Meat Lovers Bacon Salami Fennel Sausage Guanciale Tomato And Mozzarella Recipes

MEAT LOVER'S: BACON, SALAMI, FENNEL SAUSAGE, GUANCIALE, TOMATO, AND MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• Prepare and stretch the dough and preheat the oven according to the instructions given in "Nancy's Scuola di Pizza" (page 128).
• Brush the rim of the dough with olive oil and season the entire surface with salt. Ladle or spoon the sauce onto the center of the dough and use the back of the ladle or spoon in a circular motion to spread the sauce over the surface of the dough, leaving a 1-inch rim without any sauce. Scatter the cheese on the pizza. Break the sausage into 1/2-inch pieces and scatter them over the pizza. Cut the bacon slices in half crosswise and rumple one half onto each quadrant of the pizza and scatter the salami slices and guanciale slices over the pizza. Slide the pizza into the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown and crispy, 8 to 12 minutes. Remove the pizza from the oven, cut it into quarters, making sure that each slice of pizza gets a piece of bacon, and serve.
• Toast the fennel seeds in a small skillet over high heat, shaking the skillet to keep the seeds from burning, until they are fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour the seeds onto a plate and set aside to cool to room temperature.
• Cut the pork shoulder and fatback into 1-inch cubes and put the cubes in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, salt, sugar, pepper, paprika, fennel pollen, and toasted fennel seeds. Stir the seasonings together and sprinkle them over the pork and fatback. Toss to coat the meat with the seasonings, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to two days. (If you are in a hurry, you can put the meat in the freezer until it is ice cold, but not frozen.)
• Fit a meat grinder with the largest die and have the bowl of a standing mixer handy. Remove the meat from the refrigerator (or freezer) and pass it through the grinder, catching the gound meat into the mixer bowl.
• Fit the standing mixer with the paddle attachment. Combine the vinegar and ice water. Put the bowl with the ground meat in it on the standing mixer and mix them on low speed, gradually adding the vinegar and water until the meat is slightly sticky; you may not use all of the liquid. Use the sausage according to your recipe, or transfer it to an airtight container or several containers. Refrigerate the sausage for up to five days or in the freezer for up to three months.
• Lambrusco Reggiano Secco (Emilia-Romagna)

MEAT LOVERS' QUICHE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Unroll the pie crust and fit into a 9-inch quiche pan or pie plate. Place a piece of parchment paper over the dough and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the crust is lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven. Remove the parchment and pie weights and return the crust to the oven. Bake until the crust is baked through, about 5 to 7 minutes longer. Set aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain. Chop the bacon. Cook the sausage in the same skillet until browned and crumbly, about 7 minutes. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon, and set aside with the bacon.
• Whisk together the half-and-half, Miss Brown's House Seasoning (recipe follows) and the eggs. Sprinkle the bacon, sausage, ham, green onions and Cheddar evenly on top of precooked crust. Pour the egg mixture on top. Bake until the center is set, 25 to 30 minutes. (Cover the edges with a pie shield or aluminum foil if getting too brown.) Allow to cool slightly before serving.
• Stir together all ingredients in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container.

MEAT LOVER'S BAKED PASTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and 1 cup of water. Increase the heat to medium high and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat slightly, add the basil sprigs and simmer rapidly, uncovered, until thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Discard the basil and season with salt and pepper.
• While the sauce simmers, heat the remaining tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up any clumps with a wooden spoon, until brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a large bowl with a slotted spoon.
• Cook the rigatoni in the boiling water until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain the pasta and add it to the bowl.
• Add the tomato sauce, ham, pepperoni, bacon, half of the mozzarella and half of the Parmesan to the bowl and stir well to combine. Transfer the pasta to a 3- to 4-quart baking dish and top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, until browned, about 15 minutes. Let the pasta stand about 10 minutes before serving.

MEAT LOVER'S QUICHE

Steps:

• Pulse together the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add about a third of the chilled butter cubes and process until the butter is absorbed. Add the remaining butter and pulse until the butter is the size of peas, 5 or 6 pulses. Add the vinegar. Then, pulsing quickly a few times as you do it, add the ice water through the tube. Squeeze some dough between your fingers, it should just hold its shape without feeling wet. If it is crumbly, add more ice water a tablespoon at a time. Pulse quickly and take care not to overwork or the dough will be tough. Wrap the dough loosely in a large piece of plastic wrap, then firmly press and flatten the dough into a thin round. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Lightly flour a work surface, then roll the dough into an 11- to 12-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick. Center the dough in a 9-inch pie plate, with an even overhang all around. Fold the edges and flute or crimp. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Press a piece of foil over the chilled crust, then fill with pie weights, raw beans or rice. Bake to set the crust, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake until the crust is light brown, 5 to 10 minutes more. Let cool slightly before adding the filling.
• Combine the bacon, sausage, salami, and ham with the Monterey Jack and sprinkle it in an even layer in the crust.
• Whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a bowl. Stir in the parsley.
• Pour the custard over the filling. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake until set, 35 to 50 minutes. Let cool at least 30 minutes before serving warm or at room temperature.