Somehow over the last 10 or 20 years, bacon became American pop culture’s favorite food. Always popular it grew into an obsession, bacon layered on bacon with a bacon garnish. So popular that I was surprised not to find any bacon WFD in the last few years. [I’m too lazy to check the entire 11+ years of history.] And you can wash down your bacon cheeseburgers, bacon dogs and bacon pizza with bacon soda and bacon beer and bacon whiskey.
Before the bacon entree, here are some great bacon appetizers.
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Rumaki
This is a classic bite of 1950s-60s America. For the main course, how about bacon-wrapped filet mignon? Americans didn’t drink wine back then, have a Manhattan. Trader Vic’s recipe via epicurious.com, makes 24 pieces.
1/4 lb chicken livers, trimmed and rinsed
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
12 canned water chestnuts, drained and halved horizontally
8 bacon slices (1/2 pound), cut crosswise into third
24 wooden toothpicks
- Cut chicken livers into 24 (roughly 1/2-inch) pieces. Stir together soy sauce, ginger, brown sugar, and curry powder. Add livers and water chestnuts and toss to coat. Marinate, covered and chilled, 1 hour.
- While livers marinate, soak toothpicks in cold water 1 hour. Drain well. Preheat broiler.
- Remove livers and chestnuts from marinade and discard marinade. Place 1 piece of bacon on a work surface and put 1 piece of liver and 1 chestnut in center. Wrap bacon around liver and chestnut and secure with a toothpick. Make 23 more rumaki in same manner.
- Broil rumaki on rack of a broiler pan 2 inches from heat, turning once, until bacon is crisp and livers are cooked but still slightly pink inside (unwrap 1 to check for doneness), 5 to 6 minutes. Serve immediately.
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BBQ Shrimp
One of the best really easy things I know of, previously diaried here. The compliments / effort ratio is off the chart.
large shrimp or prawns
bacon strips, cut crosswise into thirds
fresh jalapeno pepper cut lengthwise into thin strips (optional)
wooden toothpicks or skewers
bbq sauce
- Peel and devein shrimp. If you want the extra spice tuck a jalapeno strip into the open side. Wrap a bacon strip around each shrimp, secure with a toothpick. Place in a dish, pour your favorite bbq sauce over, refrigerate until serving time.
- Grill until bacon is crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Serve immediately.
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Bacon-Sugar Bread Sticks
This is the recipe that inspired this diary. A friend-of-a-friend brought these to the tailgate a couple years ago and we ate them up. Makes 22 — from “What Can I Bring?” by Elizabeth Heiskell
2 cups packed light brown sugar
22 bacon slices
22 very thin packaged breadsticks
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil.
- Spread the brown sugar in a large pan or baking sheet. Wrap 1 slice of bacon around each breadstick, starting at one end of the breadstick and barely overlapping the bacon. Roll the breadsticks in the brown sugar, pressing to adhere. (At this point, you can cover and refrigerate the breadsticks overnight, if desired.)
- When ready to bake, place the breadsticks on the foil-lined baking sheet. Bake until the bacon is cooked through and almost crisp, 35 to 40 minutes. Immediately remove the hot sticks from the baking sheet and transfer them to a sheet of wax paper. (They will stick like glue, if not moved immediately.) Cool to room temperature before serving.
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What’s for dinner at your place? Maybe you could write about it for a future WFD. Please message ninkasi23 if you want to.