Napa Farmhouse 1885™

I "retired" from the corporate world a couple of years ago because I wanted to experience a real life after years of 80 hour work weeks and constant travel. A year later I realized that I was having a really good time, was always busy (how did i ever fit in a job??) and needed a creative outlet to share my experiences. Now I split my time between California and New Mexico but, wherever I am, I write about delicious, fresh, local, organic/sustainably grown food.

Showing posts with label bacon. Show all posts

Monday, June 20, 2016

Six Hamburger Recipes To Get You Through Summer (Two Are Vegetarian!)

Today is the first day of summer, and it just happens to be the hottest day of the year. Here in Taos, New Mexico, we are at 7000 feet and the temperature rarely even gets into the 90s. But after sitting in the sun for hours, my car's thermometer read 122 degrees. By the time I arrived home it had dropped to 100 degrees. The last thing I wanted to do was turn on the oven. The solution? Grilling hamburgers.

My husband loves BLTs; he also loves hamburgers. So...maybe we could combine the two and make BLHTs? (bacon, lettuce, hamburger & tomatoes). These four ingredients with mayo (or mustard if you are a rebel) on sliced French bread. Perfect! This idea plus five additional "burger" recipes helps welcome in summer 2016!

BLHTs
makes 1

2 slices cooked bacon
1 1/3 lb hamburger patty cooked medium rare
2 slices tomato
handful lettuce
mayonnaise or mustard
sea salt
black pepper
2 slices French bread, thickly cut (toasted or not)

Spread mayo (or mustard) on both slices of bread. Pile the lettuce on top of the mayo on one slice of bread. Top with the hamburger patty, bacon, and tomato. Season with salt & pepper. Top with remaining slice of bread and serve.

Spicy Chickpea Burgers With Cabbage Slaw
makes 6-8 burgers

1 cup garbanzo flour
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp minced garlic
pinch dried red pepper flakes
large pinch sea salt
pinch freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
2 cups water
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
extra virgin olive oil
whole wheat buns

Chipotle mayo add 1-2 tsp (depending on your heat tolerance) minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce to 1/2 cup mayonnaise. I use a vegan substitute, Veganaise

Cabbage Slaw recipe (use any color cabbage, add 1 cup grated carrot and skip the nuts)

Combine garbanzo flour and next 6 ingredients in medium saucepan. Add water and stir to remove lumps. Set heat to medium and cook, frequently stirring, for 10-12 minutes or until mixture is very thick. Stir in fresh parsley. Turn off heat and cool in pot 5 minutes.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, create patties using 2 spoonfuls (or scoops) for each patty. Press down lightly to form each patty. Depending on the size of scoop you should get 6-8 patties. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in large skillet. Fry patties until each side is golden brown (2-3 minutes per side).

Drizzle olive oil over inside of each whole wheat bun. Heat oven to broil setting. Place buns under the broiler until golden. Remove from oven.

To assemble burgers: place one chickpea patty of the bottom of the bun. Top with cabbage salad or, in season, a slice of heirloom tomato and lettuce. Add a small dollop of chipotle mayo and top of the bun. Serve.

Four additional recipes you may enjoy:

elk burgers
buffalo sliders with bacon & cheese
eggplant fritter burgers with sriracha chili mayo
buffalo chicken sliders with bacon & celery

It is "Hamburger" week at Food Network's Summer Soiree roundup. Do you have a favorite hamburger recipe to share? Please list (or link) in the comments below. And be sure to check out the other delicious sounding recipes from my blogger friends and Food Network:

Feed Me Phoebe: Cauliflower Sweet Potato Burgers with Sriracha Aioli (Vegetarian Paleo)
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Six Hamburger Recipes To Get You Through Summer (Two Are Vegetarian!)
In Jennie's Kitchen: Stuffed Cheeseburgers
Healthy Eats: Our Definitive Healthy-Burger List
Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Beet and Oats Vegan Burger
Creative Culinary: Beef Burger with Homemade Guinness Irish Stout Ketchup
Taste with the Eyes: Open-Faced Swiss Burger with Flower Salad
FN Dish: 7 Surprising Ways to Better Your Burger Game This Summer

best,

diane

napa farmhouse 1885

red or green?

