BLT Panzanella Salad

My dad has a deep love for the Farmer's Market.  He also shares a love of all things involving gardening and landscaping and I certainly enjoy reaping the benefits.  When he goes to the Minneapolis Farmer's Market, he enjoys sharing his favorite booths with us.  One of the "must stops" is Tollefson's Family Pork stand.  I have heard it said "Bacon is the gateway meat" and if that's true, I think the bacon from this Minneapolis-local and dedicated family farm might push anyone flirting with Vegetarianism right into a full-blown carnivore.   

I had been dreaming of a way to use this really incredible bacon and this BLT Panzanella Salad seemed like a perfect way to feature it alongside some great summer flavors.  Panzanella is usually an Italian bread and tomato salad (a good way to use up stale bread).  But as "They" also say, "Everything's better with bacon," so this version was a bit of a take on a BLT that was enhanced with creamy avocado.  I also got to use fresh basil from the garden (Hallelujah! That is a joyous summer rite of passage!), topped it with some sliced grilled chicken (so officially it turned more into a "Club Panzanella Salad, I suppose) and called it a day.  A very delicious day.

Panzanella Club Salad
1/2 pound thick cut bacon
1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved
1 ripe avocado, cut into bite sized chunks
5 ounce box of washed salad greens (or about 6 cups lettuce of your choice in bite-sized pieces)
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into thin ribbons (chiffonade), plus more for garnish

1 loaf Ciabatta or French Bread, cut into 1" cubes (day old is fine)

Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

Sliced grilled chicken, optional

 Directions:
Cook bacon until crispy.  Remove from pan and reserve 2 Tablespoons drippings for bread cubes.  Cut cooled bacon into 1" pieces.  Set aside.

Toss bread cubes with bacon drippings (or 2 tablespoons olive oil, if you prefer).  Spread in an even layer on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until slightly crispy and beginning to brown.  Remove from oven and set aside.

Pour vinegar in a small jar or bowl.  Stir in mustard, maple syrup and salt and pepper to taste.  Drizzle in olive oil and whisk or put lid on jar and shake furiously until smooth and well combined.  Adjust salt and pepper as needed.  Set aside.

To assemble: In a large bowl, combine lettuce, basil leaves, halved tomatoes, avocado chunks, croutons and bacon pieces.  Pour over vinaigrette and toss well.  Garnish with fresh basil leaves as desired and serve immediately. 

Adapted from Alton Brown's TBL Panzanella recipe

My Dad and older son enjoying the Farmer's Market

Playing in Grandpa's Garden

inspecting how everything's coming along...

Pasta Carbonara and Vegetable Ribbon Saute

Pasta Carbonara, long pasta coated in thick, luxuriously creamy sauce with salty bacon, this is true Italian comfort food!  I must admit, before I tried it I was a little unsure.  That is because the sauce is made primarily of eggs that are stirred into the pasta while they're still raw.  Sounded a bit suspect to me... Don't be afraid though, the heat from the pasta cooks the eggs, and in the process, makes this incredible sauce that reminds me very closely of fettuccini alfredo (one of those dishes that I love--who doesn't?--but feel totally guilty eating because it's as they say "a heart attack on a plate," right?).  Good news is this dish is healthier (and easier, in my opinion) than fettuccini alfredo.  And, when you top it with ribbons of vegetables sauteed in garlic and olive oil, you have a complete meal that you can rest easy with a full tummy!

Oh, and for those trivia nerds like myself, legend has it that the name "Carbonara" came from all the tiny flecks of black pepper in the pasta--it looked like coal dust. 

Vegetable Ribbon Saute

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, cut into slivers
1 medium zucchini
1 medium carrot
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced, lengthwise
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
salt and pepper to taste
1 small roma tomato, diced
fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces for garnish
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Using a vegetable peeler, peel thin strips from both the zucchini and carrot (rotating if necessary) until you can't peel off anymore and have just a little nubbin left to snack on.  Set "ribbons" aside.  In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Toss in slivers of garlic and saute, stirring frequently to prevent from browning.  When garlic is fragrant (30 seconds to 1 minute) add in onions and peppers.  Saute until onions are slightly browned and begin to soften.  Add in ribbons of zucchini and carrot, season with salt and pepper and continue to saute a couple more minutes or until vegetables are crisp- tender.  Remove from heat.  Stir in diced tomato.  Garnish with basil leaves and Parmesan cheese.
Serve as a side dish or on top of pasta carbonara.

Pasta Carbonara
(serves 2-4, depending on how hungry you are)
1/2 pound long pasta (spaghetti is most common, I prefer the slightly more substantial fettuccini)
2 eggs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup water reserved from cooking the pasta
1/4 cup half and half, if needed
1/4 pound (four slices, maybe?) thick-cut bacon (feel free to increase this amount as practically everything is better with bacon)
fresh ground pepper (lots of it) and salt to taste

Boil a large pot of water and cook the pasta until it is al dente.  When you drain the pasta, make sure to reserve some of the cooking liquid.  Return pasta to the pot and keep warm.  While the pasta is cooking, cook bacon until it is crispy.  Remove from heat, drain on paper towels and once cool enough to handle, crumble into bite-sized pieces.  Reserve.  Also while pasta is cooking, in a bowl or measuring cup, break eggs and scramble with a fork until thoroughly combined.  Stir in cheese and garlic powder.  While stirring the egg mixture constantly, slowly add the half cup of hot pasta water.  This will help temper the eggs so they don't scramble when added to the pasta.  Put the pot of drained pasta on a burner over medium heat.  Pour the egg mixture over the pasta, tossing constantly and rapidly, until pasta is completely coated and the sauce becomes creamy (it will happen almost immediately).  Remove from heat.  If sauce is too thick, add half and half and stir to combine.  Season with a lot of fresh ground pepper and a little salt.  Toss in bacon pieces, stir one final time and serve immediately.  Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese or top with vegetable ribbon saute.