bacon pone

I made this bacon bread once before, but I think it looks a lot prettier this time. I used an enamelled pan, for one thing. My cast iron skillet did a great job on the onions initially, but the iron made the onions turn green by the next day. Very weird looking. Secondly, you simply don't need as much liquid as the recipe calls for. I think I reduced it by about half a cup- I left out the water and used sugar rather than molasses. Over all, it was a big improvement. Third-party taste test says it's a winner.

I do stick with my reccomendation for salad as an accompaniment. That's arugula and roasted squash, with some kind of hard cheese that had no label on it. It's pretty nutty, like a parmesan or asiago, and a little smelly, but that could just be my fridge.

Workin on it...

Dove Vivi has this super yummy cornmeal crust pizza. I had some on Friday and now I'm jonsing for their crust. It's like focaccia but with little crunchy bits, both chewy and crispy, and it oozes with olive oil. I'm not trying to replicate that crust, I'm just going in that direction. It's a pretty small recipe, here's what's in it:


1/2 cup warm water
1 tsp sugar
1T flour
3/4 tsp instant yeast

Mix these things together and let them sit until they're all foamy, then mix in well:

Another 1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup olive oil. Use something nice and fruity.
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary

Let the batter sit in a warm place for at least 4 hours. I bet overnight would be better, it would get really well fermented. Then mix in about another 3/4 cup of flour. I wasn't really paying attention to it, I was really just trying to get the texture right. After about 10 minutes of kneading, it should be somewhat soft, but not gooshy, and shouldn't stick to your hands. Oil it well and let it double in bulk. I usually put my dough back in the mixing bowl and cover it with a plate; saves a dish that way. When the dough has risen, pre-heat the oven- I did 425, but now I think it should have been hotter. Then oil a thin, non-insulated sheetpan and sprinkle a little more cornmeal on it. Dump the dough out onto the pan and just sort of poke it down a little bit. You aren't really trying to deflate it, you just want it to have some dimples to hold another splash of oil, a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper and more rosemary if you want. I really liked the way the fresh rosemary got all crispy on mine. But then, since the oven wasn't as hot as I I think it should have been, after about 15 minutes I turned the oven up to broil, moved up the rack and browned the top for about 3 more minutes.

This is my first round, next time I won't stretch it out so thin. It does make really good salami and tomato bites though. Ah, fermentation, I love it.

Pete's Sausage Dressing

According to an old redneck I used to hang out with (bless him) it is properly called 'stuffing' only when it is served out of the cavity of an animal. Turkey or whatever. If it is cooked and served as a side dish, it is 'dressing'.

2 mild italian sausage links
1 large onion, diced
3 or 4 celery ribs, diced
fresh sage, parsley, rosemary, minced
salt & pepper
a bit of olive oil

about 1/2 recipe of leftover cornbead

Smash up the sausage links and fry them in a large heavy pan. Discard the casings if you like, they're sorta rubbery. When the sausage is mostly done, add the onions. Depending on how fatty the sausage is, you may need to add a drop or two of olive oil. Stir a bit, and when the onions are starting to go transparent, add the herbs and celery, stir, cover.

At this point, I cut the cornbread into rather thick slices and toasted them in a mostly dry skillet. You could skip this step, but I like the toasty bits from re-frying the bread. Turn the bread slices to brown both sides if you do this.

Once the celery is tender, add the cornbread to the pot and smash it up with a spoon or something.

Serve with squash. Pete usually does his mashed, like potatoes, but I like mine like this:

1 butternut squash
salt, pepper, olive oil

I use butternuts because they are very easy to peel with a potato peeler, and they have a very small amount of guts as compared to other kinds of squash. So, peel one, scoop out the guts, and cube the squash. Toss with a good amount of olive oil and plenty of salt and pepper. Bake on a sheet for as much as an hour at 375. The time varies from 1/2 hour up, depends on how big your cubes are and how large your squash was.

I think goat cheese would be very nice with this.