Bacon Salt

Baked Bacon Jalapeño Poppers

Slice the jalapeños in half and scoop out the membranes and seeds, setting aside. Next, make the filling by mixing together equal amounts of cream cheese and Cheddar cheese and add a generous amount of garlic, herbs, and Bacon Salt as well as the jalapeño seeds. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C. Fill each half jalapeño with a generous scoop of the cheesy filling. Place the filled peppers on a tray and bake in the oven until the cheese is golden. Leave to cool for a minute and try not to finish them all at once.

Bacony Bouef Bourguignon

  • 6g Original Bacon Salt
  • 900 g diced braising steak
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 1 heaped tablespoon plain flour
  • A decent bottle of red Burgundy
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 350 g shallots
  • 110 g button mushrooms

Sear the beef in sizzling olive oil in a casserole until it is a rich, dark brown colour on all sides. Transfer the browned meat to a plate and add the sliced onion to the casserole and brown that a little too.

Now return the meat to the casserole and add the flour, stirring round to soak up all the juices. Slowly pour in the wine, stirring all the time. Add the chopped garlic, herbs and seasoning to taste put the lid on and transfer to the oven on a low heat for 2 hours.

Using a bit more olive oil, rub the shallots in the Bacon Salt and fry to colour them lightly. Add to the casserole, together with the mushrooms, then put the lid on and cook for a further hour.

Bacon Salt Farls

These traditional Irish potato cakes are always amazing in the morning but never quite flavourful enough by themselves. This recipe solves that:

  • 450 g floury potatoes
  • 150g plain white flour
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 60 ml milk
  • 2 g Peppered Bacon Salt

Peel and chop the potatoes then boil until done. Mash them with the butter then add to 400 g of the flour. Mix all the other ingredients in adding just enough milk to make a fairly firm dough. Sprinkle the rest of the flour on a flat surface and roll the dough out into squares about 0.5-1 cm thick. Cook the farls on an ungreased griddle at a fairly low temperature until both sides are lightly brown and the potato cakes are cooked in the middle. Make sure you eat the potato farls hot - they are especially scrummy served with bacon and/or cheese and/or butter.

Vegetarian Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Finally vegetarians can enjoy the wonder that is Spaghetti Carbonara. Just follow these simple instructions:

  • 750 g fresh spaghetti (actually, we find that tagliatelle is much nicer)
  • 300 g finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese
  • 4 eggs yolks
  • 100 ml double cream
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 4 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tsp Peppered Bacon Salt

Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add 1 tbps of oil and the pasta and cook until al dente. Next, whisk together the eggs, cream and Pecorino and season generously with Peppered Bacon Salt. While the pasta is cooking, lightly fry the spring onion and garlic in an oiled pan for 3 minutes. Drain the pasta, and transfer to a large serving bowl. While the pasta is still hot pour in the egg mixture and toss well to combine (the heat from the pasta should be sufficient to cook the egg). Add the garlic and sping onion and toss through the pasta. Season to taste with more Peppered Bacon Salt and serve immediately. The Bacon Salt replaces the need for pancetta and black pepper. Delicious!
Quesadillas: Bacon Salt Edition

Quesadillas: Bacon Salt Edition

  • 500 g tender beef steak, cubed
  • 8 large flour tortillas
  • 100 g Cheddar cheese, grated
  • 150 g Asadero cheese, grated
  • 2 Serrano chilis, finely sliced
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 bell peppers, diced
  • 4 small onions, diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 250 ml sour cream
  • 250 ml hot salsa
  • 3 tsp Peppered Bacon Salt

Marinade the beef overnight in the garlic, chilli and 2 tsp of Peppered Bacon Salt. Pour the beef and the marinade into a oiled and heated pan and sear the meat. Add the onions, peppers and tomatoes and fry until softened. Meanwhile, warm a tortilla in a large frying pan and sprinkle a quarter of the cheeses on it. When the cheese starts melting, spread a quarter of the beef mixture on top and flip over to cook the other side of the tortilla. Do the same for the rest of the tortillas filled with cheese and beef before cutting into wedges and serving with sour cream and salsa.