CARNICOPIA BLT
Ingredients
• 3 slices Carnicopia Meats Unsmoked Bacon
• 2 slices beefsteak tomatoes or fried green tomatoes • 2 or 3 leaves red leaf lettuce, washed and dried
• 2 slices whole grain bread, toasted
For fried green tomatoes:
• 2 slices green tomatoes • 1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour • 3 eggs
• 2⁄3 cup panko bread crumbs • Pepper to taste
For the roast garlic aioli:
• 1⁄2 cup mayonnaise
• 1⁄4 cup parsley, finely chopped
• 2 or 3 cloves roasted garlic, minced to a paste • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• Zest of 1⁄2 lemon + 1 wedge squeezed juice • Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
• Preheat the pan to medium-high.
• Add the bacon slices flat to the pan and fry until golden brown.
• Flip and brown the other side.
• Remove the bacon from the pan and onto a towel to drain any excess bacon grease. Blot the pan with a towel until just enough bacon grease is left to coat the pan.
• Bring the pan back up to a medium-high heat, until just about to smoke.
• Season the tomatoes with cracked pepper, then quickly sear each side in the hot pan.
• To assemble, put a thin layer of roast garlic aioli on one slice of toast, then bacon, tomatoes and top with other slice.
To make with fried tomatoes:
• Set up your breading station.
• Put flour seasoned with pepper in one dish, the eggs cracked and beaten in another and then the panko bread crumbs in the final dish. Coat the green tomatoes in the flour first, tapping any excess flour off before coating in the egg, then coat in the breadcrumbs. Reserve on a plate and wait until the bacon is fried. • After the bacon is removed from the pan, fry the breaded green tomatoes in the bacon fat until golden brown on each side. Remove the tomatoes onto a towel to drain any excess fat. Assemble.
To make the aioli:
• To roast the garlic, chop the top off a whole head of garlic and wrap foil, then roast for 45 minutes at 400 degrees.
• Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper before wrapping.
• Remove the cloves after cooled and mince until it forms a paste.
• Add the roasted garlic paste, Dijon mustard, lemon zest and juice, and a pinch of salt and pepper to the mayonnaise. Mix thoroughly until the ingredients are well blended.
• Fold the chopped parsley in the mayonnaise mixture until incorporated.
• Check for seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, roasted garlic and/or lemon juice if needed. This mixture stays fresh in your refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
RECIPE COURTESY OF CARNICOPIA MEATS