Risotto with Bacon and Peas
In Italy they might use pancetta for this, but bacon is a great substitute, and combined with the sage makes it taste more “American” to me (although the Italians would likely use the same ingredients). It shows just how close really great flavors are between American food and the Mediterranean style diet.
Scallops with Bacon and Asparagus
This is a riff on those party hors d’oeuvres that are a scallop wrapped in bacon. I’ve always hated them because they are a good example of an unbalanced dish. Hey, bacon is great and scallops are great, but there’s just too darn much bacon for the scallops. At the same time that’s all there is. Not only does the bacon overwhelm the scallops but there are just no other flavors. Why not just put out plates of bacon? (Don’t write in, I KNOW the reason.)
Look, folks love bacon but it can be easy to get too much of a great thing. This recipe offers the best of both worlds. Bacon, scallops and asparagus with a great, lemony sauce. Nice and balanced.
Baked Potato
I do love baked potatoes. They’re so simple but so many different ways to cook them. The main decision is whether to wrap or not. Foil traps the moisture and the potato steams along with baking making for a moister flesh. I prefer to not wrap potatoes and bake them unwrapped. The skin turns out crispy and the flesh fluffier I feel.
Idaho potatoes are the best for baking. You can bake waxy potatoes like Yukon gold or red potatoes but they will not have the same fluffiness as Idahos. If you are in a hurry, the microwave will cook your potato but these dry out too much. You can cook it for 2 minutes on high prior to putting the potato in the oven and it will preheat the potato and shorten the cooking time by about 10 minutes. Of course, the Nutrition Facts don’t include what you put on top of your potato. Loading it down with butter will add a lot of calories. I like a little bit of salt and pepper with sour cream and maybe some grated cheddar cheese.
Wild Mushroom and Sausage Linguine
I love using sausage in recipes like this. I look for the best quality sausage with as natural ingredients possible. I also look for those with lower sodium – no more than about 350 mg per ounce. Adding the sausage early in the cooking, as with this recipe, intensifies the flavor and means that you’ll have to add less salt to your dish.
Eat well, eat healthy, enjoy life!
Timothy S. Harlan, M.D.
Dr. Gourmet
