn your heat on low and cook for about ten minutes, or until the bacon is done enough to hold together when you flip it with a spatula and tongs.

To eat, grab a piece and pull! Serves two.

Meatloaf

The best thing about meatloaf is that the recipe is so flexible. You can chop up and use whatever vegetables you have on hand, although it’s recommended you don’t omit the onions. Also, experiment with the herbs. Use this recipe as a guideline, and for another version (the one that inspired this recipe) check out my sister’s blog.

Comfort food without the breadcrumbs.

• Two medium yellow onions, finely chopped (or one onion plus 1 cup chopped carrots, celery, or shredded zucchini)
• 6 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tbs. butter
• 2 1/2 lbs. grass-fed ground beef
• 2 1/2 Tbs. coconut flour
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup total of dried parsley, oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, or other herbs
• 1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce (look for one without high-fructose corn syrup)
• 2-3 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 2 Tbs. chipotle pepper powder, divided
• 9 slices bacon

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the chopped onions (and carrots, celery, etc. if using). Cook until the onions start to soften and turn clear. Remove from heat; set aside to cool. Set an oven to preheat to 375 degrees.

Once, cool, put the cooked onions and vegetables into a large bowl and add all the other ingredients except the bacon and 1 tablespoon of the chipotle powder. Mix everything together with your hands until well-incorporated, but don’t overmix or it will be come tough and crumbly.

Line the bottom of a 9 X 13 baking pan with parchment paper. Put the meat mixture into the pan and form into a loaf. You could also do two smaller loaves in two separate pans. Once the loaf is formed, lay the strips of bacon over top of it and sprinkle the bacon with second tablespoon of chipotle powder.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45-60 minutes, or until the inside reaches 140 degrees. Let sit for five minutes before cutting.

Adapted from This Is So Good

Zingerman’s Deli, Ann Arbor

If you happen to be in the Ann Arbor area (and have a large wad of cash burning a hole in your pocket), you must make a trip to Zingerman’s Deli.

Two meat cones and a cheese counter in the background. The meat on the right of the foreground cone is the acorn-eating Jamón ibérico. It was amazing, but proscuitto was the favorite.

The meat and cheese counter there is amazing, and they’ll let you sample anything — including $200/lb free-range, acorn-fed Jamón ibérico (cured Spanish pork) and $30/lb goat cheese. If you’re willing to pay for the convenience of getting five mystery samples all at once, they offer a $5 “meat cone.” The deli guy or gal will pick and slice the meats, then explain what each one is to you.

We suggest picking up a block of the city goat cheese — made fresh in Ann Arbor — and a side of olives or mushrooms to go with the meat cone (or cones). And you don’t necessarily  have to overlook the baked goods counter; there’s a Townie Brownie made with quinoa and amaranth flours and it is delicious! Or you can find a specialty bar of dark chocolate near the register.

Finally, don’t miss out on the olive oil and balsamic vinegar samples that are usually available. The prices are high enough that you probably won’t walk out with a bottle, but you might find a new appreciation for a well-aged balsamic.

Chocolate bacon

It’s just what the name says, a perfect blend of salty and sweet.

Mmmmm...

• 2 slices quality bacon
• 3 oz. dark (>72%) chocolate

Cook the bacon until just crispy. Let the bacon drain and cool. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate. Drizzle the chocolate over the bacon, or cut up the bacon and dip the pieces into the chocolate. Let the chocolate cool and enjoy.

Inspired by Vosges chocolates

Cacao nib and fennel encrusted venison tenderloin

The flavors in the crust are very subtle. The instructions are for a rare tenderloin; you can leave yours in a little longer if you like it medium.

If you like a little heat, add a touch more ground cayenne to the rub.

• 2 Tbs. cacao nibs (substitute 1 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder if you can’t find nibs)
• 2 tsp. fennel seeds
• 1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 Tbs. raw honey
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 2-lb. venison (or pork) loin or tenderloin

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line the inside of a baking pan with aluminum foil for easy cleanup.

Using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder, grind the cacao nibs and fennel seeds until coarse. Place in a small bowl, and add remaining ingredients through cayenne pepper. Stir well.

Using your hands, rub the tenderloin all over with the honey. Then sprinkle on and pat on the cacao nib mixture.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Place the tenderloin in the skillet and cook, turning it over to ensure even browning on all sides, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to the roasting pan and cook until a meat thermometer inserted at the thickest part of the tenderloin reads 120 degrees, about 15 minutes. Remove the tenderloin and wrap it in foil, letting it sit for 10 minutes. Slice and serve.

Adapted from NPR’s Kitchen Window