BLT Salad

Well, the good news is that I was able to stand up at the kitchen counter long enough to make one of our favorite summertime salads yesterday. So, my broken bone is still healing well. I'm glad, because I've truly missed cooking. Albeit, I only stood up for about 10 minutes, but that's longer than I've been able to do previously!

So, what is it about bacon that is so darned good? It's that crispy porky piggy flavor, naturally! As with most people, especially those of us trying to watch calories and fat, bacon became a treat, a once-in-awhile kind of treat at least 20 years ago. But I miss it. However, I've found that a little bit goes a long way. Of course, we know that, right? But when a recipe calls for 3 strips, I use 1. I've used turkey bacon and it's okay. I probably should use it always, but I'd rather have less of the real thing and get more of the real flavor. But, what do you do with a big package of bacon when you only need 1 slice? Here's one of Carolyn's tips coming your way. Once I open a package of bacon, I remove the slices I'm using for that meal, then the remaining ones are separated and rolled up, placed on a metal tray - raw - frozen, then the rolls are popped into a Ziploc bag and stored in the freezer. Then, when I need one slice, it's easy to pull out just one. Here's a photo of the bacon rolls currently residing in my freezer.

The photo looks blurry, but it's the vapor in the Ziploc bag you're viewing. Because bacon is mostly fat, it defrosts in a jiffy. And with these little bacon rolls if I really only want a half a slice, a sharp chef's knife will easily cut that one roll in half. If you cut it lengthwise, it's already cut into pieces. But you can chop it a bit more, easily enough.

I do want to talk a bit about bacon itself. I used to buy grocery store bacon. And for some, it may be all that you can afford. I understand - I've been there too. But I've never liked all the tinkering our food manufacturers do with our foods, so I try to avoid chemicals whenever it's feasible. Now that trichinosis is a thing of the past, we needn't worry about acquiring the disease from uncooked pork. So we don't need the nitrates and nitrites so commonly part of the curing process in bacon and other pork products. I avoid them whenever possible. And it's easy to do so if you have a source for Niman Ranch bacon. It's smoked, but uncured. Our Trader Joe's carries it nearly all the time. It's without preservatives, and has a gorgeous taste. It's thick-sliced too, which I prefer. There's a photo of the bacon above - it is a smaller package - 12 ounces I think, rather than a pound. That's to make it a bit more affordable, I'm certain. But I use so little of it, a package will last me months and months once it's in my cute little frozen rolls.

So now, the salad. The recipe for this was published in our local newspaper, The Orange County Register, in 1994. I clipped that little gem out and made it with some home grown tomatoes we had from our garden. It was absolutely fantastic, and I've been making it regularly ever since. I added the basil and the croutons to the original recipe. You can eliminate the croutons if you're watching carbs, but I enjoy the crunchiness of just a few of them. Add as much or as little of the bacon as you see fit. The recipe calls for more than I use, and we're content with it. Certainly you need good, flavorful tomatoes. But even in the dead of winter Trader Joe's and Costco both carry a variety of on-the-vine type that are quite good. So you can really have this year around.

I searched around on the internet today to just see what kind of recipes are out there for BLT Salad. What's unique about this one is the use of rice wine vinegar. It adds a lovely sparkle to the dressing. You can use low-fat or fat free mayo if you want, and it doesn't really make any difference in the taste. Normally I would say nothing but Best Foods (Hellman's) will do, but since the mayo is diluted, there's no appreciable change in the taste. What a great summertime treat. It was delicious for lunch.

BLT Salad (Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Salad)
Recipe: adapted from the Orange County Register, 1994
Servings: 4
1/2 cup mayonnaise -- fat-free or low fat are fine
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1/2 head iceberg lettuce -- or mix Romaine and iceberg
4 whole tomatoes -- fresh only
1/2 pound bacon -- meaty slices only
1 1/2 cups bread cubes
2 tbsp fresh basil -- minced
1. Allow bread cubes to stale slightly at room temperature, or you may toast them in the oven briefly. You don't want to have real soft bread, as it will absorb too much dressing and get soggy.
2. In small pan sauté bacon until thoroughly brown and crisp; drain on paper towels and set aside. Break bacon into small pieces when cool. It is best to do this just before serving as bacon won't stay crisp more than about 30 minutes.
3. In a small bowl combine mayonnaise and rice vinegar and stir (or shake in a small bottle) until thoroughly combined.
4. In a large salad bowl chop lettuce, add chopped tomatoes, basil and bread cubes. Add dressing, toss, arrange on serving plates and sprinkle bacon pieces on top.
NOTES : This salad is deceptively easy and delicious. I use half the bacon, but then I always use thick-sliced and it's very meaty bacon. Tomatoes need to be very ripe, so this is a salad I prepare mostly in the summertime. The basil and bread cubes are an addition I've made over the years.
Per Serving: 605 Calories; 52g Fat (76.0% calories from fat); 21g Protein; 16g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 58mg Cholesterol; 1176mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 2 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 6 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates. To view a printable recipe, click on the title at top.

