Czech sauerkraut with duck

For ➍

2 duck legs *

oil for frying

500 g sauerkraut, drained

1 onion, chopped

100 g bacon cubes

1 tbs (apple) vinegar

1 ts caraway seeds or cumin

little sugar **

Heat the oven to 200˚C.  

Put some oil in an oven-safe frying pan. Fry the duck legs all around for a while and then put in the oven. Depending on the size of the duck legs 1 to 2 h, for small legs 1 h. * 

Heat a large frying pan without oil and fry the bacon. Fry the onion in the bacon fat and add the caraway seeds or cumin. Add the sauerkraut to the onion and bacon, along with a little sugar **, vinegar and a very thin layer of water. It should be just below. Put a lid on the pan, reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 45 m.

Serve the baked sauerkraut with the duck legs *. Also delicious with baked potatoes.

* Or use pre-cooked duck legs. Fry them in the pan with some duck fat

** Optional.

Spinach & mushrooms

For ➍

125 g smoked bacon

1 clove of garlic

250 g chestnut mushrooms

600 g spinach (washed)

50 g Parmigiano Reggiano

Heat a frying pan without oil or butter and fry the bacon in 6 m. Turn regularly. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper. Clean the mushrooms with kitchen paper. Slice the mushrooms and garlic.

Fry the garlic 1 m g. Add the mushrooms and fry for 5 m. Heat another frying pan without oil or butter, add the spinach in parts and let it shrink while stirring. Drain in a colander.

Use the convex side of a spoon to push out as much liquid as possible. Season with pepper and salt if desired. Mix in a bowl with the mushrooms and bacon.

Grate the cheese on top and serve.

Brabantse witlooftaart (Belgian endives' tart)

For ➍*
2 onions, peeled & chopped finely
5 stalks witloof/endives**, cut into 4, lengthwise***/****
150 g bacon, cubed
2 eggs
5 cl milk
100 g Gruyère (or Emmental) cheese, grated
1 pack puff pastry
nutmeg
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 200°C. 
Beat the eggs and season to taste. Add the milk and half the cheese.
Line a baking tin or dish with baking paper. Put the pastry in, puncture with a fork.*****
Spread the the vegetables into the tin, crossing the witloof leaves. Put the bacon on top. Pour the egg mixture over.
Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
Put in the oven for 40 m.
Serve with a small green salad.

*For a smaller tart (for 2 or as a starter or snack), use 3 endives, 75 g bacon. Use the same amounts for the sauce and cheese.

**Use the best quality witloof available, avoid hydroculture witloof. 
***If wanted, you can add 2 stalks blanched celery (or leek), cut into small pieces.

****If wanted, you can stew the vegetables for 1 or 2 m with  a little bit of butter.

*****If wanted, pre-bake the pastry.

Brussels sprouts' mousse

For ➍
500 g steamed Brussels sprouts (not too soft)
2 eggs, separated
1.5 dl lukewarm white sauce*
nutmeg
salt & pepper
250 g lean bacon** or vegan alternative

Preheat oven to 190°C. Butter the sides of the oven-dish and cover with bacon slices.
Put most of the sprouts (reserve a few for decoration) in a blender with white sauce*. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Fold yolks manually through the mixture.
Beat egg-whites until stiff and fold into the mixture.
Pour half in a greased oven-dish, put some sprouts in a row, add rest of the mixture. Cover with lean bacon.
Bake for 35 m.
Let cool a bit. Serve in slices as paté.

*Use the (rather firm) white sauce recipe.
Or: replace white sauce with 1 tbs light cream. The mousse will be slightly firmer.
**Without the bacon, serve with potatoes and lard (or pork). Or use a vegan alternative.

Excellent warm in winter, it can be served cold as a starter in warmer seasons.
Read the tip on cooking sprouts.

Parsnip stew with mushrooms & bacon

For ➍
1 kg potatoes
800 g parsnips
1 tbs mild olive oil
150 g bacon strips
3 sprigs fresh thyme
400 g chestnut mushrooms
125 g sliced ​​shallots
20 cl semi-skimmed milk

Peel the potatoes, cut into equal pieces and cook in water with any salt in 20 m until done.
Peel the parsnip and cut into 1 cm thick slices. Cook the last 10 m with the potatoes.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the bacon strips until crispy over medium heat in 8 m.
Meanwhile, tear the leaves of the thyme sprigs.
Slice the mushrooms.
Turn down the heat. Add the thyme, mushrooms and shallots to the bacon and cook over low heat for 8 m.
Heat the milk. Drain the potatoes and parsnip, add the milk and mash with the mashed potatoes.
Serve the stew with the mushroom mixture.

