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Friday, June 18, 2010

Bacon-wrapped Water Chestnuts

I love it when someone tells me about one of their favorite recipes and then the agrees to put together a guest post for me. That is what Sarah did. Sarah, who named her son Zealand. Such a cool name.

Sarah and Zealand

Awhile ago, Zealand's mom left a comment on a post talking about these bacon-wrapped water chestnuts. It's apparently a family specialty and it could be your families next specialty as well. Sarah, take it away lady.



When I married into the Hunt family, I struck recipe gold. This recipe is one of the many, many unique and delicious recipes from my husband's mother and grandmother's recipe gold mine. This recipe is a great tradition in our family for Thanksgiving and Christmas. But as good as they are, I have broken free and made them several times throughout the year, especially for dinner parties. My sister and brother-in-law have made a variation of this that is also very very delicious. Bacon-wrapped pineapple. Everything the same just pineapple in the middle instead of water chestnuts. Juicy!




3 8 oz cans whole water chestnuts, drained
2 lbs bacon
1 cup sugar
1 cup ketchup
3 Tbsp soy sauce

Set oven to 375 degrees.

Cut bacon in thirds and wrap around chestnuts. Secure with a toothpick. Set on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes.

While bacon is in the oven, combine sugar, ketchup and soy sauce in a medium sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

When the bacon is cooked through and crisp, drain the excess grease and pour the sauce over bacon chestnuts. Return to oven, reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet and transfer to a serving platter.


Sarah's Notes: This makes A LOT! Also, I use 1/2 brown sugar and 1/2 granulated sugar, or sometimes all brown sugar, but the recipe does call for just regular sugar.

Rookie's Notes: My graphic designer slave wanted me to tell you about this high fructose corn syrup free ketchup. Organicville's Ketchup. Click here for a link.

10 comments:

Megan said...

Thank you. Thank you. I very muchly appreciate your sharing the agave nectar-sweetened catsup. Ketchup. Whatever. High fructose corn syrup is a sneaky bastard that has no place on hotdogs, bacon-wrapped thingers, my breakfast, or whatever else people like to slather in the tomato-like stuff. I sold insulin. I know stuff about diabetes. HFCS is a dead ringer for future blood sugar issues.

Mumsy said...

Oh! I'm so happy to find a ketchup without HFCS. Although I think one of the big companies--Heinz maybe--has recently pledged to stop using it in their ketchup.

These look good. And if I was eating bacon, I'd be all over them.

Ingrid_3Bs said...

I be that bacon would be insanely good wrapped around anything.

Happy FAther's Day to Ethan!
~ingrid

Ann-Michelle said...

Oooh I've made something similar, but you stuff the chestnut inside one of those fabulous, huge dates. Wrap it in bacon, and done. Sweet, salty crunchy, chewy -- Its all the best things about food.

Sarah said...

Sounds yum. And thanks for the tip about the ketchup

The Dunford Family said...

I love water chestnuts! I LAAAHHHOVE Sarah Hunt!!

Michelle @ Twig said...

Hey did you know that's my sister in law and we lived in the same house for a year!

Michelle @ Twig said...

oh lol should have read the entire post first, she linked over to our variation!

Sarah Hunt said...

funny that all this is mentioned about ketchup. I bake and cook with agave always for my little family but when I am entertaining I don't. seems funny but most people run and hide at the mention of whole wheat or healthy sweeteners.
I make my own ketchup and the recipe comes from this awesome book. http://www.xagave.com/Xagave-Cookbook/

everything is so stinking delicious out of this book!

p.s. I think you did a great job on this post! thanks for having me on your lovely+entertaining blog!

Megan said...

The making of one's own catsup? Isn't that just a step too freaky? Or caring. I dunno.

Xagave is great and all--most lovely over grain cereals, methinks--(until I decided to spill it all over the inside of a cabinet) but even with its addition of inulin it's not all that special. Pure agave syrup is widely available at good grocery stores.

Sorry Whitty, just being contrary today. I told you a couple nights ago: I am on one these days.