Bacon + Vacation = Bacation

My friend currently lives on a gorgeous piece of land in the country side of Petaluma. I had a mini vacation last Saturday at his place, that included bacon, I'll call it a 'Bacation' (bacon + vacation).  Admittedly, I've been slow to jump on the bacon band wagon, it's no secret that my experience with bacon is minimal. Growing up, I pretty much never had it. I may have tried it once or twice by the time I was 18, but we never had it at home and I never ordered it at restaurants or tried it at friend's homes. Fast forward to my 2nd week of work in the 'real world', the guys on the sales team ordered the "Bacon Explosion" from the Midtown restaurant, Blue Smoke.  Here's a pic of some coworkers having the first take of the bacon explosion.

This is what it looks like...

 While I like to think that I will try anything, I actually didn't try this as smelling it was like smelling a heart attack. I stood by and watched with my caffein free green tea as these guys ate 4 inch slices of the bacon explosion with a side of fries. I'd later find out that some of them a hard time sleeping due to heart tremors! So this wasn't much of a seller on bacon for me to say the least....but, I digress. This past Saturday was the first official "Bacon Saturday" and this is what a love affair with bacon looks like:

It starts with a bike ride in the country side of Petaluma to the soundtrack in my head of the Beatles, "Blackbird".

 Maybe you will pass an old, deserted house...This is the Milton Octagon House from 1856. Interestingly, this is the 2nd Octagon shaped building I've seen, with the first being Castle del Monte in Puglia. I looked into it and turns out the Milton House has "Italianate" architecture!

9 miles later, a couple of rolling hills and a couple of stops to look into deserted buildings, I'm back at La  Country Chateu de Sean. My friend's bacon was from Joel Salatin's farm in Virginia. Joel once described his pigs as having "a great life - and one bad day." Check out this interview with Joel on how to eat animals and respect them too. (Joel Salatin will be speaking live at the Mountain View Performing Arts Center on Monday, March 5th thanks to POST.) Back to the bacon...  which was sizzling in a cast iron skillet. No butter or oil is added to the skillet - the bacon completely produces its own oils and flavors to prevent any burning.

The bacon only requires a couple of minutes per side. The smell is divine. Place the cooked bacon on a paper towel. Sample some as you finish cooking the rest. Eat slowly to truly appreciate the range of flavors. Salt & Fat - two elements our bodies could be craving, especially if you regularly stick to a healthy diet. 

Cooked bacon aside, crack two pasture-raised, hand gathered eggs into the bacon grease.  Fry two slices of multigrain bread in the bacon grease. In case you're not following we now have two bacon-grease-fried eggs and bacon-grease-fried bread. Add a mild, smooth mango-tomato salsa, a hot sauce to the mix. This plate is heaven. If I were to die today, I'd want for this to be my last meal...minus the mayo (not necessary and no added flavor).

Bacon Algebra (What kids usually learn at age 10, I learned at 24!)

(Bacon + bacon-grease fried egg ) / bacon-grease fried bread = Bacon Party in Your Mouth.

But it's not over here - what do you do with left over bacon grease? You add it to almonds in a Vita-mix and make bacon-grease almond butter...

Smeared on apple slices or with dates, this is a pretty incredible snack. Because we could not grind the almonds, the texture was not quite as creamy and a little bit dry however still DELICIOUS. Next time I'd love to make a pie crust with this or use it as a crust for chicken or an apple crumble..

Just for laughs

Burrata Stuffed Fried Zucchini Flowers with Pesto Dip

You never ask someone what his or her favorite food is and receive the response "zucchinis." Maybe it's their similarity to their somewhat boring cousin, the cucumber, or it could be their slight lack of original flavor...Zucchinis, however, are pros at taking on the flavors of whatever spices and feelings their cooked with. If a zucchini was a person, it would be that chap at the party who is a little bit quiet, wearing a gray t-shirt - but has a super cool secret skill, like a great artist with a sketchbook that shows experience and experimentation. You can experiment with zucchinis, and from experience you know they can actually add a wonderful texture and taste to pizzas, pastas, breads, soups, antipastos.  I was introduced to the beautiful zucchini blossoms while working at Cefalicchio - a central appetizer was fried zucchini flowers. Then, for my friend, Maxine's birthday, I made these seasonal fried zucchini flowers. I was making dinner for my mom and sister and wanted to have them experience this wild and crazy half sister dish of the zucchinis. Because my mom grows her own basil, I make pesto over there with just about everything. Turns out pesto is a lovely dip for the fried zucchini flowers, but a little bit goes a long way.

