Baked Peameal Bacon & Peameal Bacon Casserole

Peameal bacon is one of our favourite cured meats. I learned to make it using pork loin a few years ago. It is an inexpensive, low fat meat ideal for most meals and because it cooks quickly when sliced makes for a quick meal as well. Once cured the peameal bacon can be sliced and fried or left as is and baked. It can also be frozen. The instructions for curing peameal bacon can be found in an earlier entry here.

Peameal Bacon Roast

Last Saturday I pulled a peameal bacon unsliced roast from the freezer for brunch. Peameal bacon can be cut into thick slices or left as a roast for baking. Since the roast was frozen the easiest solution was to bake unsliced. The nice thing about baking peameal bacon is no additional fat is needed. I simply pour a half cup of water into the baking pan, place the roast in and bake at 350ºF without even thawing. Timing will depend on the size of the roast. This roast almost filled a 9" x 9" baking pan. It took about 50 minutes to cook. The roast was then sliced into thick slices for serving.

I really want to stress the low fat aspect of this meat. Unlike regular bacon, peameal bacon has very little fat. When baked, no added fat is needed either. It is a filling meat so you eat less as well. Peameal bacon is higher in sodium content than other meats but given the smaller servings I think it still is a frugal, healthy choice for meat.

Peameal Bacon Casserole

Peameal bacon can be used as an ingredient for other dishes. There was enough peameal bacon left over from the roast for an impromptu casserole. The casserole was based on the way I make scalloped potatoes but with a little cheese added. Potatoes are currently selling for $7.99 for 50 lbs so I'm working my way through the first bag. As far as a budget stretching, inexpensive meal this casserole can't be beat. The most expensive ingredient is the cheese and that could easily be omitted. I used mozzarella cheese but a sharp, extra old cheese likely would have been a better choice. A nice dash of fresh chopped chives would have looked quite nice as well for a garnish. I had thought I would have left-overs for the following day's lunch but apparently my husband and son thought it made a good late night snack!

Peameal Bacon Casserole

8 potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly
2 c milk, scalded
½ spanish onion, chopped
2 - 3 c peameal bacon cut into bite sized pieces
1 c unbleached flour
1 c shredded mozzarella cheese
sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
olive oil
butter

Wash and peel the potatoes. Slice thinly with a mandolin then soak in salt water to prevent browning. Pour a small amount of olive oil onto the bottom of a casserole pan. Brush to spread. Dice the peameal bacon and layer on the bottom of the casserole pan in a single layer.
Spread a thin layer of cheese topped with a sprinkling of flour, chopped onions, salt and pepper with about 3 small pats of butter. Continue layering in this fashion until the casserole pan is filled with the final layer being cheese. Heat the milk until scalded. Pour the hot milk into the casserole pan. Bake uncovered at 350ºF oven until the potatoes are cooked and the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let rest 5 minutes before cutting into squares.

My notes: This would make a complete and frugal meal with the addition of a thin layer of corn niblets and a tossed salad.

Thanksgiving 2007

The Canadian Thanksgiving is celebrated the second Monday of October. The timing is a direct reflection of our shorter growing season, hence an earlier harvest. Unlike the American Thanksgiving that focuses on pilgrims, the Canadian Thanksgiving focuses on a successful harvest. The Thanksgiving table is set with the bounties of the harvest such as squash, potatoes, pumpkins and apples. The table virtually becomes a groaning board with the weight of the food.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Honey Oatmeal Bread

Breadmaking as mentioned in previous entries is a great way to stretch you budget. Utenzi commented on the French Bread entry that he made bread but did not notice any big money savings since yeast was expensive. While savings are still possible using smaller packages of flours and yeast the true savings come from buying the ingredients in bulk. Sam's Club and Costco's sells 2 one pound packages of yeast for $2.99. I pour yeast into a 250 ml mason jar, vacuum seal to use as needed and freeze the remaining yeast. No Name^® all purpose flour goes on sale for $4.99 for a 10 kg (22 lb) bag of flour. Add a box of salt and bag of sugar ($1.99) and you have the makings for very cheap bread. With just this you can make sourdough, French and basic white breads. Add milk or eggs and you have inexpensive white breads. At some point you will want to experiment and this is where you can save more money by making multi-grain, whole wheat and specialty breads at home. I prefer using organic sugar, sea salt, local honey, unbleached flour and butter when breadmaking. Again, all these ingredients can be bought in bulk.

Honey Oatmeal Bread

This is the time of year where summer is wanning to a close an end. The smells of autumn fill the air beckoning more robust breads to complement soups and stews taking advantage of the harvest bounty. You can't go wrong with oatmeal bread. The flavour and denser texture is perfect for soups and stews plus it is heart healthy, a win-win!

