After the sheer hedonism of fresh prawns (3rd Nov) followed by self-indulgent pieces on French Wine and eating out (15th & 17th Nov) I have been flooded with complaints. “Are you aware of the recession?” wrote one reader, “Down with this sort of thing” wrote another, “An Taoiseach Brian Cowan and Minister Lenihan have displayed a stunning lack of touch and forward planning by producing a slap-dash budget that John Bruton would be proud of. Maybe the only reason they moved it forward was to get a bit more distance between it and 4th June 2009 as possible?” remarked a third. Clearly it is time to tighten the belt, ever the one to respond to the needs of the people (me, not Brian Cowan) we went to Aldi and bought a Back Bacon Joint for a recession busting €3.99. Less than the price of a pint of Guinness. How about that?
Ingredients (for 2)
1 700g Back Bacon Joint from Aldi
3 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
6 teaspoons Honey
1-2 teaspoons of Soy Sauce
Large handful of Cloves.
Method
While bringing a large pot of water to the boil rinse your bacon in cold water, you may want to soak it for a while in the water to get rid of some of the saltiness, this is especially true if the bacon is smoked. When the pot of water is warm, but not yet boiling, add the bacon and bring to the boil. Once boiling reduce the heat way down until you have a very, very, slow simmer. Barely bubbling is good. Skim off any salty residue from the top of the water and cook for 45mins per Kg. Once done allow to cool while you mix the glaze ingredients.
When glaze is mixed and the bacon has cooled down trim the outer layer of fat from the bacon and criss-cross the top and sides with a sharp knife. Brush on the glaze and add the cloves into each intersection of the criss-cross cuts. Bake in a preheated 180C oven for 20-30mins.
A good thing about this is you can boil it up in the morning and wait to do the baking part until you come home from a hard day signing on and going to the betting shop. Presto! A recession proof dinner in 20mins. Serve with some old bits of cardboard and maybe some cabbage, only if you can afford it mind.
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