Welcome to 2010!!!!
"This tree, which grows in our valleys, on our rocks...grows fast, and when it is tall and strong, does not fear storms and overcomes the North wind which is unable to shake it. The Maple is king of our forest; it is the emblem of the Canadian people". Denis-Benjamin Viger
A Recipe for Maple Glazed Peameal Bacon with Potato Latkes
"This tree, which grows in our valleys, on our rocks...grows fast, and when it is tall and strong, does not fear storms and overcomes the North wind which is unable to shake it. The Maple is king of our forest; it is the emblem of the Canadian people". Denis-Benjamin Viger
Welcome to 2010 and the beginning of a new decade. The upcoming year is full of possibilities we just need to take those roads untravelled and live each moment as it comes. I decided to bring in the New Year with some traditional and not so traditional Canadian dishes. I roasted some peameal bacon with a maple syrup glaze and fried up some potato latkes. The peameal bacon is lean and with very few calories...but not so much the latkes. They were a marriage made in heaven with a few slices of campari tomatoes and a Cranberry Mimosa. I personally think it was the perfect balance to usher in 2010!!!For dinner I went out for our traditional Chinese dinner with friends as I have done for the past 30 years on New Years Day no matter where I have lived across the country of Canada. This morning I am headed out for breakfast to a local hangout with L'il Burnt Toast and The Boy since L'il Burnt Toast is moving back to the coast for university.
I was born and spent the first 19 years of my life in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, where I ate peameal bacon weekly, if not daily. Mom would fry thin slices with some tomatoes and crumpets/pikelets at least once a week. It was THE breakfast staple along with porridge and potato scones. When I moved West peameal bacon was unheard of and was unavailable until one day I was delighted to find it at Costco, and now it is even available here at The Canadian Superstore for a lesser cost.
As with so many foods that we grew up with, the importance of this one goes way beyond the actual bacon itself and is one of those comfort foods we talk about so often. Peameal for me symbolizes breakfast around the table with the entire family, summer at the cottage in Ontario, and all that goes with it... long days, no school, new friends, and so on. I remember having Peameal Bacon Sandwiches at the fall fair, the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival, the St. Jacobs Farmers Market, or at the beach at Wasaga. They would take a large hunk, anywhere from 2 to 3 pounds, and slice it not too thin and not too thick. They they would then grill it over medium heat so it stays just ever so pink in the center and the cornmeal coating and external fat would grill up crisply. Then they would serve it on a soft Kaiser roll slathered with mayonnaise, and topped with iceburg lettuce and slices of summer sun-ripened tomatoes. Oh, and a few thin slices of Canadian cheddar would be acceptable too. Sheer heaven and such a wonderful foodie memory related to my childhood!!!!Seriously, all you have to do is talk to a couple Canadians and you start to realize that peameal bacon sandwiches, while pretty much unknown elsewhere, are about the equivalent up there of pastrami in Manhattan or cheese steaks in Philadelphia. The only Canadian food that outranks it in my books is Poutine!!!
Of course I am a lover of bacon in all it's forms. The term bacon on its own refers generically to strip bacon from the belly meat of the pig, which is the most popular type of bacon sold in Canada as well. It is also not something I choose to eat too often being high in fat content, but it sure is delicious!!!!Back bacon comes from the loin in the middle of the back of the pig. It is a very lean, meaty cut of bacon, with less fat compared to other cuts so therefore better for you so that you can consume it on a more regular basis. It has a ham-like texture. Most bacon consumed in the United Kingdom is back bacon which is probably why my own mom prefered this type of bacon as the best choice over any other to serve to her family (except of course my dad who has always been a vegetarian). It is also referred to as Irish bacon or Canadian Bacon.The term back bacon is again a generic term used interchangeably to describe either smoked or unsmoked back bacon. Peameal Bacon is a boneless cured pork loin rolled in cornmeal, not what is commonly known in the United States and elsewhere as "Canadian Bacon" which is basically a smoked ham...needless to say, the taste and texture of the two are totally different... but let's face it bacon of any kind is delicious.
Peameal Bacon is made from pork loins. They are trimmed of all the fat and the bones are removed. The term peameal comes from the ground yellow peas with which the bacon was originally coated around the 1920's. This ensured better curing and shelf life and avoided bacterial problems. Over the years this tradition was changed to cornmeal, due to the availability of corn. Usually it is sliced and fried for breakfast but it is excellent baked whole as I did for this recipe. The cornmeal makes a crisp exterior and the meat, although quite lean, is particularly juicy, because of the curing process.
True Canadian Bacon can be purchased at http://www.realcanadianbacon.com/ or if you are unable to find peameal bacon you can easily make your own.
The recipe for the baked peameal bacon comes from one of our renowned chefs Christine Cushing and the latkes are based on a recipe from the White on Rice Couple.
**Maple Glazed Peameal Bacon with Potato Latkes**
Serves 4
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup grainy mustard
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
1-1/2 lb. piece of peameal bacon, whole
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Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Gently boil maple syrup, mustard and thyme in a saucepan until reduced by almost half and thickened, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Brush glaze over peameal and roast for about 30 –45 minutes, basting occasionally with glaze, until peameal is heated through. Transfer peameal to a large plate and let stand, loosely covered with foil, about 15 minutes. Slice peameal and serve with potato latkes.
**Potato Latkes**
makes about 12 4″ pancakes
4 medium potatoes, peeled
1/2 large sweet onion, diced into 1/4″ pieces
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely minced
1/3 cup flour
3/4 tablespoon sea salt
fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup + oil, preferably peanut oil, grape seed oil, or other high flash point oil
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Line a bowl with several paper towels, then grate potatoes into bowl. Using more paper towels, squeeze out as much water from the potatoes as you can. After potatoes are as dry as you can get them, discard paper towels.
Add the onion, garlic, flour, salt, pepper, and eggs then stir to combine.
Heat a saute pan over medium to medium-high heat, add oil, then when oil is hot place large spoonfuls of potato mix into the pan. Flatten each pancake to approximately 1/2″ thick. Cook to a golden brown on one side (approx. 2-3 min.) then brown the other side. Remove and pat dry with paper towels. May be kept warm covered in a 300° oven.
As you cook each batch, stir the potato mix before spooning into pan and add more oil to pan if needed. Serve warm.
