10 days of lots of eating, some drinking as well, and a bit of sightseeing

Many of you know that we recently spent 10 days eating our way through San Francisco, wine country, and Chicago. Coming up shortly: stories, pictures, and good times. Stay tuned for Tim Lincecum dazzling the Dodgers at AT&T Park, foie gras on sausages, and a meal at Alinea, not to mention our ridiculous rental car.

Pizza, other food, and again, more pizza

It's no secret that we love pizza. So we had our recent houseguest get in on the pizza making fun. One with arugula and prosciutto,


and one with tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil.

But, you say, what's with all the pizzas? You're right, things are getting a bit tired. How about we freshen it up this burger?

Would you like freshly ground chuck, a mix of maytag blue cheese and gruyere, caramelized onions mixed with bacon, some arugula, on an English muffin?



Yeah, that's what I thought. And yes, it was delicious.

But for something a bit more summery, and a bit lighter, corn salad with shrimp and watercress should hit the spot. Light, refreshing, clean flavors.

And then, of course, more pizzas. But this time with our own sourdough! The starter is a little stinky, and the dough was different to work with, but the flavor was great and we're looking forward to playing with the sourdough and seeing what comes out of it. This time: a pie with tomatoes, smoked mozzarella, a great raw milk swiss cheese called scharfe maxx, and speck. The fat from the speck renders, the meat gets nice and crispy, and the whole pie is lathered in its porky essence.


And then wash things down with that same sourdough crust covered in caramelized onions, ashy goat cheese, and fresh figs. And we put some lardo on top of the dough so that it baked into the crust, essentially infusing the dough with flavored pork fat. Straight from those nice folks at La Quercia in Iowa.

Due to popular demand

Here are, as promised, the photos of the backlog. Enjoy!! And get ready for the start of some new, more current, posts.

On a side note, a big welcome to our nephew, who just joined us on Saturday! He's adorable and, if we have anything to say about it, will be enjoying strained bacon and mushed up pork chops in no time.

A sign of life

Ok guys, I know a lot of you have been upset that we haven't updated the blog in over 3 months. I am too. See, life got in the way, and before I knew it, there was so much to catch up on, it was a bit overwhelming. I suspect that others of you who have tried blogging have had similar problems at times.

Anyway, please don't despair! And, it was very gratifying to hear from so many of you who missed the insight into our kitchen.

So: in the next day or two I'm going to just post pictures of what's gone on over the last few months. Then, we'll get back to normal. That's the plan anyway.

Thanks for your patience!

Let's hear from our readers

Here at Deep-Fried Bacon, we value our readers. We thank you for your time, your interest, your input, and (when you come to visit) your appetite. As a way to show our appreciation, we're going to answer a few questions from our overflowing reader mailbag. If this works out, it could become a regular feature, so keep sending in your thoughts and inquiries. Let's get going.

Dear Deep-Fried Bacon,

I know you like swine, even the parts of it that are less like the other white meat and more like fatty, unctuous, artery-clogging excellence. But what about the fishes? Rich in Omega-3s, good for your heart and brain, and as long as you're not Jeremy Piven, a great part of a well-balanced diet. So? Fish? Huh?

Best,
Piscine Pete

Dear Patty,

Great question! We do love to eat things that swim, not just things that walk on all fours. And a quick stop at Stew Leonard's (or Whole Foods once in a while) helps make for some good fish eatin'.

So, for instance, we might make some tuna burgers with spicy Asian mayo.



Or, maybe some tilapia tacos with chipotle-tomatillo salsa.



And we should probably eat more fish. But now you know, it's not all pig, all the time.


Hey yo baconeaters!

I know you like to deep fry bacon. Why don't you deep fry the rest of the pig?

Sincerely,
The little piggy that had roast beef


Dear little piggy,

First, I'm deeply disturbed that you want us to fry up your brethren. Second, I understand that you think being delicious means you are loved, and you just want to be loved. Third, you forget that the lovely missus is from Iowa, and the fried pork tenderloin sandwich is in her blood, literally and figuratively. If you haven't spoken to your Iowan cousins, then you might not know how the good people of the midwest take their tenderloins, pound them out nice and thin, marinate them in buttermilk for a day or so, bread them, and cook 'em up. Fourth, thank you for your deliciousness.



Dear Mr. Bacon,

I know you like to celebrate holidays. Have you celebrated any lately?

Very truly yours,
Patty O'McShaughnessy


Good Mr. O'McShaughnessy,

I don't mean to stereotype or generalize, but I assume from your name that on March 17, you told people to kiss you due to your ethnic heritage, and perhaps consumed a Guinness or Jameson's or twelve.

You'll be happy to know that on St. Patty's Day, we made some tasty Irish soda bread with raisins and caraway seeds, ate it alongside Colcannon (cabbage, bacon and potato soup), and washed it all down with a Guinness or two ourselves.





Hey-a, you-a,

Whya you no makea da pizza no morea, ay? And whya I sucha a stereotype tooa, ay?

Lemme knowa,
Dis guy

Hey dis guy!

Sorry to make you an even worse ethnic caricature than the Irish guy.

Because I feel bad, I'll show you the pizzas we made. Because I don't feel too bad, our pizzas were not so traditional. By that, I mean one with sauce, gruyere, monte enebro, prosciutto and arugula, and one with sauce, gruyere, asparagus, lardo, and two fried eggs. And if you're not sure what lardo is, you should be satisfied that they call it white prosciutto, and leave it at that.





So that's our first mailbag folks! Keep the mail coming. Have a good one.