Carbonara alla romana

For ➋
200 g pasta (penne or straight macaroni)
3 yolks of organic eggs
70 g pecorino romano (18 months old)
80 g guanciale (pork jowl bacon from Amatrice, ideally aged 6-8 months)
penja pepper from the mill

Boil the pasta in strongly salted water (5 to 10 g per l), depending on the time indicated on the package.
In a mixing bowl au bain-marie, beat the egg yolks with half the cheese. Season with pepper to taste.
Bake the pieces of guanciale in a (preferably iron) pan, until golden brown and crispy. Separate the meat from the fat and set it aside so that it can be added later when the preparation is heated in a bain-marie.
Drain the pasta as soon as it is ready and put it in the bowl with the mixture of egg yolks and cheese. Heat au bain-marie like with a sabayon to lighten the dish.
Add 30 g of boiling water and the fat from the cheeks, together with the rest of the cheese and some pepper. If the mixture is too fluid, add some cheese. If it is too dry, add some cooking water from the starchy pasta.
Before serving, sprinkle a little cheese and a large pinch of pepper over the plate. Conclude with the guanciale (who must remain warm during the entire preparation). Serve at room temperature, with a glass of Franciacorta (Lombard sparkling wine)

A recipe from chef Filippo La Vecchia of Osteria Romana in Brussels.

Cocotte de poulet au cidre (French chicken stew with cider)

For ➍
1 large chicken, cut in 6
pepper & salt
1 tbs butter or oil
250 g mushrooms, quartered
2 thick slices salted bacon, diced
3 celery stems, diced
50 cl cider
5 sprigs lemon thyme
2 leaves laurel
10 cl cream*
1 tbs mustard
parsley, cut

Heat the butter or oil in a large pot. Add the chicken pieces. Add salt and pepper. Brown lightly. Remove from the pot.
Add the mushrooms, bacon and celery to the pot. Sauté for a few m.
Put the chicken pieces on top. Add the cider. Add the thyme and laurel.
On low fire, cook for 1.5 h**, half covered.
Remove the meat and thicken the sauce. Add the mustard and cream. Add the chicken pieces. Sprinkle with parsley.
Serve with a crispy baguette*** to dip the sauce.

*Use fresh creamed goat cheese (or Philadelphia cheese) instead.
**Reduce cooking time with smaller or fewer pieces to 45-50 m, such as a pair of chicken legs of +/- 500 g.
***Bake or toast slices.

Zuni Cafe pasta alla carbonara

For ➍-➎
4 or 5 thick slices (140 g) bacon, cut into small segments
5 tbs extra virgin olive oil
4 large or 5 small eggs, at room temperature, beaten
½ cup (10 cl) fresh ricotta cheese, at room temperature
450 g spaghetti, penne, or bucatini pasta
¾ cup shucked sweet English peas or mature sugar snap peas or double-peeled favas
50 g pecorino romano or pecorino sardo, grated
salt & freshly cracked black pepper

Warm the bacon in the olive oil in a sauté pan over low heat. It should gradually render a little fat, which will mix with the oil.
Meanwhile, lightly beat the eggs with the ricotta.
Drop the pasta into 6 quarts rapidly boiling water seasoned with a scant 2 tbs salt. Stir, and cook until al dente.
When the pasta is about 1 m from being al dente, add the peas or favas to the water, and raise the heat under the bacon. Cook the bacon until it is just crispy on the edges but still tender in the middle. Turn off the heat, slide the pan from the heat, and swirl it a few times to cool it slightly.
Drain the pasta, shake off the excess water, and slide the pasta and peas or favas into the pan of bacon; you’ll hear a discreet sizzle. Place back on the burner (the one you used to cook the bacon, which should still be quite warm). Immediately pour the beaten eggs all over the steaming pasta, add most of the pecorino and lots of cracked black pepper, and fold to combine. Work quickly so the heat of the noodles, bacon and bacon fat slightly cooks the eggs. The eggs and ricotta will coat the pasta and form tiny, soft, golden curds.
Serve in warm bowls and offer the remaining pecorino and black pepper.

