• Birlstone Bean and Bacon Casserole from The Sherlock Holmes Cookbook
• Bacon and Rice Custard from The Joy of Cooking
• Bacon and Tomato Pasta (Sophia's favorite) from Pasta by James McNair
• Potatoes and Apples with Bacon from Cook Now, Serve Later
• Swiss Bacon Tart from Tante Heidi's Swiss Kitchen Cookbook
• Spaghetti Alla Carbonara from Supercook
• Austrian Green Bean Salad from The Cooking of Germany and Austria
• Boiled Beef Hash Omelet with Bacon from Luchow's German Cookbook
• Cobb Salad and Brown Derby Dressing from the Brown Derby repertoire
• Black Bean and Bacon Dip (Frijoles molidos) from Latin American Cooking from Across the USA
• Vegetarian Bacon from ScienCentral on YouTube

This recipe is from the superior Sherlock Holmes Cookbook (1976) by Sean Wright and John Farrell. In addition to many easy and delicious recipes like this one, the book is filled with Holmesian lore, quotations, and lovely pen and ink drawings.

Please note: If you're anything like me, you'll find Birlstone Bean and Bacon Casserole exceedingly addictive.

2 - 1 pound cans of kidney beans
3 - beefsteak tomatoes, sliced
2 - onions, sliced
1/2 - pound lean bacon (the leaner, the better)

In a casserole dish, alternate layers of beans, tomatoes, and onions until you run out. Bake in a slow oven (300° F) for 2 hours uncovered. Now cut bacon in half (reserving the other half) and lay the strips on top of the bean mixture. Place the casserole back in the oven, uncovered, for another 2 hours, by which time the bacon should be browned. Push the bacon into the beans, topping the dish with the reserved bacon. Bake it uncovered for (yep!) two more hours. Serves 4.

The slow cooking brings out the natural sweetness in the vegetables. You might want to make two casseroles at once because I've found very few people who don't get greedy over this dish. Using lean bacon is important because the dish becomes too oily for all but the most ardent bacon fans otherwise .

Another old favorite, this one from Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker (1978), A great side dish, this looks great, tastes wonderful, and is quickly made for family or guests..

8 slices bacon
2 cups boiled rice
1 beaten egg
2 tablespoons cream
1 tblespoon melted butter
1 tablespoon grated onions
1/ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon paprika

Preheat oven to 325°.

Sauté bacon until partly done. Line each of 4 muffin tins with 2 slices of bacon. Combine all other ingredients and fill tins. Bake until the custard is firm, about 1/2 hour. Can be served with a tomato or other sauce.

This recipe is said to be Sophia Loren's favorite. Ciao, bella!

If you aren't familiar with the brilliant recipe books of James McNair (this is from McNair's "Pasta Cookbook"), I'm delighted to be the first to introduce you. I love cookbooks and for sheer beauty, few can compete with the food artistry (both in photos and final product on your plate) than these. You'll get marvelous ideas for plating foods - and for plates themselves (all of them provided by Taitu).

1/2 pound smoked bacon, cut into 1-inch lengths
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
2 cups peeled, seeded, and chopped fresh or drained canned tomatoes
1 cup packed chopped fresh basil
4 quarts water
1 tablespooon salt
1 pound dried pasta such as penne or rigatoni [Author's note: Do not substitute fresh pasta.]
1/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream
Fresh basil springs for garnish
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano, for passing

Place the bacon in a saute pan or skillet over medium-low heat and cook until done but not crisp. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until onion is soft and lightly golden, about 5 minutes.

Combine the tomatoes and 1/2 cup of the chopped basil in a food processor or blender and coarsely puree. Transfer to the bacon and onion mixture. Increase the heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes.

In a large pot, bring the water to a rapid boil. Stir in the salt. Drop in the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite. Drain.

Meanwhile, drizzle the heavy cream into the simmering sauce, then add the remaining 1/2 cup of chopped basil. Heat through, toss with the drained pasta, garnish with the basil sprigs, and serve immediately. Pass the cheese at the table.

Serves 4 to 6 as a pasta course, or 4 as a main course.

