Bacon

Southwest Pasta Bean Soup

March 13, 2017 by The Partial Ingredients

Don’t you hate when you have almost all of the ingredients for something you want to make but are missing like 2 or 3 of the most important ones? I had this happen recently when I wanted to make Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta Bean Soup) but I was missing the Pancetta and the Cannellini beans. I was in a bit of a pickle until I realized I had regular bacon and pinto beans. Then I had the idea–why not make a Southwest version of the classic Italian Pasta e Fagioli (that’s Fajh-oh-lee) soup? Well, this is not exactly your grandmother’s pasta bean soup but it has a lot of the same elements of the traditional recipe. It’s made with almost exactly the same format as my recipe found here. There are a few choice differences though as the flavor of the bacon provides a smokier flavor than the pancetta. Instead of rosemary I used fresh sage and dried basil for the herbs. Instead of Ditalini pasta I opted for Gemelli since I had some of that laying around. It worked out nicely!

It’s funny how just a few ingredient changes transformed the recipe into something totally different. I still went with parmesan cheese as the garnish but you could probably use a white cheddar instead. I added about the same amount of red pepper to the recipe but adding another 1/2 teaspoon would really give this an extra oomph of heat. I loved the way these small changes did so much to change the recipe and it’s become one of my regular favorites!
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Slow Cooker Beef & Bacon Stew with Sourdough Croutons

October 16, 2016 by The Partial Ingredients

It’s already mid-October and the first rains of the wet season in California have started. The weather just makes me wants to snuggle up with a comforting bowl of something out of the slow cooker. This recipe hits the spot for all of the above! Flavored with savory herbs like fennel and thyme, this stew is packed with flavor. I especially like the bite of acid that comes from the Worcestershire and red vine vinegar. While this is optional, I like serving this stew with toasted sourdough croutons. The croutons soak up the flavorful broth and are just really delicious. If you’d rather go lower carb however, you can skip the croutons. You can also turn this recipe into more of a soup by adding a few more cups of stock to get a thinner consistency. The fact that this is a slow cooker recipe makes this stew simple and easy to throw together on week nights. I like to garnish each bowl with Parmesan, Romano or an aged white cheddar.
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Bacon, Avocado & Roasted Jalapeño Sandwich

August 31, 2016 by The Partial Ingredients

This sandwich is my top favorite at the moment and it’s actually really easy to make. How can you not love bacon and avocado in one sandwich? That is practically a match made in heaven! The key to this recipe is the roasted peppers. I like to use jalapenos that are on the moderately hot side. You can make them milder by removing the pith–that’s the white part–and the seeds. I get them good and charred in the broiler and they add a nice grilled flavor. For the avocados I like to mash these as if I were making guacamole. The mashed avocado holds the sandwich together like a paste for easier flipping. I know this might sound crazy but I actually love grilling these over the stove in the leftover bacon grease. Why dirty up a different pan with oil when you have a perfectly good one to cook with? If you’re squeamish about using bacon fat, just wipe down the pan and add the oil of your choice to it but I do recommend the bacon fat for this. You also gotta have sourdough on hand for this one; I’ve tried making it with other breads and it just isn’t as good without sourdough! The cheese I’m a little more flexible on. I’ve tried it with an aged white cheddar and swiss and I recommend both. The cheddar has a little more bite and takes longer to melt down. I also tried it with Jarlsberg swiss which added creaminess and melted pretty quickly. I liked both but maybe preferred the swiss a bit more than the cheddar. Try them out and let me know what you think!

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Bacon & Lentil Soup with Vegetables

May 29, 2016 by The Partial Ingredients

Bacon & Lentil Soup with Vegetables

We have recently been finding some new hikes around town and finding some really nice trails. Over the last few months my fiance and I have racked up a huge wildflower photo collection along with some beautiful snaps of the scenery.

Lupine

California Poppies

Wild Pansies

Wild Roses

When we get home on the weekends from hiking we’re usually not in the mood to work on complicated dinners

Spotted this cool guy on the trail!

That goes for the busy work day nights as well–ain’t nobody got time for that! Enter: Bacon Lentil Soup to the rescue. The healthy lentils cancels out the bacon right?? Pretty sure that’s how nutrition works. Anyways, I am a big fan of this soup as it’s simple to throw together and full of good stuff. The bell peppers and mushrooms go great in this recipe which is flavored with white wine, fresh sage, garlic and spices. A pinch of cinnamon lends itself great to the flavors of the recipe. I like the bacon with this recipe because–well do I even need to explain why? You can definitely remove the bacon to make this vegan or vegetarian.

Bacon & Lentil Soup with Vegetables

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