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Bacon is a versatile ingredient for salads, paired with goat cheese, pears, green beans, and more. It is different from pancetta as it is smoked and seasoned with fennel and nutmeg. Bacon salads can be made with mixed greens, sun-warmed tomatoes, fresh peas, and mint.
Any cook who has ever tasted the unique flavor of bacon is sure to go to great lengths to find or create recipes that showcase the salt and spice of dried sausage. Fortunately, bacon lends itself to salads of many varieties. Some of the favorite combinations are gently warmed goat cheese, pears or dried fruit, as well as vegetables such as green beans or peas. Almost any combination of vegetables, from baradicchio to arugula, offers the perfect start to a bacon salad that can be served on the side or as a main course instead.
Cooks and uncooked alike are tempted to equate bacon with pancetta; both are salty, pork fat, but the bacon is smoked, while the bacon is seasoned with fennel and nutmeg. Once the meat is cured, it spends a period of time in the drying shed. Before joining other foods at the dining table, it must be thinly sliced or diced and fried. A small amount of the final product contributes to the bacon salad’s rich flavor.
Home cooks everywhere have discovered that a delicious and healthy way to serve bacon salad starts with a bed of mixed greens. Sauteed garlic and lightly fried bacon combine with warmed, crumbled goat cheese and a handful of dried cranberries or cherries. Porcini mushroom flavored oil, apple cider or another fruity vinegar dresses the salad perfectly.
For those who don’t mind goat cheese, a fruity salad consisting of thinly sliced pear and peppery arugula creates a balanced foil for finely sliced bacon. Unless dairy consumption is a concern, this salad ends nicely with a very thin shaving or two of ricotta salata, which is dried, pressed ricotta suitable for grating. Many cooks mix a sauce with a drop or two of honey and fresh lemon juice along with Champagne vinegar.
A terrific and light summer bacon salad, perfect for dinner, adds sun-warmed, garden-ripened tomatoes to green beans and bacon. This recipe calls for sherry or other wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, prime cold-pressed olive oil, and honey. A grating of good quality hard cheese adds flavor and color.
Another summer salad with bacon but offering a decidedly unique twist contains fresh peas or peapods and finely chopped fresh mint. The goat cheese adds a subtle, creamy richness, and both the capers and lemon zest elevate the flavors with a twist. People who don’t eat dairy can crumble some extra firm tofu and the whole salad responds well to a simple dressing of good virgin olive oil, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper.
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