Try the original recipe. Or a Japanese fusion recipe.

Pumpkin risotto

For ➍
250 g risotto rice
600 g pumpkin, skinned & cubed
250 g smoked bacon
200 g black olives (canned), sliced into rings
150 g fresh goat cheese
Provençal herbs (marjoram, basil, tarragon, thyme, parsley)
olive oil
vegetable or chicken stock

Fry the bacon in a little oil. Add the pumpkin cubes. Bake until just not done.
Add some olive oil and fry the risotto rice in the panPour the remaining oil in the pan and pour the risotto rice. Let the rice on the oil fry until it turns translucent. Stir occasionally. Add hot stock and a pinch of the herbs.
Simmer the rice in the pan until soft. Add water if necessary.
Cut the olives into rings and add them.
Let it simmer until all the water is gone. Then stir in the goat cheese into the risotto just before removing it from the fire.
Serve with Parmigiano cheese.

Read the tip on making a quick risotto.

Cobb grilled cheese

For ➋ sandwiches
4 slices whole wheat bread
4 tbs softened butter
250 g aged gouda, grated
1 roasted chicken breast, sliced
1 small tomato, sliced
½ avocado, pitted, peeled & sliced
1 hard boiled egg, sliced
4 slices cooked bacon
¼ cup blue cheese crumbles

Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread, then stack the two buttered sides together and repeat with the other 2 slices.
Layer top slice of the bread with a handful of gouda then follow with tomato, chicken breast, avocado slices, egg slices, blue cheese crumbles and 2 pieces of bacon then top with another handful of gouda.
Place the ingredient stacked bread, buttered side down, in a non-stick fry pan over medium-high heat and top with the other slice of buttered bread. Cover with lid and let cook for 3-4 m or until golden.
Reduce heat to medium and flip sandwich to the other side and cook for 2-3 m or until bread is toasty golden and the cheese has melted. The second side will cook faster than the first so watch carefully. Repeat process with the other sandwich ingredients to make the second grilled cheese.
Slice sandwiches in half and enjoy hot.

Bacon chicken guacamole bombs

For ➑ bombs
2 ripe avocados
½ white onion, finely chopped
½ tomato, chopped
2 tbs coriander, chopped
½ tbs kosher salt
2 tbs freshly squeezed lime juice
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt & freshly ground black pepper
8 bacon strips
1 tbs canola oil

Preheat oven to 200°C.
Using a knife, cut around the pit of the avocado, separating the halves from each other. Remove the pit and use a spoon to scoop out the avocado. In a large bowl, combine the avocado, onion, tomato, coriander, salt, and lime juice. Mash and stir with a fork until there are no large chunks of avocado left.
Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper on all sides. Slice chicken breasts in half crosswise. Cut a slit into the center of each half to make a pocket. Take a heaping spoonful of the guacamole and pack it into the pocket. Pinch the edges of the chicken closed.
Wrap the chicken with two strips of bacon, making sure the ends of the bacon all end up on the same side of the chicken.
Heat oil in a pan over high heat. Sear the bacon-wrapped chicken for 2-3 m on each side. Remember to cook the sides of the chicken as well. Bake for 10 m.
Serve.

Parelhoen met witloof & Trappist (guinea fowl with endives & beer)

For ➍
1 guinea fowl (1.5 kg)
salt & pepper
50 g bacon, cubed or sliced
50 g butter
10 shallots, sliced
3 dl Belgian beer, white or blond, blond Trappist recommended*/**
1 ts thyme
3 juniper berries
2 sprigs parsley
1 ts sugar*
6 endives***

Rub the guinea fowl with salt and pepper.
Heat the butter in a pan and bake the bacon for 5 m. Remove the bacon and brown the guinea fowl in the fat. Remove fowl and brown the shallots.
Add beer, thyme, laurel, berries, parsley (and sugar*). Mix.
Add bacon and heat the mixture.
Add the guinea fowl and let it stew on low heat for 45 m.
Heat some water to cook the endives for 10 m.
Add vegetables to the guinea fowl for the last 10 m of the cooking.
Remove the fowl and vegetables. Thicken the sauce, push through a chinois.
Cut guinea fowl into pieces. Put a piece on a warm plate with some sauce and with vegetables. Serve with boiled potatoes*** and blond Trappist beer.

