Recipe: Bacon and Cheeseburger Loaf, Crusty Oven-fried Chicken, Chicken Nuggets, Spaghetti A Lasagne

Bacon and Cheeseburger Loaf

4 slices bacon
1 1/2 pounds lean ground chuck or ground round
1 cup firm fresh white bread crumbs
1 cup coarsely shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
1 large sweet onion, such as Vidalia, chopped
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons India or other sweet pickle relish
2 teaspoons dry mustard
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 egg
1/4 cup ketchup

Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a medium skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until limp and some of the fat is rendered, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the bacon from the skillet and reserve it.

In a large mixing bowl, use your hands to gently but thoroughly mix together the meat, bread crumbs, 1/2 cup of the cheese, onion, mayonnaise, relish, mustard, salt, pepper, and egg. Pat the mixture into a shallow 2-quart baking pan. Spread the top of the loaf with ketchup, then lay the bacon strips over the ketchup.

Bake until the loaf is firm and the bacon is crisp, 45 to 50 minutes, sprinkling the top of the loaf with the remaining 1/2 cheese to melt during the last 5 to 10 minutes of baking. Let the meatloaf stand in the baking dish for 10 minutes, then cut into squares to serve.

Makes 6 servings.

Crusty Oven-fried Chicken

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon liquid hot pepper sauce
Vegetable oil spray
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Lemon wedges

Use the palms of your hands to pat the chicken to an even thickness. In a shallow bowl, combine the buttermilk, Worcestershire, and hot pepper sauce. Add the chicken, turning to coat. Let the chicken soak in the sauce for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 F. Lightly coat a baking sheet with vegetable oil spray. In a shallow dish, combine the flour, cornmeal, lemon peel, salt, and cayenne pepper. Remove the chicken from the buttermilk and dip it into the flour mixture to coat completely. Place the chicken on the prepared baking sheet, leaving at least 1 inch between each piece. Drizzle with the oil.

Bake the chicken until the coating is golden brown and crusty and the chicken is white throughout, about 20 minutes. Serve garnished with lemon wedges.

Makes 4 servings.

Chicken Nuggets

2 cups fresh breadcrumbs, or 1/3 loaf or 1/3 pound firm white bread
1 teaspoon dried herbs, such as thyme, tarragon, rosemary, and/or marjoram (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup vinaigrette, or 2 tablespoons prepared pesto or black olive paste
2 to 3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

If you don't have bread crumbs on hand (premade, frozen, then thawed), make them by whirring the fresh bread in the food processor. Season with the herbs, if using, and salt and pepper to taste.

Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board, and, with your fingers, pull out the little fillet (the tenderloin) on the underside of each breast. Cut the chicken into strips about 2 inches long and 1/2 inch wide.

Drizzle the vinaigrette over the chicken pieces on the cutting board and rub it into the chicken with your hands to make the crumbs stick to the chicken. Sprinkle the seasoned bread crumbs over the pieces and toss to coat. The coating won't be evenly distributed but it really doesn't matter.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the strips and saut , without moving them, until the crumbs look golden, about 1 minute. With tongs, turn the pieces over and saut the second side until golden, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and continue to saut , turning the pieces frequently, until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes longer.

Makes 4 servings.

Spaghetti A Lasagne

Salt
2 cups tomato or spaghetti sauce, homemade or comercially prepared
3/4 to 1 pound spaghetti, spaghettini, perciatelli, or bucatini
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound (1 cup) ricotta cheese (whole or part-skim)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Heat the tomato sauce in a small saucepan. (Or do this at the last minute in a microwave for 1 minute.)

Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the olive oil, ricotta, and Parmesan in a small mixing bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper.

When the pasta is done, drain it and return it to the pot, off the heat. Add the spaghetti sauce and toss well.

Ladle the pasta and sauce into deep bowls, and top each portion with a dollop of the ricotta mixture.

Makes 4 servings