Honey Oatmeal Bread
source: KitchenAid®, modified by me

1 ½ c water
½ c local honey*
⅓ c unsalted butter
5 ½- 6 ½ c unbleached flour
1 c quick cooking oats
2 tsp sea salt
2 pk instant yeast
2 eggs, lightly wisked

1 egg white
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp oatmeal

Combine water, honey and butter in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat until the mixture is very warm (hot enough to put your hand on the pot without burning). Place 5 c of the flour, salt and yeast in the mixer bowl. Attach spiral dough hook, mix on speed 2 for about 30 seconds. Continuing on speed 2 gradually add the warm honey mixture to the flour mixture and mix about 1 minute then add the eggs mixing for about another minute. Continue on speed 2 adding just enough flour ½ cup at a time until the dough cleans the sides. Knead on speed 2 for 2 minutes. Remove the dough hook. Cover the mixer bowl with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until dough doubles. Punch down the down and divided into half. Shape into smooth rounds, buns or loaves. Cover with plastic wrap or parchment paper. Let rise until doubled. Beat egg white and water together. Brush the tops of loaves. Sprinkle with oatmeal. Bake at 375ºF (350ºF convection) for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.
Yield: 2 loaves

My Notes: This is a nicely textured with just a hint of sweetness bread. It is a perfect breakfast bread but would also work nicely for ham sandwiches. This bread toast nicely.

* I use local honey wherever possible. There is a less chance for allergic reactions by using local honey and it is fresher. The flowers the bees collect pollen from will determine the flavour of the honey so be sure to get local honey throughout the season.

Early Thanksgiving Weekend Fun

Friday we packed up and headed down to our daughter's for an early Thanksgiving get together. The Canadian Thanksgiving is celebrated the second Monday of October but we had plans so suggested an earlier family get together.* I brought barbequed pulled pork for Friday's meal. It was the last of the pork shoulder roasts I bought on sale so thought it would go over well since all the kids would be home and it would save her cooking. We also brought the turkey for Saturday's dinner. The turkey was in the oven just before 10 am, the traditional way I roast turkeys. We decided on a side trip to the orchard and grocery shopping before others arrived.

Chudleigh's

The trip to Chudleigh's r in Milton, Ontario was uneventful yet provided a lot of photo opportunities. The orchard is set in a very beautiful and hilly region outside of the Greater Toronto Area. There is a U-pick, petting zoo, store with already picked and much more as well as a wonderful snack bar with seating set under apple trees. We decided against picking our own for this trip because were were pressed for time. We selected our purchases then settled down on comfortable Adirondack wooden chairs while the guys went to the snack bar. A scarecrow with a skunk puppet entertained the little ones while we people watched and enjoyed the wonderful apple smells wafting around us. The guys brought back lovely roast beef buns, chili (for me), a cheese bun and apple cider. Grandbaby had a healthy appetite for all. Desert was their famous apple blossoms.

Apple Blossom

This was my daughter's apple blossom since the guys already started devouring theirs before I could get the camera ready. Grandbaby really smacked her lips on this delight and I can't blame her. Chudleigh's famous apple blossoms are made with Northern Spy apples. The dough is cut then wrapped up around the the spiced apple pieces. Crumbs are sprinkled on then the desert is baked. Optional is topping with whipped cream forming a wonderful little desert bundle. This week I will be experimenting to duplicate the desert so watch for that. Northern Spies will be ready here this weekend.


Pumpkins

We headed home Sunday with the plans of making a few stops along the way for produce. We found a nice farm market on Wellington Road south of Woodlawn just before Hespler that goes to Hwy 401 so we stopped. On the outside it was quaint and homey looking as was their store but the prices were outrageous! Pumpkins were going for $4 plus while home canned jams were priced at $5.50. Geesh, I could make a little extra money if I were to sell my home canned goods. What really got me was the price for butter tarts at 6 for $7.25! Needless to say I didn't buy a lot there but did get some fresh basil that will be very much appreciated.

Food Purchases

Overall, my food purchases were very minimal. It wasn't really a food shopping trip but I can never resist picking up a few odds and ends. I brought home:

• fresh basil
• Wealthy apples (baking & cooking)
• fresh garlic
• The Orange Crate: Gourmet Popcorn, Holiday Hot Chocolate mix
• Gourmet Village: cheddar onion dip mix, lemon dill dip mix, mulling spice

* As it turns out they will be home that weekend anyway so we will be having another family get together this coming weekend.