Drunk and Spicy Candied Bacon

Bacon is sooo 2012, but can you really get sick of it? I don’t.  There are lot of version of this recipe and I chose to write about the boozy one. I didn’t include quantities because it’s not necessary and you can customize as you please. Behold the power of the Drunk and Spicy Candied Bacon!

Marinate the bacon overnight in your whiskey of choice (I used Canadian Club).

Drip the bacon and turn on your oven at 175 °C.

In the meantime mix sugar with spices (except for salt) and coat the stripes evenly.

Put the bacon on the racks and cook for around 20 minutes or until the borders are brown and the center is crispy.

Remember to put something like an aluminium foil under the rack in order to collect fat and melted sugar that surely will drop.

When ready sprinkle with salt, let it cool and serve. 

Buon appetito!

Rakfisk wrap with Ambrosia apple and sour cream

Rakfisk is weird, it looks like fish but it smells like cheese. The flavour is a punch in your face: a mix of fishy fish and the strongest and spiciest Gorgonzola ever. After reading this the most of you will skip to something else, so I'm talking to my bravest readers who are still here: Rakfisk is a queer fish (hah!) but it's absolutely delicious. Today I'm sharing with you a simple snack, quick and easy but very enjoyable.

For the rakfisk apple wrap you'll need

On a nonstick pan heat up the tortilla. When it's soft place it on a cutting board and start adding the ingredients by placing them on an imaginary rectangle in the center of the tortilla. Start with the fish then add the onions, the apple, the sour cream and the lettuce. Seal the wrap with a little spread of sour cream, cut it in two halves and you're set for a fresh and tasty nibble.

The apple gives a crunchy and sweet touch to the fish and freshens up the whole wrap, you can also try with a pear (better if not too ripe).

    If you're not in Norway you're probably thinking "what the heck do I do with this recipe?", as you can't find Rakfisk anywhere else. Well, you can replace it with smoked salmon or lox but it's not the same. I suggest to just come and visit Norway because it's beautiful (and you can find Rakfisk!). 

Spis opp, folkens!

Sautéed zucchini with chorizo

To counterbalance the last complicated recipe and to shut some of the friends who were complaining about the fact that I'm uploading mostly vegetarian recipes I thought about a very simple meaty side dish. I don't want to give you precise doses so you can act as freely as you want.

Ingredients:

Warm up some olive oil in a frying pan and when it's hot enough add the garlic. Pour in the chorizo and stir gently. When the garlic becomes orange add the zucchini and combine the ingredients over medium fire. Stir fry until you reach the desired texture and serve hot.

 I also added the leftovers from the ricotta cheese filling of yesterday's ravioli, it came out a bit messy but very very yummy. If you want to obtain a better presentation you can mildly roast the ricotta in the oven at 150 degrees for about 4 minutes. It will harden up and you'll be able to crumble it over your dish.

  Buon appetito!

It's peanut butter, chocolate and banana time!

As I mentioned before I'm a big fan of well planned and well executed junk-comfort food and a Reese's enthusiast. Both because of this and because me and my husband already ate up all the Valentine treats I decided to try out a homemade and slightly different version of Hershey's famous product.

This is perfect as a snack for kids or for a party but also for grown-ups who enjoy this little and yummy combination. The ingredients' quantities are for about 20 bites. Go!

For the peanut base:

For the chocolate covering:

For the banana filling:

  In a bowl mix together the base ingredients until you have a crumbly/sandy paste. Press this mixture in a stamp (you can pick any bite size or material you want, silicone is maybe easier for practical reasons) with your fingers or with a teaspoon and level it. Place a slice of banana in the center of each stamp. Now melt the chocolate au bain marie adding some marine salt (you can add cinnamon, nutmeg, orange peel and such instead but the flavour will change radically) and with a spoon cover the peanut and banana base.

Let it cool down and put it in the fridge for 2 hours then take out the yummy bites from the stamp and enjoy the variation of textures and the flavours melting together.

Buon appetito!