Yes, more bacon. What? You didn’t think I was done with it just because I ate up a pound of it all by myself five years ago did you?
Mmm, this little side is something I could eat for breakfast or lunch or dinner. The smoky, the sweet, the salty all come together so that the gestalt is warm and satisfying in chilly weather. Fall comfort food, don’t you know.
There are other grains to use for the base. Standing with me in the checkout line on Sunday, my friend S began to talk lovingly about farro. Oh yes, that would be so good and perfectly earthy in this recipe. For class, though, we stuck with basmati because, well, there has never been a kid who walked into my class yet and proclaimed that they hated rice. (Notice the little sneaks of it in the picture above). Plus, rice sops up all of the lovely flavors.
I promise that I will try and back off of the pork for a bit. I do not know what has come over me of late with all the bacon this, pork that. Hmmm?
Basmati Rice with Apple, Bacon, and Sage
*2 c. basmati rice
*1 t. salt
*1/2 lb. uncured bacon
*2 1/2 lbs. apples, a mixture of sweet and tart works best, diced
*3 shallots, chopped
*1 1/2 c. apple cider
*2 t. apple cider vinegar
*1 t. maple syrup
*1 T. fresh sage leaves, chopped
Together: Place 3 paper towels on a dinner plate in preparation for the bacon. Measure out all of the wet ingredients together; weigh the apples.
Wash the basmati rice in a bowl or large measuring cup with a pouring spout. Pour off the water and wash again. Repeat till the water is mostly clear.
Place the rice, the salt, 3 cups of water and 1/2 c. of the apple cider in a heavy pot with a lid.
Big Person: Bring everything to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 25 minutes. Take the pot off of the heat with the top still on. Let the rice steam, covered, for another 10 minutes before you lift off the lid.
In a saute pan, cook the bacon over medium heat till it has browned on both sides. Remove the bacon from the pan to the plate with the paper towels. Clean all but about a tablespoon of the bacon grease from the pan.
Add the shallots, apples, apple cider, maple syrup and vinegar to the pan and cook, stirring, for a few minutes, till the apples and shallots are completely soft. Let cool.
Back Together Again: In a big bowl, place the rice and the cooled apple mixture. Crumble in the bacon. Sprinkle in the sage. Carefully, mix everything together. Taste for seasoning. You might find you need some black pepper, a little more vinegar, or a pinch of nutmeg.
Serve garnished with a few small sage leaves.
