Ode to All Things Bacon

I know am not alone in my love of bacon. It’s probably the reason why I could never really be a vegetarian. I have a work colleague who has been a vegetarian for decades but says that when he goes to Vegas, he eats bacon. His reasoning: “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”

Elite chocolatier Vosge’s number 1 selling chocolate bar is Mo’s Bacon Bar. Remodelista Julie informed me that there is a on-line magazine called Bacon Today and at the Fancy Foods Show in San Francisco we spotted Baconnaise.

While I love to just eat bacon straight up, it is also one of my favorite cooking ingredients. I love spinach salad because of the bacon, and pasta alla carbonara, again because of the bacon, and my absolute favorite way to have bacon is at the peak of summer tomato ripeness in a B.L.T.

David and Anne Cure of Cure Organic Farm host a B.L.T. fest every labor day for the Slow Food group here in Boulder (stay tuned for a post on this year’s event).  Here are two of my favorite recipes.

Pasta with Tuna, Bacon, Lemon, Tomatoes and Parsley –

1 lb spaghetti
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
6 oz of chopped bacon
1 can tuna, packed in oil is really good but not essential
4 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
zest of 1/2 a lemon
14 oz of canned chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper, to taste
grated Parmesan

While your pasta is boiling, heat a pan (I use cast iron) and cook the chopped bacon until it is brown. Add the tuna and garlic and canned tomaotes and bring toa a boil. Add the lemon zest and season with salt and pepper. Add the cooked and drained pasta and chopped parsley. Stir around and serve. Top with freshly grated Parmesan.

Bacon Wrapped Dates –  I first had these delectable yummies at The Med in Boulder. Since then I’ve seen them presented with cheese fillings and nuts – the best being a goat cheese filling with a marcona almond- but I really like them with the two ingerdients. You have the intense sweetness of the dates perfectly paired with the salty-smokiness of the bacon.

12 slices of bacon, cut in half
24 pitted dates

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Wrap a piece of bacon around the width of each date and secure with a toothpick. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 6 to 8 minutes. Set a side to cool for a few minutes before eating.