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06 April 2004 - Bacon, Not Fakin' I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but my boyfriend, S., doesn't eat pork. He grew up with Muslim parents, spent the first ten - twelve years of his life in Kuwait and has only eaten it (possibly) once or twice, completely by mistake. Personaly, I'm not a huge fan of pork and I almost never want it, need it, cook it or crave it. This does however, become a slight problem when it comes to things like bacon and/or pancetta -- there doesn't seem to be any creature in the animal or vegetable kingdom that even remotely resembles pig fat (that didn't originate from a pig). I've gone to the market, looked online, asked chefs and friends and strangers if they know of a substitute. Then, one sunny but cold day, S. and I clunked our heads together and remembered the butcher that his parents frequent. Wham! What a great tidea. This butcher happens to be a caucasian guy, who converted to Muslim when he married his Muslim wife. So, he's actually eaten pork, he's tasted bacon, probably cooked it and knows the subtle nuances of what real bacon is like, compared to all this fakin' (from tofu to turkey) that is available in the supermarket today. We bought a bunch of sausages from him (which I have tried before and are delicious), some hamburgers and as well a package of "smoked beef strips". Thinly cut beef, beautifully marbled with fat, perfect for frying up and using in place of bacon in a few choice recipes. I finaly found a recipe I wanted to try it in this past week - Chicken Roulades. With it, I served Creamed Mashed Potatoes with Spinach and rolls I'd made from the dough for Crusty White Bread. S. loved it; everything. And me? The girl who grew up eating bacon? I loved it too. It was thinner than regular bacon; more like a pancetta. But it was good...I'd definitely recommend it. Try it; you'll like it...trust me. |