Snacko Backo

damn. this is so good. i ate the whole thing. and now i’m so full. be warned.

This is a tasting table test kitchen recipe. if you don’t subscribe, perhaps you should think about doing so.

2 bacon strips, sliced crosswise into ½-inch pieces

1½ teaspoons caraway seeds

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1 medium yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced lengthwise

2¼ teaspoons kosher salt, divided

¾ pound 85% lean ground beef [my pack of meat was .89 pounds and I made three – not two patties from it]

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

4 slices rye bread

4 slices Swiss cheese

Take your bacon. If it is not coming from the freezer already, put it in there for 20 mins. [snacko backo tip- when i buy bacon i seran wrap it 2 piece bundles for freezer]. Meanwhile, take a dry skillet and toast the caraway seeds about a minute and a half- will become fragrant. take off heat and put them aside. take your onions, thinly slice them [mandoline is helpful here if you have one]. Put a tablespoon and a half of butter on skillet on med-high heat. Melt butter. add onions. Cook for a 3-5 mins until they slightly brown. add 1 1/4 tsp of salt [3/4 prob enough]. and reduce to med-low for another 10 mins to caramelize. Then. take off heat. Now- take that bacon from your freezer. chop it in 1/2 slices and put it in a food processor until crumbly and ground. In a medium bowl- put bacon, ground beef, mustard, worcestchire, garlic powder, pepper, 1 tsp salt. Mix [with your hands] and form patties. the patties – i did three- should be kinda long and flat- like the shape of your bread. Now- on skillet- put remaining 1/2 tablespoon of butter [really, you don’t need more because bacon and beef fat comes out.] Cook 5 to 6 mins total. A nice crust will form. I did 3 mins each side, i think. Take off heat. Clean skillet. Then, take your rye bread. If making two sandwiches, take all four slices of bread and spread mayo on one side of each. Pick up a slice in your hand- mayo side facing your palm. Add cheese, patty, and pile and onion. Put on top bread- mayo is facing out on both sides. Heat clean pan on medium. Throw your sammy down. Cook four to 5 mins per side- to get it nice and golden and melt the cheese.

mmmmm….

When I studied abroad in New Zealand in college, I took a cooking class that was 5 continents in 5 weeks. That was about a decade ago (yikes) but this dish is one that i’ve remade many times through years. the best way to describe this dish- is like South African meatloaf. it packed with flavor and spices and the sweet of raisin- it’s everything i like in dish. the best part too- it’s a quick and easy weeknight dinner. Sauté onion, add meat, add spice- and you’re pretty much there! In addition to ground beef- you can- and i think i have- made this with lamb. The other dish- I love from that NZ class is good ol’ pavlova.

With the babotie- i made my quick snacko backo couscous. The one thing i should say about this recipe- the last step is to mix milk and egg and pour it over the top. It should- and i swear- it used to just stay on the top to form like a yellow custard/eggy topping. However, in my recent attempts- it seems to just soak down into the meat. don’t get me wrong- it tastes great this way. But it’s a different aesthetic. So if anyone tries this out- let me know how it looks.

The second picture- is not so much a recipe- but something so tasty and simple i had to share. Terry told me that on her recent trip to Morocco- almost every night at the end of meal- they would serve oranges and cinnamon. it’s genius.

Babotie 
1 onion chopped
2 Tbsp oil
1 pound ground beef
1 cup bread crumbs- diy- toast bread and food process
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp brown sugar
dash of  pepper
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 cup raisins
juice and grated peel of 1/2 lemon
4 bay leaves

1/2 cup milk
1 egg

Sauté chopped onion lightly in oil until it is is translucent and begins to soften.  Add meat, curry, turmeric, salt and pepper, and cook until just brown- turn off heat. (meat will cook more in oven- so i left it not totally brown as not to overdue)
Add rest of ingredients (except egg and milk) and mix well. Put in overnproof dish (I made this in a meatloaf/bread pan but have also used an 8×8 inch. I greased it very lightly with oil- though might not be necessary)

Beat egg and milk in a bowl and pour over the meat.  bake at 350 for 30 min.

Original recipe suggests serve with saffron rice, sweet chutney and a mixed salad. I made it with a couscous.

Snacko Backo couscous
In a small sauce pan, about 1 1/4 cup water, 1 chopped carrot, pat of butter, good pinch of cinnamon, zest from maybe half an orange, healthy dose of salt and pepper. cover. bring to boil. added 1 cup couscous and a handful of gold raisins/regular raisins or currants. cover. let sit for 5 mins. fluff with fork. can add more butter/olive oil, salt and pepper as desired.

Orange with cinnamon
slice orange. sprinkle with cinnamon. enjoy. [just thinking out loud here… but what if you did cinnamon sugar and popped it under the broiler for 30 seconds?]

i’m a curry chicken salad convert. like some of you- i used to have a mayo aversion. but then i realized- it is really just egg and oil- what could be so wrong with that? and it makes things taste good. but mayo-averse- keep reading. this chick salad is made mostly with greek yogurt.  i think the one tablespoon of mayo helps round this dressing- and relieving it of the tart flavor of the greek yogurt. As for what’s in your curry chick salad – go wild. some like raisin, some like grapes- some like nuts. I aimed for a crunchy, colorful mix.

Curry Chicken Salad- the dressing part of this recipe is adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe.

2 chicken breasts, bone-in, skin on (2pds)- once cooked and removed skin/bone- this yields about 1pds of chicken. If you want to use boneless – and cook it in your own way- I won’t judge (yes i will)

This is where you should feel free to improv. Add things you like- omit those you don’t. Add more or less carrot/celery- etc. as you like.

1 carrot, chopped

1 (or 2) stalks celery, chopped

¼ cup golden raisins

1 small apple, chopped

optional- sliced almonds

2 stalks thinly sliced scallions

Dressing:

6 tablespoons greek yogurt

1 tablespoon mayo

2 tsp curry powder

1 lemon halved

¾ tsp coarse salt

freshly ground pepper

preheat oven 350. wash chicken breasts. Pat dry. Coat with olive oil, salt & pepper. Cook 35 mins or until juices run clear.

in a bowl stir yogurt, mayo, 2 tsp lemon juice (i used more to taste), curry powder. Season w. salt & pepper.

Once cool, pull of skin and pull chicken off the bone. Cut into pieces.

Put chicken in a bowl. Added the veg, scallions, raisins etc. Add dressing- a bit at a time. Until it looks like enough. No rule says you have to use it all (tho i did).