*When using white beer or blond Trappist, don't add sugar. Blond Trappist should be a triple, like Westmalle or Leffe. When Belgian beers are not available, use pale ale instead...
**Add 10 cl fond de gibier to make a smoother sauce.

***Do not use hydroculture endives for a better taste. To have a smoother sauce, cut 1 additional endive into small chunks and put in the sauce from the start.
***Or serve with parsnip mash.

Trappist monasteries were founded by the Cistercian monastery of La Trappe in medieval France. Of the world's 171 Trappist monasteries, only 7 produce beer. 6 of them are in Belgium, brewing the highly valued Trappist following strict prescriptions.
Read the cooking fowl tip. Try the quick version. Read a classic recipe to braise the endives.
Read the braising endives without water tip.
Read the cooking endives @ microwave tip.

Guinea fowl salad

For➍
1 guinea fowl
1 focaccia
⅛ cauliflower
1 beetroot
1 jar green asparagus
150 g bacon
4 eggs
1 bunch watercress
1 scallion
3 tbs green peas
8 small potatoes
2 dl corn oil
2 egg yolks
1 tbs white wine vinegar
1 tbs mustard
sugar
olive oil

Cut the bacon into strips. Fry until crispy.
Cut fillets of the guinea fowl and cut it into strips, season with salt and pepper and fry until golden brown in olive oil.
Cut cubes from the focaccia, season with salt and pepper and fry in oil.
Peel and wash the beets, cut into cubes and cook until al dente.
Clean the cauliflower, pull them into florets and cook until al dente.
Poach the eggs in water with salt and vinegar.
Boil the potatoes in their skins, peel and halve them. Cut the vegetables finely and mix them with the potatoes.
Make a dressing with the corn oil, egg yolks, white wine vinegar, mustard and sugar. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve the vegetable salad on a plate. Top with a poached egg and a few strips of guinea fowl. Finish with the focaccia cubes, the dressing and some chopped chives.

Artichauts à la barigoule (Provençal braised artichokes)

For ➍
4 medium artichokes (or 8-12 small purple artichokes)
2 lemons, quartered
120 g smoked bacon
3 tomatoes
1 onion
1 clove garlic
20 cl dry white wine
50 g butter
salt & pepper
savory, coriander, rosemary, thyme, oregano & sage

Drop lemons in a pot of fresh water.
Pull the stems of the artichokes and wash.Cut the leaves halfway up and cut them in half lengthwise and remove the hay with a small sharp knife. Put them in lemon water.
Melt half the butter in a pan and stir-fry the artichokes quickly over high heat. Add salt and pepper and set aside.
Dip the tomatoes for a few s in a pot of boiling water, then peel them, remove the seeds and cut them into large cubes.
Peel the onion and garlic, slice them.
Fry the bacon, onion and garlic in the remaining butter, add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and herbs and simmer for 3-4 m.
Top each artichoke half of this farce, put them in a casserole dish, pour over the white wine and simmer 1 hour.
Serve as a vegetarian main dish or as a side dish with fish or lamb.

'Barigoule' is a way of making a farce for artichokes. Instead of tomatoes,you could use carrots or/and mushrooms.

Tenderloin with spinach, tomato & bacon

For ➍
1 pork tenderloin, at room temperature
1 handful spinach leaves
4 cocktail tomatoes, halved or 8 cherry tomatoes
8 slices bacon
cauliflower couscous

Cut the pork tenderloin open so that a rectangle is created. Place the meat between two sheets of foil and beat it into a thin layer with a rolling pin. Remove the foil, season with salt and pepper. Cut the meat into long strips, about the width of the bacon.
Put a few leaves of spinach, cocktail tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes ) on the meat, roll the tenderloin and wrap the bacon around it. Secure with a toothpick.
Brush the skewers with olive oil and grill for 5 to 6 m on each side. Place the skewers on the side of the barbecue and cook for 10 m more or until they are fully cooked.
Serve with cauliflower couscous.

