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Bacon and Apples

An easy small lunch dish that can be woven into a plate of cooked yellow lentils and a slice of Appleby Cheshire cheese. Nearly perfect. It will be no good, though, made with any one of that terrible trinity of juice bombs – Gala, Braeburn or Granny Smith – and, sad to say, Bramleys will fall to bits. Cox’s Orange Pippins are best, or another apple with a good, fibrous texture and matt skin (see here).

I prefer to use thinly cut smoked streaky bacon for this, but if you like a thick cut, or prefer to use back or middle rather than streaky, that’s fine, too.

Serves 2

a large knob of butter

4 rashers of smoked streaky bacon, cut into 2cm/¾ inch strips (remove the rind first if they are cut thick)

2 eating apples, cored and cut into segments

light brown muscovado sugar

freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter in a frying pan, add the bacon and cook until it loses its transparency and becomes crisp. Add the apples and fry both for 4–5 minutes until the apples are tender, gently turning them occasionally but not too often or they will break up. Sprinkle a pinch of muscovado sugar over the apples, then twist over some black pepper. With the bacon, salt is not needed.

Serve with yellow-brown Umbrian lentils – cooked as for green lentils but substituting real ale, more stock or water for the wine.