From a Reader's Digest cookbook called Cook Now, Serve Later, the combination of flavors in this unusual dish is simply heavenly - a wonderful accompaniment to pork or beef roasts, grilled meats, or sausages. As with all recipes in this book, you can prepare the dish ahead and serve it later. Directions for doing so are included below.

1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
6 medium-size all-purpose potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick (about 2 pounds)
6 medium size apples (about 2 pounds) [MacIntosh, Cortland, or winesap are recommended but I use the more widely available Granny Smith when the others are not available]
7 slices bacon (about 6 ounces)
1 medium-size yellow onion, diced

In a large saucepan, bring the water and salt to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes, reduce the heat to moderate, cover, and cook until almost tender, 12 to 15 minutes.

Add the apples, reduce the heat to low, and re-cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes more.

Meanwhile, in a heavy 10-inch skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spatula, transer to a platter lined with paper toweling. When cooled, crumble the bacon.

In the skillet with the bacon drippings, sauté the onion over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 7 minutes. Set aside.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and mash the potatoes and apples with the remaiining liquid until almost smooth, but leaving some texture. Stir in the bacon and the onion.

• At this point the mixture can be cooled to room temperature and refrigerated in a tightly oiled, covered, 2-quart casserole for up to 24 hours. To serve later, preheat the oven to 350° F. Dot the top of the casserole with butter, cover with foil, and bake until heated through - about 20 minutes. Serve. If there are any leftovers, add a liltte milk and reheat in a saucepan over low heat, stirring often.

Transfer to a heated serving dish and serve as a side dish.

Tante Heidi's Swss Kitchen cookbook by Eva Maria Borer, with its English and German indexes, provides an excellent source for original recipes from all twenty-two Swiss cantons, many of which have all but disappeared from Swiss kitchens. This simple-to-prepare tart is a nice addition to any meal.

Yeast dough crust
14 oz. all-purpose flour
1/2 oz. yeast
1 teaspoon salt
3 oz. butter or fat
approx. 5 fl. oz. milk (or half milk, half water)

Topping
7-1/2 oz. finely diced bacon
1-1/2 oz. butter
caraway seeds

Blend all ingredients together and knead until smooth. Leave for a short time in a warm place to rise. Roll out, Grease a jelly-roll pan (a baking sheet with low sides) and lay dough over it, Sprinkle over the bacon, caraway seeds, salt, trickle over melted butter, and bake in a medium-hot oven (400°F) for 35 minutes,

As Supercook, a British cookbook, puts it, Spaghetti alla Carbonara is one of the great Italian pasta dishes, superb with a green salad and Valpolicella wine. I concur wholeheartedly.

3 tablespoons butter
4 oz. lean bacon, chopped
3 tablespoons heavy cream
3 eggs
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pound spaghetti, cooked, drained and kept hot
Finely chopped parsley as garnish (optional)

In a small frying pan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over oderate heat. When the foam subsides, add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until it is crisp. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cream. Set aside.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat the eggs and 1/2 cup of the Paremesan cheese together with a fork until the mixture is smooth and the ingredients are well blended. Stir in the salt and pepper. Set aside.

Place the spaghetti in a large, deep serving bowl and add the remaining butter. Using two large spoons, toss the spaghetti until the butter has metled. Stir in the bacon mixture, tossing well. Finally, mix in the egg mixture, tossing and stirring until the spaghetti is well coated.

Serve at once with the remaining grated cheese.

From The German and Viennese Cookbook (1956), one of the many booklets packed with excellent recipes from Culinary Arts Institute, comes this super side dish.

1 pound green beans
2 small onions
6 slices bacon
1/3 cup vinegar
2-1/2 tablespoons sugar
12 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon monosodium glutamate

Wash, cut off and discard ends from beans. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Cook 15 to 20 minutes or until beans are tender. Drain thoroughly if nf necessary and put beans into a bowl. Keep beans warm. Meanwhile, cut into slices 1/8" thick. Separate onion slcies into rings and put into bowl with beans. Dice and fry until crisp, without pouring off drippings, bacon slices. Add to skillet containing bacon the vinegar, sugar, salt, and monosodium glutamate. Heat mixture to boiling, stirring well. Pour vinegar mixture over beans and onions and toss lightly to coat thoroughly. Makes 4 servings.

