It’s MINUS 5!
It’s cold out. Not a cloud to be seen, the sun is shining with that miserly winter’s light and it’s cold out. Not cold by anyone’s standards but our own mind you, but it IS below zero on the Celsius scale.
Water taps are freezing up all over the place on the docks. Not a single otter is to be seen sunning him or herself today.
Even Timmy de Vries, (our Siamese feline companion) who normally loves to sit on the couch with the window open, shrank back from the chill today, and is now on a chair in front of the gas fireplace.
And so to bacon. (Sorry Mr. Pepys.)
Bacon Slicers Are Handy Things
What follows could be considered a form of pornography by some and for that I apologize in advance, except to a certain few from from Facebook Land who will be reading this, you know who you are.
The gratuitous photographs and video are expressly for their benefit. In fact, what follows has less to do with Cowichan Bay than it does with teasing friends, some of whom one has come to know on-line, but never met in person.
Our world is an odd one at present isn’t it?
Future Bacon
At any rate; the very best place to get good bacon near to where I live, is the Cowichan Valley Meat Market. The Quist family has run the place for a couple of generations now, and while this is not intended as an advertisement for them, it’s worth a mention.
Double smoked English is the type I prefer and it’s to be had by the slab, prepared from fresh pork in house, pork sourced from a Frazer Valley producer, who lets the pigs run around outside in a field, feeds them no animal byproducts. Buying by the slab saves money, packaging and time. Best of all you can cut it yourself as thick or thin as you like.
Immediate Bacon
I like my bacon at a medium thickness. I also like to make up quantities to take to work, for while the the Atkins Diet I’m following proscribes chocolate bars, cans of sugary soda and McDonald’s hamburgers, it is quite positive when it comes to things like fish, eggs cooked in butter and bacon.
Therefore, the cookie sheet and parchment paper and the 300 degree oven. That bacon is for later. Immediate bacon is also required and some eggs too for I have not had breakfast/lunch yet.
Cooking bacon to my taste, means that it is neither rubbery, nor crunchy. It is not slimy or dried out either. There should be no burnt bits, no under-cooked pieces. Thicker bacon lies flat as it cooks, a bacon press is unnecessary.
Quality bacon, that which is not packed full of excess water shrinks less than the stuff you bring home from the supermarket in it’s plastic envelope. No oil is required. Bacon should taste of bacon, not olive oil or butter. There’ll be plenty of fat left in the pan as it is.
Eggs. Ethical Eggs.
Fill the bottom of the pan so that nothing overlaps. Cook over medium high heat until it looks as you would expect, and remove at once. Take the stuff out or it will overcook on the residual heat of the pan. Be prepared to lose your first panful to bystanders. Michelle and Timmy more or less decimated my first attempt, I took two pieces myself, as a pre-breakfast snack.
Breakfast/Lunch is Served
Second round, better luck. All but one piece made it to the plate.
Add a few free range eggs (Yes they are better. They taste better, are better for you and the chickens haven’t been stuffed into two foot square wire box cages, where six share accommodation and crap directly on top of those who sit in a similar cage beneath them. Spend the money, buy the morally superior, tastier eggs.) lightly scrambled with salt and pepper, a large cup of tea with milk but no sugar and breakfast is served.
A fine Brunch for the coldest day so far this year. I would have added two slices of rye-bread toast, but DR Atkins says “No.”
Apparently, there’s more chill to come this week. We might even get a bit of snow. Ugh.
Hi Erik,
I just cooked myself a breakfast yesterday while the wife was out shopping. I use bacon from Quist’s and free range eggs as well. It’s the way I grew up! Our chickens could get right down to the beach to forage. Those were the good old days!
Paul Friis