Bacon + Ricotta Filling
Serves 2-3
Ingredients:
1/3 lb of bacon ends (we use Barham Family Farms)
1/5 lb Ricotta Cheese
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan Cheese
⅓ of an onion
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1 sprig of thyme
Directions:
Start by cooking the bacon ends in a pan. Place the bacon in the pan with the heat off. Turn the heat on medium and slowly render the fat out of the bacon until it is crispy.
Finely chop the onions and brown them in a separate pan. They should be cooked down enough to have a jam consistency. Add thyme and balsamic vinegar then allow to dry slightly before removing from the heat.
Once the bacon is crispy, remove it from the pan using a slotted spoon and let it cool on a paper towel-lined plate. Once cool, rough chop the bacon into small pieces and set it aside. Don’t throw away the fat!
Blitz the onions with the breadcrumbs just to combine. Do not blend too much or it will become a paste. Allow all ingredients but the fat to cool.
In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese and the rendered bacon fat from the pan. Mix thoroughly until the bacon fat is evenly distributed throughout the ricotta.
Next, add the breadcrumb-onion mixture and grated Parmesan cheese to the mixture and stir until it is well incorporated. Add salt to taste. Add pepper to taste.
Lastly, add the chopped bacon. Be sure not to overmix as to break down the bacon.
Once the mixture is well combined, place it into piping bags.