 When handling the zucchini blossoms, you have to be very gentle. They are delicate, sensitive, and very shy....with time, it gets easier to handle them. 

 Fried Zucchini Flowers with Pesto Dip


Ingredients:
Zucchini flowers
Burrata (Since it is very difficult impossible to find the real burrata out here - you can find a pretty good kind at Trader Joe's or the Cow Girl Creamery.)
Whole wheat flour
Tonic Water
Kosher salt
Vegetable Oil

Directions:
1. Gently wash the zucchini blossoms and let them dry
2. Very carefully, spread the petals to remove their seeds and stem, making them hollow on the inside
3. Fill the inside of the zucchini blossom with burrata, just enough to plump it up but not too much so that you can still close the blossom and wrap the petals around one another to seal it shut.
4. In a bowl mix together whole wheat flour, a pinch of salt and just enough Tonic water to make the mixture a thick batter consistency.
5. Heat vegetable oil over high heat in a skillet. To test if oil is hot enough you can drop a pink nail of batter. The batter should sizzle up and rise to the top.
6. Dredge the stuffed blossoms in the batter and gently lay them into the hot oil.
7. When you see edges turn golden brown, flip over.
8. After about 1-2 minutes on the second side, remove and set on a paper towel.
9. Sprinkle with kosher salt and serve warm.

 Now, what to do with the actual zucchinis? Slice and saute with garlic, salt and pepper, and sliced mushrooms and add to a pizza!

Restraurant Review: Fish.

Fish is hands down one of my top 5 Bay Area restaurants. A hidden hot spot at the end of a Sausalito harbor, the Fish Restaurant brings sustainable seafood to the masses all while supporting local fishermen, serving the best fish and chips west of the Mississippi, jamming to live music and... because we are in California, Fish makes some of the best guacamole and homemade chips I've had. After placing your order at the counter, you can join other excited eaters at communal wooden tables and benches perched on a large, outdoor porch with a constant sea breeze. The real attraction though isn't the peaceful view of sail boats, it's the freshest local fish made into unique daily specials. It's the large servings, fresh greens, chunky guacamole, the Winter Ceviche and the classic Po'Boy sandwich on San Francisco sourdough. It's the Tiburon Blonde served in a mason jar accompanying perfectly seasoned garlic bread. Expect a line of hungry people in windbreakers and hats:

Root beer float anyone? This is how it's done:

No trip to Fish is complete without ordering the chips and guacamole appetizer, which complements everything on the menu. Try saving this for the rest of your meal (they bring the dishes as they are ready) but a piece of fried fish tastes like heaven with some guac:

Feeling chilly? Warm up with a nice bowl of their minestrone (the e is silent BTW!) soup served with long shavings of Parmesan:

Below is The Crab Roll: a West Coast rendition of an East Coast favorite. Sweet Dungeness crab served on a toasted Torpedo roll with organic butter and chives and a heaping mound of shoestring fries and a pickle slice:

Below is Fish's fresh Alaskan Halibut fried fish, battered served with wedge potato chips and homemade tartar sauce. A jar of Anchor Stream beer, shining in the background like a sexy drummer to a rock band.

Next is Fish's Saigon salmon sandwich - grilled and marinated wild salmon served with a blend of fresh carrot, jalapeno, cilantro and a house made Vietnamese scallion ginger sauce all served on a toasted Acme torpedo roll. YUM.

A view of the outside porch:

Go for the food, stay for the friendly locals, laid back atmosphere and gorgeous sunsets.

Fish Restaurant
http://www.331fish.com/
350 Harbor Drive
Sausalito, California
415-331-FISH