California Girl in Taos

MoseyLove

napa farmhouse 1885

Promote Your Page Too

I have started sharing my newest blog "California Girl in Taos." Please visit and let me know what you think.

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Pasta With Spring Peas & Pancetta

Spring peas. Just the name reminds me that spring weather is almost here. (almost, because in Northern New Mexico the current weather is chilly, windy and without bud break on the fruit trees.) And fresh peas are so easy to prepare. They can be cooked in just a few minutes, and are delicious paired with spring onions, or spring garlic, or fresh mint, or greens, fava beans, asparagus...just about any other spring vegetable is magical in dishes featuring peas. But, really, does it get any better than peas and bacon?

I fried Italian pancetta until crispy and then sauteed spring onion, garlic and red pepper flakes. Added freshly shelled spring peas and tossed everything together with hot pasta. Smothered the dish with mounds of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and dinner was served.

Peas are an amazingly healthy vegetable. The website World's Healthiest Foods discusses this in detail, but I think my favorite benefit of peas is the eco-friendly aspect:

Green peas stand out as an environmentally friendly food. Agricultural research has shown that pea crops can provide the soil with important benefits. First, peas belong to a category of crops called "nitrogen fixing" crops. With the help of bacteria in the soil, peas and other pulse crops are able to take nitrogen gas from the air and convert it into more complex and usable forms. This process increases nitrogen available in the soil without the need for added fertilizer. Peas also have a relatively shallow root system which can help prevent erosion of the soil, and once the peas have been picked, the plant remainders tend to break down relatively easily for soil replenishment. Finally, rotation of peas with other crops has been shown to lower the risk of pest problems. These environmentally friendly aspects of pea production add to their desirability as a regular part of our diet.

Just remember this the next time you are considering purchasing fresh peas...even better, maybe grow some in your garden.

Pasta With Spring Peas & Pancetta
(serves 6)

1 lb wide flat pasta (like Pappardelle)
4 oz pancetta, diced
½ yellow onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ tsp red pepper flakes (more if you like it spicy..1 do!)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 lb fresh spring peas
grey sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of water to boil…when rapidly boiling, salt water well and add pasta. Cook following package directions (10-12 minutes) until just al dente (firm to the bite). Do not overcook. Using a ladle, remove one ladleful of the pasta water and set aside. Drain the pasta.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, sauté the pancetta until crispy. Remove from the skillet and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Add the 2 tbsp olive oil and onion to the skillet and saute until translucent. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until garlic just begins to brown. Stir in the peas and cook for 2 minutes. Add the cooked pasta and reserved pasta water to the skillet, stir well and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, drizzling pasta with extra virgin olive oil if desired. Top with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Click Here For Printer Friendly Recipe

It is Spring Peas week at Food Network's Sensational Sides roundup. Do you have a favorite peas recipe to share? Please list (or link) in the comments below. And be sure to check out the other delicious sounding recipes from my blogger friends and Food Network.

Taste with the Eyes: Succulent Fresh Fish and Spring Produce
Devour: Crowd-Peasing Recipes Using 3 Varieties of Spring Peas
Creative Culinary: Spaghetti with Pea and Pine Nut Pesto
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Pasta with Spring Peas & Pancetta
Red or Green: Sugar Snap Peas & Peppers
Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Peas and Cottage Cheese Curry
The Mom 100: Sauteed Vegetable Frittata
FN Dish: 5 Ways Peas Are Better with the Italian Treatment

best,

diane

napa farmhouse 1885

red or green?

California Girl in Taos

MoseyLove

napa farmhouse 1885

Promote Your Page Too

I have started sharing my newest blog "California Girl in Taos." Please visit and let me know what you think.

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Oven Baked Bacon (and a Bacon Recipe Roundup)

When I am serving bacon to a large crowd, I always bake it in the oven. So easy, and virtually no mess! My friends always ask me for the recipe (no recipe, just a technique), so I thought I would share the method and post a few of my favorite recipes. Ahh..bacon!