Bacon & Tomato Dunk

At least 15 years ago I attended a cooking class taught by Michele Braden, and bought one of her cookbooks at the class, Fast & Fabulous Hors D'Oeuvres (the book is out of print, unfortunately). I have no recollection as to what items she demonstrated for the class, but I remember being very pleased with the wide variety of recipe ideas in the cookbook. I've made a number of things from the book in the ensuing years, but this one I've prepared umpteen times.

What's unique about the cookbook is that each recipe offers three options. First, there's a Fast one. Then she gives you a Flashy method, and lastly, a Fabulous presentation. At the time, I suppose, it was her little corner, or niche to make her cookbook different. From what I read now, anyone not amongst published authors who wants to submit a cookbook for possible publication must have something very creative and unusual, otherwise it will never get past the first editor.

So back to the Dunk. Wonder why this little number is called a Dunk? Once Braden began cooking as a young adult, she definitely didn't like the word "dip." It conjured up the ubiquitous onion dip or clam dip etc. So, she decided to elevate the genre of appetizer to a new level, and calls it a Dunk. Whatever it is, dip or dunk, this particular one will make you think you're having a part of the BLT. Just no lettuce, and you either dip/dunk a cracker into the mixture, or spread it on toast, or even celery. It's the BACON, however, that makes this. The original recipe calls for 5 slices of bacon (to make about 1 1/2 cups of dunk). If you're using thick-sliced, obviously reduce the amount. And I've found that I can use considerably less bacon and still get the flavor. If you hand chop the bacon, every bite will have a bit of bacon in it, so don't leave the bacon in larger pieces. And whatever you do, don't just whiz up everything in the blender or food processor and think it will work. It doesn't. You lose all the texture and it becomes a very loose liquid. Not pleasant. Trust me on this, okay? Sometimes I just make it by hand rather than mess up the blender.

In the case of this recipe, Braden's recommendation for FAST was to prepare up to 4 days in advance and refrigerate. The FLASHY preparation includes using pita chips, crackers and garnishing with minced green onions, parsley, more chopped tomatoes and bacon. For the FABULOUS method, add avocado, stuff it into raw mushrooms or cold hollowed-out potatoes. Normally I just use pita chips from Trader Joe's, or the little bite-sized toasts, although I usually do garnish the top with some minced tomatoes and a little bit of extra bacon.

As noted in the recipe, I have made this with low-fat mayo, but it just doesn't taste all that good. If you're going to splurge and have a little bit of bacon - go for the gold and use Best Foods mayo. Enjoy.

Bacon & Tomato Dunk

Recipe By :Michele Braden, Fast & Fabulous Hors D'Oeurves, 1992

Servings: 6

5 slices bacon
2 medium ripe tomatoes
1/2 cup mayonnaise -- Best Foods brand or homemade
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons green onions -- coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons parsley
1. Cook bacon until crisp, drain on paper towels and cool. Chop into very small pieces and set aside.
2. Combine in a food processor the green onions and parsley and process until it's a fine mince. Scrape out into a medium bowl.
3. Cut tomatoes in half and scoop out the seeds as much as possible. Process the tomatoes in the food processor until they are minced, but not pureed. Pour out into the same bowl and add the mayonnaise and Dijon mustard. Add the bacon and stir it into the mixture, then cover, and refrigerate for up to 4 days. It's best if allowed to chill for at least 8 hours.
Serving Ideas : I have made this with low-fat mayo. I'd be lying if I said it's "just as good." It isn't, but if you crave a BLT, it will satisfy. Serve with baked pita chips, crackers, or baguette slices, toasted. You may garnish the dunk with minced onions, parsley, additional minced tomatoes or crumbled bacon.
NOTES : This dip/dunk is sinfully delicious. If you are using thick sliced bacon, use about half the number of slices. Don't overblend or it loses its appeal, and if you have any leftovers, it's delicious on leftover pasta or rice, or even as a salad dressing.
Per Serving : 172 Calories; 18g Fat (90.2% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 11mg Cholesterol; 209mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.To view a printable version, click on the title of this posting.