Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/580873
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 4 OCTOBER 2015 Food 35 Fine food of the week BACON mania has taken the US by storm and is making its way across the Atlantic. Though no breakfast is complete without a few rashers of the salty stuff, bacon has been making its way into unlikely combi- nations in recipes such as bacon ice-cream, chocolate covered bacon, vodka infused with bacon, bacon cookies and cupcakes. The cross over from the US to Europe has mainly been attributed to the inter- net, with new recipes enticing interest in the form of food blogs, as well as social networking sites. The reason why bacon is so addictive is that it is said to contain six ingredient types of umami, which elicits an addictive neurochemical response. The chain lards on bacon give the food a high flavour pro- file that creates a one-of-a-kind flavour that is not easily substitutable, which has led to the popular belief among chefs that if in doubt, cover in bacon and sprinkle with cheese. As well as its flavour, bacon is not en- tirely good for you. 68% of its calories come from fat, almost half of which is saturated. Just one strip of bacon can contain up to 3.5g of fat. It is also high in sodium (150mg in just one medium sized strip) and high in cholesterol (10mg per slice). In today's health conscious world rather than put people off, the consump- tion of bacon is on the rise. Bacon has a rebellious streak, making people more inclined to want it as a reward for a hard week's work out. A rasher of bacon is a rasher of bacon. Wrong! Bacon is simply cured meat that comes from the pig and depending from where the bacon is cut and the method of processing can have very different fla- vours. Bacon is cured using large quantities of salt, either in a brine or in a dry pack- ing. Bacon may be sold fresh – commonly known as green bacon, however in Malta we commonly find bacon that has been further dried, boiled or smoked. Bacon is usually made from the side or back cuts of the pork or from the pork bel- ly for streaky bacon. Streaky bacon comes from the pork belly with long layers of fat running parallel to the rind. The fat con- tent allows for better crisping and is the most popular bacon sold in the USA. Pancetta, Italian streaky bacon, is also from the pork belly and is generally sold in cubes and unsmoked. Back bacon comes from the loin in the middle of the back of the pig and by com- parison to streaky bacon is very lean and meaty. This cut of bacon is the most pop- ular cut sold in the UK. Middle bacon is from the side of the ani- mal and has a flavour and texture in be- tween that of streaky and back bacon. Collar bacon comes from behind the head of the pig. When buying bacon, you should pay at- tention to the difference between regu- lar bacon and nitrite-free bacon. Some studies have concluded that too much of the preservative sodium nitrite found in bacon can lead to pulmonary disease. Nitrite-free bacon is available in most su- permarkets, but is often higher in salt and saturated fat and is, according to some ba- con purists, lacking in flavour. Ingredients 6 jalapeño peppers • 120g cream cheese, softened • 2 tbsp cheddar, shredded • 6 bacon strips, halved widthwise • 60g brown sugar • 1 tbsp chili powder • Recipe of the week Bacon makes it better Method Cut jalapeños in half lengthwise 1. and remove seeds; set aside. In a small bowl, beat cheeses un- 2. til blended. Spoon into pepper halves. 3. Wrap a half-strip of bacon 4. around each pepper half. Combine brown sugar and chili 5. powder and coat peppers with sugar mixture. Place in a greased baking pan 6. and bake at 180°C for 18-20 mins or until bacon is firm. Bacon-wrapped jalapeños Bacon is cured in salt and comes from different cuts of the pig Though bacon is mostly associated with fried breakfast it is being used in increasingly innovative recipes such as this bacon martini