Bacon is the ultimate comfort food, and goes well with a lot more than cabbage. The oyster sauce and orange in this recipe, which comes from Bord Bia, are a great combination and work really well as both a glaze and a salad dressing.
This recipe serves four and will take about an hour and a half due to the cooking time for the bacon, but it well worth the wait.
Ingredients
1kg loin of bacon
6 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 onion, peeled and chopped
Dash of wine vinegar
For the warm fennel, rocket and blue cheese salad
1 tablesp. rapeseed or olive oil
2 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
60g rocket
50g blue cheese, crumbled
Glaze and Dressing
2 tablesp. oyster sauce
1 orange, juice and zest
Method
To cook the bacon: Place the bacon in a saucepan with the peppercorns, bay leaf, onion, and wine vinegar. Cover with cold water and lid. Bring to the boil, turn the heat down, and let simmer for an hour.
To make the glaze and dressing: Mix together the oyster sauce, orange juice, and zest.
Pre heat the oven to Gas Mark 6, 200°C (400°F ).
Remove the bacon from the water and place on a roasting dish lined with foil. Let it cool a little then score the fat with a sharp knife. Brush over half the glaze mixture and place in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven, cover loosely with foil, and allow to rest while you prepare the warm salad.
To prepare the warm salad: Heat the oil in a large pan or wok, add the fennel and garlic. Cook five minutes or until golden, stirring occasionally. Add the reserved oyster sauce and orange dressing.
Remove the pan from heat and stir through the rocket leaves. Taste and season. Remove to a serving bowl or platter and sprinkle over the crumbled cheese.
To serve: Slice the bacon and serve with the warm salad.
