Bacon

Garlic bread with bacon and cheese

Posted by Gary

Dear Reader,

I hope you’ve had a good week.

I have had a mixed week, but in terms of work, I’m like a pig in mud.

During the week, Lorraine from Not Quite Nigella wrote about her garlic bread with ham and cheese. It looked very fancy, and I’m sure it’s decadently delicious. Lorraine’s cooking always looks amazing and reads fantastically.

I thought I’d make a Yummy Lummy version. When I compare what Lorraine does and what I do, I reckon I’m on the bogan and coarse end of a scale that extends up to refinement and sophistication; my version is cheap and cheerful. Because I’m me, I’m using bacon rather than ham.

Recipe

Equipment

  • Toaster oven

Ingredients

  • Bread roll. The bread I’m using is a cheap sourdough roll from Coles. I buy three in a packet and freeze them. This one has been frozen for a few weeks, so it isn’t at its best.
  • Butter. I usually buy Lurpak® because I like it, so that’s what I’ve used.
  • Garlic. I had a tube of garlic purée in the refrigerator plus some garlic powder as Lorraine recommends. It’s within its use-by date. If you wanted to you could buy fresh garlic, peel it, and then mince it with a sharp knife.
  • Bacon. I bought a rasher of streaky bacon from the delicatessen section in Coles.
  • Chives. I bought a bunch from Coles.
  • Cheese. I like the Devondale three-cheese bag, which comes grated. I’m sure it has enough antifungal chemicals to treat a yeast infection. (That’s a joke, pre-grated cheese needs to be sold with antifungal chemicals, but the amount would hardly treat a good going yeast infection.)

Instructions

  1. Thaw the bread. I took the roll out of the freezer in the morning, put it into a Ziplock bag, and left it on a kitchen bench all day.
  2. Soften the butter. I cut off a hunk of butter and left it on a plate on the kitchen bench for about an hour.
  3. Mix the garlic and butter. When the butter is soft, mix in the garlic purée. Use as much as you like or can tolerate. I live alone, so there was quite a lot of garlic.
  4. Chop the chives and fold that into the garlic butter.
  5. Like Lorraine I melted the garlic butter. I used microwave radiation.
  6. Cut the bacon. Eyeball the width of the bread roll and cut the bacon to the same length.
  7. Cut the bread through to the crust on the bottom. Make the slices as thick or as thin as you like.
  8. Unlike Lorraine who used a brush I used a teaspoon to spoon the garlic butter into the cut surfaces of the bread.
  9. Insert the bacon between the cut surfaces of the bread.
  10. Place the bread on some aluminium foil and place a strip of baking paper over the top and close the foil around the bread. Bake for about 20 minutes at 200 °C.
  11. Pull the garlic bread out of the oven, open the foil, and remove the baking paper. Add the grated cheese over the bread roll and put some between the cut surfaces of the bread on either side of the bacon.
  12. Place the garlic bread into the oven (with an open surface) until the cheese has melted and turned golden brown.
  13. Remove the garlic bread and allow it to cool enough to pull apart with naked fingertips.
  14. Give thanks to the Lord.
  15. Consume
  16. I ate the garlic bread with lamb shanks.

Thoughts on the garlic bread

I liked it. It was buttery and cheesy and it had bacon. What more could you want? It probably also had enough cholesterol and other lipids to ensure a disgusting lipæmic layer if I collected a tube of blood and subjected it to centrifugal force in a centrifuge. I expect, Lorraine’s had better mouthfeel and flavour (take a look at how she made hers and you’ll see why).

I added a lot of garlic powder and garlic purée so tomorrow will be interesting at church. My pores will exude garlic.

Photographs

Lamb shanks and vegatables
Lamb shanks and vegatables
Sourdough roll uncut
Sourdough roll cut
Streaky bacon
Streaky bacon
Garlic butter
Garlic butter
Garlic bread before baking
Lamb shanks out of the pressure cooker
Garlic bread after baking sans cheese
Garlic bread with cheese before melting
Garlic bread with melted cheese
Lamb shanks and garlic bread with bacon and cheese
Lamb shanks and garlic bread with bacon and cheese
Lamb shanks and garlic bread with bacon and cheese
Lamb shanks and garlic bread with bacon and cheese

Endnotes

Pig in mud. Happy, joyful, and contented.

Bogan. Oxford Dictionary of English | bogan / ˈbəʊɡ(ə)n / noun Australian New Zealand informal, derogatory an uncouth or unsophisticated person regarded as being of low social status: some bogans yelled at us from their cars my family are culinary bogans. | ORIGIN 1980s: perhaps from the surname Bogan.

Antifungal microbial agents. I like the idea of using microorganisms which elaborate antifungal chemicals to preserve food.