Oven Roasted Bacon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil. Lay bacon strips directly on top of foil...or you can add a rack to the sheet and place the bacon on top of the rack...frankly, I have prepared the bacon both ways and do not see much of a difference).

Bake bacon in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, flip slices and return to oven for another 5-10 minutes....caution...watch bacon carefully during the last few minutes...it goes from cooked to burnt really fast!

Remove from oven and place bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate. Pat extra fat off bacon and allow to cool....tear into bite sized pieces. Reserve bacon drippings from baking sheet.

Now that you have a pile of fresh, hot, crispy bacon, here are some of my favorite way to use the bounty:

It is Bacon week at Food Network's Comfort Food Feast roundup. Do you have a favorite bacon recipe to share? Please list (or link) in the comments below. And be sure to check out the other delicious sounding recipes from my blogger friends and Food Network.

The Lemon Bowl: Roasted Green Beans with Bacon
Creative Culinary: Bacon, Potato and Leek Soup with Roasted Garlic
TasteBook: Smokey Caramelized Onion, Coffee & Bacon Jam
Healthy Eats: 5 Better Ways to Put Bacon on Everything
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Oven Baked Bacon (and a Bacon Recipe Roundup)
Taste with the Eyes: Hawaiian Wedding Shower, Bacon Wrapped Pineapple Appetizer
The Mom 100: The Ultimate BLT Sandwich
Dishin & Dishes: Bacon Chipotle Caramel Crack
FN Dish: 6 Ways to Make Over-the-Top Foods More Over the Top ... with Bacon

best,

diane

napa farmhouse 1885

red or green?

California Girl in Taos

MoseyLove

napa farmhouse 1885

Promote Your Page Too

I have started sharing my newest blog "California Girl in Taos." Please visit and let me know what you think.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Inside/Outside Grilled Cheese with Bacon, Avocado & Sundried Tomatoes

I recently learned this amazing trick for making grilled cheese sandwiches and could not wait to share with you. A friend posted a link to Food Wishes, Chef John's technique for adding cheese to the outside of the bread, as well as the inside. This results in a sandwich with ooey gooey melted cheese on the inside and a crispy, crunchy cheese crust on the outside. OMG! I am obsessed. I googled this process and found many versions and numerous comments from people claiming they "have made grilled sandwiches this way for years!", but I am going to credit Chef John.

Notice the crunchy cheese crust? Delicious.

Imagine grilled cheese with crisp bacon (bacon!), creamy buttery avocado, sweet sundried tomatoes and caramelized onions. Now grill some more cheese on the outside. How good does that sound? Hint...it is even better than that. Make this as soon as you can pull together the ingredients.

*Note, the measurements for the ingredients in the following recipe are just a guideline. Use as little or as much as you want for each sandwich.

Inside/Outside Grilled Cheese with Bacon, Avocado & Sundried Tomatoes
(1 sandwich)

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (I used chile-infused olive oil)
1/4 cup sliced white onion
2 slices whole wheat bread
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3/4 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 avocado flesh, sliced
4 sun-dried tomatoes marinated in olive oil, sliced
3 slices crisp bacon
sea salt
pepper

Melt butter and olive oil in medium sized skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute until soft and beginning to caramelize. Remove onions with a slotted spoon. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

Spread mustard on one side of one slice of bread. Place bread mustard side up in the skillet. Top mustard with 1/2 cup cheese, avocado, tomatoes, sauteed onion and the bacon. Season with a small pinch each salt and pepper. Place the other slice of bread in skillet alongside the cheese topped bread and cook for 30 seconds. Place the slice, cooked side up, on top of cheese topped slice. Sprinkle 1/2 of remaining cheese on top of the top slice of sandwich. Flip sandwich so grated cheese is on the bottom. Cook until outside cheese is crunchy and inside cheese is melted. (about 4 minutes). Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of the sandwich and flip. Cook until second side cheese is crispy and crunchy. (2-3 minutes).

Remove from heat, cut in two and serve immediately.

Click Here for Printer Friendly Recipe

Other grilled cheese sandwich recipes you may enjoy: