I wouldn’t have believed there was a recipe for this. I’m sure it would be absolutely delicious with Stillmeadow Farm bacon.

(makes about 2 cups)

1 pound nitrate / nitrate free bacon, roughly chopped (this is a good time to use the less expensive end cuts)
1 onion, diced
1/4 C apple cider vinegar
1/3 C maple syrup
3/4 C brewed coffee

Preheat your oven to 300?
In a medium dutch oven, brown the bacon on medium low heat until it is nice and brown and has rendered it’s fat, about 20 minutes
Remove the bacon from the pot with a slotted spoon and leave about 1 T fat in the pan. (Reserve the remainder for another use)
Add the onion to the pot and saute until it is golden brown and softened, about 10 minutes.
Add the maple syrup, coffee, apple cider vinegar and bacon.
Bring to a simmer, cover, and place in the middle rack of your oven.
Let it hang out in there for about 3 hours, or until it has reached a syrupy consistency. Keep in mind that it will thicken and solidify a great deal once it’s cold or room temperature.
Transfer to a food processor and pulse 6-8 times or until it has reached an even consistency, not quite pureed, but without large chunks.
Store in glass jars and refrigerate. It should keep for a good 2 weeks.

What to do with your magical bacon jam?

(You mean aside from eating it with a spoon?)

Make BLT bites: Spoon a teaspoon or so of bacon jam onto an endive leaf or a gluten-free cracker, and top with a halved cherry tomato and baby arugula leaf.
Spoon it onto some Grain-Free Everything Crackers for a simple afternoon snack.
Warm it up and serve it on vanilla bean ice cream. Bacon for dessert!
Fold it into scrambled eggs, or add it to an omelette or frittata.
Top a burger with bacon jam and slices of tomato and avocado for an epic BLT burger.
If you really want to impress your friends, add it to the charcuterie platter at your swanky cocktail party with other patés and spreads.
Make a large batch and give it as gifts for those hard to shop for friends and family.

Steamed Pork-and-Mushroom Shumai

Recipe courtesy Ching-He Huang for Food Network Magazine

Prep Time:
1 hr 0 min
Inactive Prep Time:
—
Cook Time:
10 min

Level:
Easy

Serves:
12 to 14 dumplings

Ingredients
For the filling:

1 1 1/2-inch piece ginger
5 shiitake mushrooms
1 scallion, finely chopped
1/4 pound ground pork
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

For the dumplings:

12 to 14 square wonton wrappers
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Dried goji berries or frozen peas and carrots, for topping (optional)
Vegetable oil, for brushing

For the sauce:

1 tablespoon Asian chile paste (such as sambal oelek)
2 tablespoons light soy sauce

Directions

Make the filling: Peel the ginger by scraping it with a spoon, then grate 1 tablespoon. Stem and finely chop the mushrooms. Combine the ginger, mushrooms, scallion, pork, soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil and cornstarch in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands until all of the ingredients are incorporated.

Form the dumplings: Place a damp paper towel over the wonton wrappers to keep them from drying out. Remove 1 wrapper and brush with some of the beaten egg.

Make a circle with your thumb and index finger; lay the wrapper on top, nudging it down to create a cup. Add 2 teaspoons filling, then pat the filling down with the back of a spoon.

Fold the overhanging wrapper edges down, leaving the filling exposed. Press the wrapper firmly around the filling. Pat the top and bottom of the dumpling to make it flat.

Top the dumpling with a dried goji berry or 1 each frozen pea and carrot. Repeat to form the remaining dumplings.

Steam the dumplings: Cut out a round of parchment paper to fit in a bamboo steamer and punch holes in the paper to let steam through. Line the steamer with the parchment and brush with vegetable oil; arrange the dumplings in the steamer and cover. Put the steamer in a wok or skillet with a few inches of boiling water, making sure the water does not touch the bottom of the steamer. Steam the dumplings 8 to 10 minutes, or until the pork is cooked through.

Make the sauce: Combine the chile paste and soy sauce in a small shallow bowl. Serve with the dumplings for dipping.

Photograph by Eric Wolfinger

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/cda/recipe_print/0,1946,FOOD_9936_678840_RECIPE-PRINT-FULL-PAGE-FORMATTER,00.html?oc=linkback

Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe (serves 4)
Spaghetti Carbonara is one of the most popular Italian pasta dishes. This carbonara recipe combines cream, eggs, cheese and bacon. The traditional Italian version omits the cream, but we like it, so we put it in.

Ingredients:
1 lb spaghetti 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup heavy cream 2 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley
4 eggs Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
½ lb bacon, cut into ½-inch dice ¾ cup freshly grated pecorino-romano cheese (parmesan may be substituted)
Preparation:
Fill a large soup pot with cold water and add a handful or so of Kosher salt. Stir and taste; it should taste like seawater. Cover the pot and heat the water until it boils.
Add the diced bacon to a cold sauté pan and cook slowly over a low heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towels.
Drop the spaghetti into the boiling salted water and cook according to package instructions, about 6 to 9 minutes or until al dente, or tender but still firm to the bite.
While the pasta cooks, combine the eggs, cheese, cream and olive oil in a bowl and beat with a whisk until completely mixed.
Drain pasta, toss with the egg and cream mixture, then add the cooked bacon and chopped parsley. Serve right away, with additional grated cheese if desired.

Ingredients

• 6 pork chops
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 2 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups Italian-style seasoned bread crumbs
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup white wine

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Rinse pork chops, pat dry, and season with garlic powder and seasoning salt to taste. Place the beaten eggs in a small bowl. Dredge the pork chops lightly in flour, dip in the egg, and coat liberally with bread crumbs.
3. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the pork chops 5 minutes per side, or until the breading appears well browned. Transfer the chops to a 9×13 inch baking dish, and cover with foil.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. While baking, combine the cream of mushroom soup, milk and white wine in a medium bowl. After the pork chops have baked for an hour, cover them with the soup mixture. Replace foil, and bake for another 30 minutes.

Ingredients

• 4 pork chops, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup herb-seasoned dry bread stuffing mix

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Pour butter into a 9×13 inch baking pan.
2. Stir together egg, milk and pepper. Dip pork chops in egg mixture, coat with stuffing mix and place in pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Turn chops and bake for another 10 minutes, or until no pink remains in the meat and juices run clear.

Ingredients

• 4 pork chops, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup herb-seasoned dry bread stuffing mix

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Pour butter into a 9×13 inch baking pan.
2. Stir together egg, milk and pepper. Dip pork chops in egg mixture, coat with stuffing mix and place in pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Turn chops and bake for another 10 minutes, or until no pink remains in the meat and juices run clear.

The Douro region is famous for its tasty veal and black pork raised on its dry, hilly terrain. Wherever I travelled down the valley, I was served a roast veal or pork loin with roasted potatoes, sliced potatoes with onions baked in a generous amount of olive oil, or thinly sliced fried potatoes. The roast I was served on the stunning terraced garden of the Quinta das Carvalhas was studded with prunes.

This recipe makes 8 serving(s)

Ingredients

• 8 pitted prunes, halved
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) ruby port or tawny port
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-1/4 tsp (6 mL) salt
• 3 lb (1.4 kg) boneless pork loin centre roast
• 3/4 tsp (4 mL) paprika
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation:

In bowl, mix together prunes, Port, garlic and 1/2 tsp (2 mL) of the sa< let stand for 1 hour.

Cut slits in pork evenly all over; insert prune half with clinging garlic in each slit. Place in roasting pan. Sprinkle with paprika and remaining salt. Mix prune juices with oil; spoon 3 tbsp (45 mL) over pork.

Roast in 325°F (160°C) oven, basting often with oil mixture and later with pan juices, until juices run clear when pork is pierced and just a hint of pink remains inside, or thermometer reads 160°F (71°C), 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

Reserving pan juices, transfer to serving platter; tent with foil and let stand for 10 minutes before thinly slicing. Mix carving juices with pan juices; spoon some over slices, serving remainder on the side.

Source: Canadian Living Magazine: March 2010

This recipe makes 8 serving(s)

.Ingredients

• 1 tsp (5 mL) fennel seeds
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tsp (18 mL) chopped fresh thyme, (or 1 tsp/5 mL dried)
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil
• 1 tsp (5 mL) dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) each salt and pepper
• 1 boneless centre-cut double-loin pork roast, (about 2-1/4 lb/1.125 kg)

Preparation:

Using mortar and pestle or with bottom of heavy skillet, crush fennel seeds; place in small bowl. Mix in garlic, thyme, oil, dry mustard, salt and pepper to form paste; rub all over roast.

Place roast on rack in roasting pan. Roast in centre of 325°F (160°C) convection oven until meat thermometer inserted in centre registers 160°F (70°C), about 80 minutes. Transfer to cutting board; tent with foil and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

Conventional oven: Centre rack at 325°F (160°C) for 2 hours. To ensure that this pork roast recipe is perfectly roasted, keep in mind that a convection oven reduces roasting time by about one-quarter. For a 4 lb (2 kg) roast, add 10 minutes to convection and 1 hour to conventional times.

Garlic Pork Roast (Source: Canadian Living Magazine: March 2004)

This recipe makes 8 serving(s)

.Ingredients

• 1 tsp (5 mL) fennel seeds
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tsp (18 mL) chopped fresh thyme, (or 1 tsp/5 mL dried)
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil
• 1 tsp (5 mL) dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) each salt and pepper
• 1 boneless centre-cut double-loin pork roast, (about 2-1/4 lb/1.125 kg)

Preparation:

Using mortar and pestle or with bottom of heavy skillet, crush fennel seeds; place in small bowl. Mix in garlic, thyme, oil, dry mustard, salt and pepper to form paste; rub all over roast.

Place roast on rack in roasting pan. Roast in centre of 325°F (160°C) convection oven until meat thermometer inserted in centre registers 160°F (70°C), about 80 minutes. Transfer to cutting board; tent with foil and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

Conventional oven: Centre rack at 325°F (160°C) for 2 hours. To ensure that this pork roast recipe is perfectly roasted, keep in mind that a convection oven reduces roasting time by about one-quarter. For a 4 lb (2 kg) roast, add 10 minutes to convection and 1 hour to conventional times.

This is a quick, easy and delicious recipe that works well for pork, mutton or lamb sausages.

Ingredients:
1 ¼ C. sifted all-purpose flour.
1 tsp. salt.
1 ½ C. milk.
2 eggs.
1 ½ lb. sausage links.

Method:
Into bowl sift flour and salt; gradually beat in milk, then add eggs, while beating until smooth.  Start heating oven to 425 degrees.
In hot skillet fry sausages until brown on all sides, then remove from drippings and cut in half crosswise.
Into 12”x8”x2” baking dish pour 2 tbsp. sizzling-hot sausage drippings.  Arrange sausage pieces over bottom of dish, then, over them, pour batter.  Bake 25 minutes or until puffy and golden.  Serve at once.  Makes about 6 servings.

(From “The Good Housekeeping International Cookbook”.)