Click on this and read the replies from Lorraine.

Chicken and bacon congee

Posted by Gary

Dear Reader, 

How are you travelling with work and life at the moment?

Tomorrow, I’m presenting at a national scientific conference. My paper is on two Acts that occupy a good portion of my work time. I’m grateful to my workmates, who drafted the presentation for me.

This conference will be the first I will have attended for more than two years.

The conference is virtual because it is in Sydney, and Sydney currently has a significant outbreak of COVID-19. The NSW Government has implemented restrictions. 

I don’t mind the idea of virtual conferences. I know I will be safer, and I like the idea that I can participate and sleep in my bed and cook my food each day. It also means I can exercise the way I want. I like living without disruption. I like the routines I have developed. Pandemic life is my life.

Apart from work, I’ve been reading good books, listening to podcasts, and watching YouTube videos.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve read Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis, The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson, and David Wilkerson by Gary Wilkerson. I’ve also started the Westminster Confession of Faith.

My current favourite podcast is Gospel in Life, which drops a “show” thrice-weekly and features Timothy Keller, a reformed Presbyterian pastor and communicator from New York City.

I’ve been devouring YouTube videos from The Gospel Coalition, Crossway, and Desiring God. I’ve enjoyed the presentations by Kevin DeYoung, Sinclair Ferguson, John Piper, Jen Wilkin, Melissa Kruger, Rosaria Champagne Butterfield, R.C. Sproul, Sam Alberry, Joni Eareckson Tada, and Rebecca McLaughlin.

I’ve also been walking daily. I’m getting about 40 minutes each morning. I begin anywhere between 4 and 5 am, depending on when I feel like getting out of bed. On weekends, I also try to do the 6 km circuit of Lake Ginninderra each day. All up, I’m doing nearly 40 km each week. This gentle exercise has helped me feel better with less joint pain compared with this time last year.

Ingredients

  • Chicken thighs (2)
  • Diced bacon (100 g)
  • Italian arborio rice (1 cup)
  • Tri-colour quinoa (1 cup)
  • Chicken stock (4 cups)

Instructions

  1. Wash the rice and quinoa with cold water until the water is clear and not cloudy.
  2. Put the rice and quinoa into the vessel of a slow cooker.
  3. Add in the stock.
  4. Add in the chicken pieces and the bacon.
  5. Cook on low heat for 6 hours.
  6. Remove the cooking vessel and pull out the chicken thighs. Pick the skin and flesh from the chicken thigh bones and add the meat and skin back to the cooking vessel. Unless you leave the chicken thighs out for a few minutes, you’ll find the process of removing the skin and flesh unpleasant as the tips of your fingers burn from the retained heat in the meat. I recommend waiting or trying to ameliorate the problem by wearing a couple of latex gloves on each hand to dampen the transfer of heat from the meat to your nerve ending enriched fingertips.
  7. With a wooden spoon (or a metal spoon if you don’t care about scratching your cookware), break up the chicken flesh and mix it through the congee (also known as jook).
  8. Remove the congee from the cooking vessel and aliquot into containers.
  9. Serve a bowl of congee with some soy sauce.
  10. Given thanks to the Lord and eat with a spoon.

Final thoughts

  • Apart from work, how have you been spending your time?
  • What books have you been reading?
  • What podcasts have you been enjoying this last week?
  • What YouTube videos have you enjoyed lately?
  • Do you get much exercise?
  • Do you attend many professional conferences? How do you feel about virtual meetings?

Notes

  • I used Italian Arborio rice because I like using ingredients that aren’t typical. Mixing some Italian with my Chinese makes sense to me. It may not make sense to anyone else, but it works for me.
  • What is congee? Congee or jook is rice gruel. My Mum’s chicken jook is my favourite food.
  • Sinclair Ferguson is Scottish and has the most mellifluous speaking voice. 
  • In the 1980s, The Cross and the Switchblade was popular reading. Friends told me to read it then. I’m slow when it comes to recommended reading.
  • Chicken and bacon congee
  • Weight Chart 2019
  • Weight Chart 2020
  • Weight Chart 2021

How do you make cauliflower soup taste sensational?

Posted by Gary

Cauliflower soup is one of my favourite dishes because it tastes great and is easy to make. Winter is approaching and weekend soup is definitely a thing.

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Sensationally tasting cauliflower soup made with chillies, curry powder and blue cheese Gary Lum
Sensationally tasting cauliflower soup made with chillies, curry powder and blue cheese

How do you make cauliflower soup taste sensational?

This recipe will have you wanting another bowl, even after you feel full.