Spaghetti alla carbonara (coal miner's wife's spaghetti)

For ➍
400 g dried spaghetti
175 g piece smoked pancetta (at least 0.5 cm thick), rind removed*
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped**
handful flat leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
3 large free-range eggs, beaten***
7 cl white wine***
50 g pecorino Sardo maturo cheese (mature Sardinian pecorino), finely grated
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Bring 4 l of water to the boil in a large saucepan with 8 ts of salt. Add the spaghetti and cook for 9 m or until al dente.
Meanwhile, cut the pancetta into short little strips, about 0.6 cm wide.
Heat a large, deep frying pan over a medium-high heat, add the oil and the pancetta. Fry until lightly golden. Add the garlic and parsley and cook for a few s, then remove from the heat and set aside.
Drain the spaghetti well, tip into the frying pan with the pancetta, garlic and parsley, add the beaten eggs and half the grated pecorino cheese. Toss together well.
Season to taste with a little salt and black pepper. The heat from the spaghetti will be sufficient to partly cook the egg, but still leave it moist and creamy.
Serve in warmed pasta bowls. Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.

*Belly-meat, not to be confused with ordinary ham.
**Or cut cloves in half, add to the heated oil, remove after finishing the sauce.
***Use only the egg yolks and add white wine to the pancetta, garlic and parsley mix.

Although associated with Lazio, the region around Rome, the origin of this recipe is uncertain. Some say it was taken from Umbria to Rome by revolutionaries in the 19th century; other people say it belongs to a Neapolitan noble, Ippolito Cavalcanti, who published it in a book.
This dish could derive from the union of ingredients and ideas between the U.S. soldiers, arriving in Rome in 1944, and the chefs of the local restaurants. The soldiers supplied bacon and powdered eggs, the chefs their fantasy. This was the version became widely spread after WWII in America and Europe, most of the time with cream (and eventually mushrooms) added to the sauce, making it look and taste like fettuccine Alfredo, an hybrid American-Italian pasta favourite. The charcoal in the name refers to the baking of the bacon. This recipe is close to that favoured by the official Accademia Italiana della Cucina.
Read more on American-Italian hybrids: fettuccine Alfredo, spaghetti alla puttanesca, chicken Marsala, white pizza, American Italian spaghetti with meatballs & tomato sauce.
Read more spaghetti & linguine recipes: a quick spaghetti, spaghetti with scallops & tomatoes, scallops & rucola spaghetti, spaghetti with vegetables, shrimps fra diavolo, raw tomato spaghetti, spaghetti with clams, spaghetti with small clams, spaghetti with oil & garlic, spaghetti alla puttanesca, Palermo spaghetti with tomatoes & mint, American-Italian spaghetti with meatballs, vermicelli with parsley sauce, shrimps & Brie linguine, butter & tomato pasta sauce, lemon pasta with sea spinach.
Read the Japanese fusion recipe for pasta carbonara. Or an American café version.
Use the Roman version with guanciale, cured pork cheeks.

Poulet braisé à la gueuze (braised chicken with old Brussels gueuze)

For ➍
a farm chicken (600 g)
4 onions, chopped
4 slices smoked bacon (0.5 cm thick), cubed
2 bottles of gueuze 37.5 cl
2 slices of gingerbread spread with spicy mustard
a large knob of butter
1 tbs flour
fresh thyme, parsley & fresh bay
500 g waxy potatoes*
watercress

With a sharp knife cut the chicken. Remove the tighs and cut them in 2. Remove chicken breast from the rest of the carcass and divide into 4 large pieces.**
Put a large casserole over medium heat. Melt butter. Add the breasts and tighs. Season with salt and pepper. Fry them on all sides golden brown (5 to 7 m). Lift the chicken from the pot and keep warm.
In the same pot, brown the onions. Add the bacon. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and bacon. Just stir and simmer about 5 m on medium heat.
Make a bouquet garni of parsley, bay leaves and some sprigs of thyme. Place the chicken and its' gravy back into the pot with the bouquet garni. Pour over the gueuze, enough not to cover the chicken.
Spread a generous layer of spicy mustard on the gingerbread . Add to the stew. Simmer for 30 m on low heat. Add salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, boil the potatoes (cut as pommes château) in water with a pinch of salt.
Serve with sauce and potatoes. Garnish with some cress.*

*Or serve with a potatoes & carrots mash and braised endives. Omit the watercress.
**The carcass and the wings can be used to make good stock.

