Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/758493
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 4 DECEMBER 2016 35 THOUGH no breakfast is com- plete without a few rashers of the salty stuff, bacon has been making its way into unlikely combinations in recipes such as bacon ice-cream, chocolate cov- ered bacon, vodka infused with bacon, bacon cookies and cup- cakes. The reasons for which bacon is so addictive is that it is said to contain six ingredient types of umami, which elicits an addic- tive neurochemical response. The chain lards on bacon give the food a high flavour profile that creates a one-of-a-kind flavour that is not easily sub- stitutable, 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 entirely 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 h e a l t h - c o n s c i o u s world rather than putting people off, the consumption of bacon is on the rise. Bacon has a rebel- lious streak, mak- ing people more in- clined to want it as a reward for a hard week's workout. 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 ba- con is cut and the method of process- ing, it can have very different flavours. Bacon is cured using large quantities of salt, either in a brine or in a dry packing. Bacon may be sold fresh – commonly known as green bacon, however in Malta we commonly find ba- con 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 belly for streaky bacon. Streaky bacon comes from the pork belly with long layers of fat running parallel to the rind. The fat content 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 un- smoked. Back bacon comes from the loin in the middle of the back of the pig and by comparison to streaky bacon is very lean and meaty. This cut of bacon is the most popular cut sold in the UK. Middle bacon is from the side of the animal and has a flavour and texture in between that of streaky and back bacon. Collar bacon comes from be- hind the head of the pig. When buying bacon, you should pay attention to the dif- ference between regular 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 supermarkets, but is often high- er in salt and saturated fat and is, according to some bacon purists, lacking in flavour. Fine food of the week Food Ingredients • 6 jalapeño peppers • 120g cream cheese, sof- tened • 2 tbsp cheddar, shredded • 6 bacon strips, halved widthwise • 60g brown sugar • 1 tbsp chili powder Method 1. Cut jalapeños in half length- wise and remove seeds; set aside. 2. In a small bowl, beat cheeses until blended. 3. Spoon into pepper halves. 4. Wrap a half-strip of bacon around each pepper half. 5. Combine brown sugar and chili powder and coat pep- pers with sugar mixture. 6. Place in a greased baking pan and bake at 180°C for 18-20 mins or until bacon is firm. 11. Save the sugar that drops beneath the cooling rack and use to top ginger snaps, sprinkled over ice cream or to sweeten coffee. Recipe of the week Bacon makes it better Though bacon is mostly associated with fried breakfast it is being used in increasingly innovative recipes such as this bacon martini Bacon-wrapped jalapeños Bacon is cured in salt and comes from different cuts of the pig