  • 1 piece cauliflower (remove leaves and breakdown florets)
  • 100 grams bacon pieces (bought from a delicatessen)
  • 1 piece potato (cut into cubes)
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder (Clive of India)
  • 2 glugs olive oil
  • ½ piece white onion (diced)
  • 1 piece stock cube (chicken)
  • 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
  • ¼ cup cream
  • ¼ cup cheese (grated)
  • ¼ cup parsley (chopped)
  • 1 litre boiling water (from a kettle)
  1. Add the olive oil to a saucepan
  2. Sauté the bacon pieces and diced onion
  3. Add the potato and cauliflower
  4. Add sufficient boiling water to cover the potato and cauliflower
  5. Add the stock cube and curry power
  6. Bring the water to the boil and turn down to a simmer
  7. Simmer until the cauliflower and potato are tender (at least 30 minutes)
  8. Remove the saucepan from the heat source
  9. Use a stick blender to process the soup

  10. Add the cream

  11. Add the grated cheese, chilli flakes and cream and then stir through

  12. Prior to serving to recipients (me) add the chopped parsley

  13. Serve in a bowl

As winter approaches this is a soup to be made again and again. If you choose, this goes nicely with a piece of bread or a roll or just on its own.

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As much as I love pumpkin soup, I really enjoy this cauliflower soup.

I’ve previously posted recipes for cauliflower soup, one had celeriac and spam while the other had Pialligo Farm bacon with Gorgonzola cheese.

Check me out on social media

Please like 👍 me on my Facebook page Yummy Lummy, please follow on Twitter @Yummy_Lummy, and please follow me on Instagram @YummyLummyBlog

Thank you

BLAT Bacon lettuce avocado tomato sandwich

Posted by Gary

This week Liz from Bizzy Lizzy’s Good Things wrote about an ultimate BLT (bacon lettuce tomato) sandwich. It inspired my Saturday lunch. 

While I was thinking of replicating Liz’s version I had some left over ciabatta in the freezer as well as an avocado that needed eating. In my mind there is no point wasting good food. 

Saturday BLAT for lunch. Bacon lettuce avocado and tomato sandwich. With the top off. NIKON D7100 with 90.0 mm f/2.8 at 90mm and f/16, 1/8sec, ISO 400
Saturday BLAT for lunch. Bacon lettuce avocado and tomato sandwich. With the top off. NIKON D7100 with 90.0 mm f/2.8 at 90mm and f/16, 1/8sec, ISO 400

BLAT Bacon lettuce avocado tomato sandwich
 
Recipe Type: Lunch
Cuisine: Australian
Author: Gary Lum
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • Ciabatta bread
  • Vine ripened tomato
  • Streaky bacon
  • Cos lettuce
  • Avocado
  • Lemon
  • Grapeseed oil
  • Pepper
  • Butter
Instructions
  1. Add a little butter to the bread and grill butter side down in a hot pan until golden brown
  2. Cook the streaky bacon in a bench top oven at 200 °C for 15 minutes
  3. Make an avocado spread with avocado, grapeseed oil, lemon juice and some pepper
  4. Slice the tomato, drain on some kitchen towel and add pepper
  5. Cut the cos lettuce to fit the bread
  6. Apply the avocado spread to the bottom piece of bread
  7. Lay on the lettuce
  8. Lay on the streaky bacon
  9. Lay on the tomato
  10. Shoot a photograph with the top piece of bread artistically positioned over a corner of the sandwich
  11. Shoot another photograph with the rose from my garden
  12. Put some avocado spread on the top piece of bread and put the sandwich together
  13. Cut the sandwich on an angle
  14. Shoot a close up photograph showing all the internal goodness
  15. Eat the sandwich
  16. Wash the dishes
  17. Write the recipe
  18. Blog (verb)
  19. Hope that people like the recipe and the photographs
 

 

Saturday BLAT for lunch. Bacon lettuce avocado and tomato sandwich. The rose is from my garden. NIKON D7100 with 90.0 mm f/2.8 at 90mm and f/22, 1/5sec, ISO 400
Saturday BLAT for lunch. Bacon lettuce avocado and tomato sandwich. The rose is from my garden. NIKON D7100 with 90.0 mm f/2.8 at 90mm and f/22, 1/5sec, ISO 400

Saturday BLAT for lunch. Bacon lettuce avocado and tomato sandwich. Close up after cutting in half. NIKON D7100 with 90.0 mm f/2.8 at 90mm and f/3.2, 1/320sec, ISO 400
Saturday BLAT for lunch. Bacon lettuce avocado and tomato sandwich. Close up after cutting in half. NIKON D7100 with 90.0 mm f/2.8 at 90mm and f/3.2, 1/320sec, ISO 400

 
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Hope you have a great weekend and eat YUMMY