From New York's beloved and much-mourned Lüchow's, this simple but good omelet is lovely as a quick lunch or late night snack. Many other great German recipes are to be found in Lüchow's German Cookbook, which is adorned with Ludwig Bemelmans' delightful pen-and-ink drawings that never fail to amuse..

2 cups diced boiled beef
1 onion, chopped
1 or 2 slices bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 eggs, beaten
Salt and pepper, if needed.

Cook boiled beef, onion, and bacon in butter until hot and bacon is cooked. Add eggs and spread in pan; season; let bottom brown like omelet. Fold over and serve with hearts of lettuce salad. Serves 2 or 3.

Cobb salad was created at the Brown Derby Restaurant in Hollywood by its owner, Bob Cobb, Hungry after the kitchen had closed for the night, he ransacked the fridge and stacked lettuce, avocado, romaine, watercress, tomatoes, cooked chicken, a hard boiled egg, chives and cheese on a counter. Chopping everything into small pieces, he topped off the salad with French dressing and crisp bacon.

The Cobb Salad was born and was soon on the menu, eventually with its own dressing. I have loved this salad from the first time I had it many years ago. I like it best when everything is chopped into very small squares and lined up vertically on a platter atop the lettuce leaves. The colors are gorgeous and, with a drizzle of dressing, the taste is magniicent. Perfect for summer bridge parties or to impress that one special person in your life.

Cobb Salad

1/2 head lettuce, about 4 cups
1 bunch watercress
1 small bunch chicory, about 2 1/2 cups
1/2 head romaine, about 2 1/2 cups
2 medium peeled and seeded tomatoes
6 strips of crisp bacon
2 breasts of boiled chicken
3 hard cooked eggs
1 avocado
1/2 cup crumbled Roquefort cheese
2 tablespoons chopped chives

Cut lettuce, half the watercress, chicory and romaine in fine pieces and arrange in a large salad bowl.

Cut tomatoes, bacon, chicken, eggs, and avocado in small pieces and arrange, along with the crumbled Roquefort cheese, in strips on the greens. Sprinkle finely cut chives over the Cobb salad and garnish with the remaining watercress. Just before serving, drizzle the Cobb salad dressing over all or offer the dressing in a small bowl on the side.

Brown Derby Dressing
Makes 1 1/2 cups

1/4 cup water
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon dry English mustard
1 small clove garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup salad oil

Except for the oils, blend all ingredients together. Add olive and salad oils. Mix well. Blend well again before mixing with salad. A note from the Brown Derby: "The water is optional, depending upon the degree of oiliness desired in the dressing."

This is the first cookbook to highlight Latin American cooking all across tAmerica today, Himilce Novas and Rosemary silva offer 200 enticing recipes that have been drawn from the home kitchens of Americans with roots in nearly every corner of Latin America. This delectable dip comes from Costa Rica. Use corn chips or warm flour tortillas as dippers.

10 ounces dried black beans; any pebbles and debris removed, rinsed under cold running water and soaked overnight
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup finely minced yellow onion
3 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
3 tablespoons finely minced fresh cilantro
1/3 cup sour cream
5 bacon strips, fried and crumbled

Pour the soaked black beans into a colander and rinse them under cold running water. Put the beans in a medium pot with enough water to cover, then bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer the black beans for 1-12 hours, or until they are tender, adding more water if necessary to keep them covered. Drain the beans, then purée them with 1 cup fresh water in a food processor fitted with a metal blade or an electric blender until smooth.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté the minced onions and garlic until the onions are limp, about 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the pureéd black beans and lemon juice, Tabasco sauce, and salt. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so that the beans do not stick to the skillet. If the beans bubble too vigorously, reduce the heat to low. Remove the beans from the heat and allow them to rest for 15 minutes so that they set. (At this point you can also cool the beans and store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.)

Stir in 2 tablespoons of the cilantro, then spoon the black beans into a medium serving bowl. Top with dollops of sour cream, and then the crumbled bacon and the remaining tablespoon of cilantro. Serves 6 to 8 as an hors d'oeuvre or side dish.