Rotkohl (German spiced red cabbage with apples & wine)

For ➍
3 tbs chopped bacon
1 small red onion, finely chopped
3 cm fresh ginger, peeled & finely chopped
⅓ cinnamon stick
⅔ large red cabbage, tough outer leaves removed, quartered, cored & finely shredded
⅔ sprig fresh marjoram
⅓ ts garam masala (or a small dash each of ground black pepper, rock salt, cinnamon &; cardomom)
4 tbs red wine vinegar
4 tbs ruby port or Madeira wine
4 tbs brown sugar or maple syrup
1 bay leaf (optional)
1 whole clove (optional)
1 firm apple, chopped (optional)

Cook the bacon in a large skillet over low heat, stirring occasionally until it has rendered its fat, about 10 m for the bacon.
Add the onion, ginger and cinnamon stick, increase the heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 m, until the onion has softened.
Add the cabbage, stirring and cooking over medium heat until some of the bits are slightly browned and caramelized, about 10 m. Now add the marjoram, garam masala, vinegar and port or Madeira, and stir well. Add the optional bay leaf, whole clove, and chopped apple.
Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 60-75 m, stirring occasionally to make sure the cabbage is not sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Remove the lid and cook, stirring frequently, for 15 m.
Stir in the brown sugar (or maple syrup) and cook for 15 mlonger, or until most of the liquid has cooked away.
Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf before serving.
Serve with roasted pork & potatoes, or Königsberger Klopse & potatoes.

Coq au vin (chicken & red wine)

For ➍
1 chicken, in pieces* (or boneless thighs)
200 g mushrooms, sliced
100 g smoked bacon
3 onions, diced
1 laurel leaf**
1 sprig thyme**
1 bottle strong red wine***
½ tbs flour
1 tbs butter
salt & pepper

Heat the butter in a frying pan. Brown the chicken. Sprinkle the pieces with a little flour.
Pour the wine on the chicken. Reduce the heat, add thyme and laurel, cover and let simmer for 20 m.
Meanwhile brown the bacon. In another pan, heat the onions in some butter, until translucent. Add the mushrooms.
Add onions and mushrooms to the chicken, cover and let simmer for another 5 m. Add the bacon.
Add salt & pepper and serve.

*With skin if possible. Remove skin before serving.
**Remove before serving.
***Strong red wines of South Western France are well suited to this dish. Try to find some Négrette-based wines.

This is a quick version of a traditional French dish, made with with strong-headed wines and old roosters, done with crowing. Recipes vary depending on the region. When an old rooster is used, marinate it overnight in a mix of wine, sliced carrot, thyme and laurel, and some chopped garlic. Then, add a small glass of cognac, cover and let simmer for about 2 h.
The Négrette wine grape, named after a rather full-bodied black female, is grown primarily in South West France in the region between Albi and Toulouse. It is a descendant of the mavro variety, meaning black in Greek, on Cyprus, but is also found in Irak. It is believed to have been carried to France by the Knights of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem in the 12th century during the Crusades, though some sources seem to suggest that it was already growing in the South West in the 6th century.
The principal appellation using this variety is the Côtes du Frontonnais (red and rosé), requiring that 50% to 70% of the blend be comprised of the Négrette grape, augmented by cabernet franc and cabernet-sauvignon, or syrah, cinsaut, gamay, mauzac and merille. Other blends are sold as (some of the) Fronton and (some) Côtes de Gascogne. In California the vine is known as Pinot St-George.
For a white wine version, read coq au Riesling.
Read the chicken cooking tip.

Spinach salad with warm bacon vinaigrette

For ➍
100 g baby spinach
2 large white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
¼ small or medium red onion, very thinly sliced*
1 large egg, hard-boiled, chilled, peeled & thinly sliced**
4 pieces thick-sliced bacon (about 100 g), finely diced
2 tbs red wine vinegar
½ ts honey
½ ts smooth (Dijon) mustard
coarse salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place spinach in a large, wide salad serving bowl. Scatter with mushrooms, red onion* and coins of hard-boiled egg.
In a large skillet, fry bacon bits over medium-high heat until brown and crisp and having rendered their fat.
Use a slotted spoon to scoop them out of the skillet and spread them on a piece of paper towel briefly before sprinkling them over the salad.
Pour out all but 2 tbs of hot bacon fat from the skillet. Reheat over medium and quickly whisk in the red wine vinegar, honey and Dijon*. Pour over entire salad and season salt and pepper.
Toss gently and serve hot.

*Add the raw onion to the dressing in the skillet for the last 10 s to soften it and remove more of the bite, and pour the onions and dressing over the salad together.
**Put eggs in cold water. Bring it to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, set a timer to exactly 10 m, and reduce the heat to medium. Plunge egg in icy water to stop cooking immediately and chill quickly.