Read Online Bacon Nation: 125 Irresistible Recipes by Peter Kaminsky, Marie Rama - Free Book Online

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    2 teaspoons ground cumin
    ½ teaspoon saffron threads
    Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley
    1 Preheat the oven to 425˚F. Spray a large roasting pan lightly with vegetable oil cooking spray or coat the pan lightly with vegetable oil.
    2 Using a large heavy knife, cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard the seeds and fibers. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the skin from the squash, then cut it into 10 to 12 large chunks. Place the chunks of squash and the potato on the prepared roasting pan. Cut 2 of the bacon slices into thirds. Arrange the cut bacon pieces over the squash and potato. Loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake the squash and potato until they are barely fork-tender, about 30 minutes.
    3 While the squash and potato bake, cut the remaining 3 slices of bacon into ½-inch pieces. Cook the bacon pieces in a soup pot or large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until they begin to brown and some of the fat is rendered, 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, cinnamon stick, cumin, and saffron threads, crumbling them over the soup. Cover the pot and increase the heat sufficiently to let the stock mixture come to a boil. Then, reduce the heat as necessary and let simmer until the flavors blend, about 20 minutes.
    4 Let the baked squash and potato cool slightly, then cut them into ½-inch pieces. Finely chop the bacon that baked with the squash and potato. Add the squash, potato, and chopped bacon to the soup along with any liquid in the roasting pan. Add 1 cup of water and let simmer, partially covered, until the flavors blend, about 15 minutes. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as necessary. Sprinkle the cilantro or parsley over the soup before serving.
    Bacon-Flavored Stock
    Makes 8 cups
     
    While testing our onion soup, we found that when we used only store-bought beef stock the result was a little too strong and when we used only chicken stock the soup was a little too weak. But a combination of chicken and beef stock was just right and produced a full-flavored liquid that supported the richness of the caramelized onions. If you want to toss in other veggies, like a large leek, or add a handful of herbs, go right ahead. For a somewhat milder stock with more chicken flavor that will work well as a base for other soups in this chapter, omit the canned beef stock altogether and substitute all chicken stock or equal parts chicken stock and water.
    3 whole cloves
    1 onion, cut in half
    5 cups low-sodium chicken stock
    4 cups low-sodium beef stock
    8 to 12 ounces slab bacon, with rind, cut into large chunks
    2 carrots, trimmed, scrubbed, and cut into quarters
    2 ribs celery
    1 Stud the onion halves with the cloves. Place the chicken stock, beef stock, slab bacon, carrots, celery, and clove-studded onion halves in a large pot over high heat. Cover the pot and let the stock come to a boil. Then, reduce the heat as necessary and let the stock simmer, partially covered, until the liquid is reduced and the flavor is concentrated, about 45 minutes.
    2 Strain the stock and discard the solids before using the stock for soup. (You can save the slab bacon, if you wish, to slice and add to omelets, salads, or other dishes.) You should have 8 cups of stock but, if you find that the liquid has evaporated to less than that, add a little water to make up the difference.

Minestrone with Bacon
    Serves 6
     
    Many different ingredients can be used to make minestrone. Some cooks add potatoes, others favor kidney beans over cannellini, and some prefer to skip the beans altogether. This minestrone recipe begins with a bacon-enhanced store-bought chicken stock that simmers about 30 minutes before the pasta, cabbage, and beans are added.
    Because