Bacon, Salad, Alzheimer Spouses, Cherries,

I just saw an article about cooking bacon. I like mine good and crispy so I use a paper plate, put a

double layer of paper towel on it, three rashers of bacon and then another double layer of paper. Cook in the microwave for 3 minutes and it comes out really crispy and there is no fat to bother about. I guess if you like it softer, you would decrease the time. For my English readers, the only bacon we get here is what we used to call streaky. Can't get regular back bacon. You can get it made into peameal bacon which comes in a lump and is covered in cornmeal. Never tried it, guess I should one of these days. Actually just read the article I linked it to and it sounds pretty tasty. It also has quite a history.

Been wanting to make the tomato salad I posted the other day, Sesame, Tomato and Cucumber Salad.

I decided to try it tonight, didn't have all the ingredients, I used some Siracha sauce instead of hot peppers and sweet onions instead of green onions but it turned out very well, I was quite pleased with it. Tasted delicious. I also used that very expensive tomato I bought at Victoria St. Market on Monday. It was worth every penny.  The blog seems to have got a bit turned around with the picture appearing twice. Guess I will have to go back and alter it.

Today we had another Alzheimer meeting with spouses using Zoom. One of the women told a hilarious story about a happening during last couple of weeks, we were all in fits. Nice to have something to laugh about for a change. It really is good to talk to the other spouses and hear their stories which dovetail with one's own. However, there will be one meeting more this month. We are able to join lots of other meetings but we all felt it was a good idea to keep this group together. I offered to host such meetings and everyone seemed enthusiastic.

Kathy brought my groceries this afternoon but didn't bring Oates. Think she was a tad busy. She is off camping for a couple of days apparently. By the way, I didn't get my cherries, they didn't have any although they were shown online. Apparently one can get cherry tablets and a cherry juice. I'm not big on juices but....

Another recipe I never tried. Not sure Matt would like farro though.

Brothy Beans and Farro with Eggs and Mushrooms

Stirring a raw egg yolk into each bowl at the end adds silkiness, heft, and protein. But this dish is satisfying without it, too. The secret to delicious-tasting beans is infusing the cooking liquid with aromatics like onions and garlic, then seasoning it liberally at the end until it's just shy of salty

1 small onion, unpeeled, halved
1 medium carrot, peeled
4 garlic cloves, 1 smashed, 3 finely chopped
1 ½ cups dried gigante, runner, or lima beans, soaked overnight, drained
1 cup farro or spelt, soaked overnight, drained
Kosher salt
2 red Fresno chiles, seeds removed, finely chopped
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbs finely chopped rosemary
8 oz maitake or shiitake mushrooms, torn into bite-size pieces
2 tsp sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
4 large egg yolks, room temperature

1. Bring onion, carrot, smashed garlic, beans, and 14 cups water to a boil in a medium pot, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are creamy but still intact, 70–90 minutes (time will vary depending on size and age of beans). Using a slotted spoon, transfer beans to a medium bowl; discard onion, carrot, and garlic.

2. Return broth in pot to a boil and add farro. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until grains are tender, 25–30 minutes. Remove from heat and return beans to pot; season generously with salt. Let sit 15 minutes to infuse beans and grains with flavor. (If you have the time, cook the beans and the grains a day ahead so they can really soak up the broth. If not, no worries—just keep going.)

3. Cook chopped garlic, chiles, and ? cup oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until garlic is golden, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in rosemary. Transfer chile-garlic oil to a small bowl; season with salt.

4. Wipe out skillet and heat remaining 3 Tbsp. oil over medium-high. Cook mushrooms, undisturbed, until browned underneath, about 2 minutes. Toss and continue to cook, tossing every so often, until mushrooms are browned and crisp in most spots, another 6–8 minutes. Splash vinegar over mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and give skillet a few shakes to combine.

5. Ladle stew into bowls and top each with some crisped mushrooms and an egg yolk (if using); drizzle with chile-garlic oil.

6. Break egg yolk and stir into soup just before eating to give it a more silky consistency.

7. Do Ahead: Stew (without mushrooms, egg yolks, and chile-garlic oil) can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill

Author: Andy Baraghani
Source: Bon Apppétit

Have a great day, stay well, stay safe.