u/Financial-Nobody9700

I discovered bacon jam fairly recently, and was really interested in the concept, so this was an easy choice for me.

I didn't go with any single recipe, instead combining the weird and wonderful elements from a few different ones I saw. I started by frying smoked bacon until crisp. I removed it, and most of the fat, then added onions and blueberries, cooking until soft. Then, I added garlic and tomato purée, and deglazed with fresh coffee. I added a few seasonings - soy and Worcestershire sauces, black pepper, and smoked paprika - and some dark sugar and apple cider vinegar. I reduced it right down over low heat, then adjusted until it had a nice, balanced taste. Finally, I gave it a few pulses in a food processor, it was still a rough consistency but a bit more spreadable than before.

It really good! Smoky, rich bacon, with the sweetness from the sugar and berries, balanced out by the vinegar and with a bit of bitterness from the coffee and salt from the soy sauce and bacon (I didn't need to add any extra salt).

I love bacon and caramelised onions on a burger, so thought this would be a great substitute. It was a big burger, from 80/20 beef, fried in the excess bacon fat and topped with cheddar. I had a full day to myself for this one, so I went the extra mile and made homemade potato buns, lemon and garlic mayo, and dill pickles. Put together, and served with a simple salad and fries, this was a really great dinner.

For this theme, my mind immediately went Ireland or India, and I was really craving a curry, so that's what we went with.

The chicken thighs were diced and marinated in salt, black pepper, turmeric, kashmiri chilli powder, and strained yoghurt overnight. I decided to go the extra mile and thread them onto skewer, and barbecue over coals.

Meanwhile, I made the sauce. I first toasted whole green and black cardamom pods with a cinnamon stick, cloves, coriander and cumin seeds, then ground those in a mortar and pestle. I then sautе́ed ginger/garlic paste in (lots of) ghee and oil, before adding the ground spices, as well as kashmiri and deggi mirch chilli powders, and turmeric, salt, and kasuri methi. I added two tins of crushed tomatoes, cooked it down until the fat separated, then blended. I added chicken stock, brought it to heat, then finished with cream, garam masala, and more kasuri methi.

When the chicken was charred, I added it to the sauce to finish, and in the meantime barbecued a homemade naan bread over the coals, glazing that with garlic and coriander butter when done.

I also steamed some white rice, and finally sautе́ed some kale. I dressed the kale with a homemade green chutney made with fresh mint and coriander leaves, green chilli, lime juice, sugar, and salt.

Must say, I was a big fan of this one. The barbecue flavour adds so, so much to the chicken, as well as the bread. Blending the sauce and finishing it with cream gave it a lovely silky texture, and the heat level was just right, a nice tingle at the end but nothing too challenging. And we have loads leftover, which will only get better over the next couple of days. It's not exactly healthy, but as an occasional treat, this is right up there with the best for me.

I've always wanted to go to Bhutan. It looks like such a serene, peaceful country, and feels so isolated from the rest of the world. Walking around one of the beautiful temples, breathing clean Himalayan mountain air, sounds like perfection to me. I've also heard that the people are lovely, and I'd love to learn more about their history, culture, and language. Specifically, I'd love to climb up to the Tiger's Nest, which looks straight out of fantasy. I'd suggested it for our honeymoon later this year, but alas, my fiancée couldn't be persuaded. Maybe some day!

One thing I knew almost nothing of was Bhutanese cuisine, so I did quite a bit of research for this week. Ema datshi is the national dish: a stew made from chilli peppers and datshi, which is a cottage cheese made from cow or yak milk. If you add dried beef, it becomes shakam datshi. The concept sounded really interesting and different, and I immediately decided that this was it. I watched a few videos and read a few recipes, but followed my instincts for this one.

I started by drying the beef at home. It's meant to be sun dried, but I live in Scotland, so... the oven it is. Brined overnight in salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic powder, it was then left in a low-heat oven for a few hours until dried.

I sautéed red and green onion in a pot, then added crushed garlic, tomatoes, and Sichuan peppercorns. Then, I added dried red chillis (rehydrated and halved), the beef, and water. I covered and simmered for 10 minutes or so, then took it off the heat. According to Wikipedia, the demand for datshi in Bhutan outweights supply, so it's impossible to get elsewhere. So, I combined cottage cheese with a bit of feta for tang, and stirred that in. I garnished with fresh green chilli, chopped coriander leaf, and a bit more feta, and served with red rice.

This was... an experience. It genuinely was delicious. The heat threatened to blow me away though. I had to have a glass of milk afterwards. The cheese helped a bit, and the Sichuan peppercorn numbed my tongue a bit, which was nice, but it's definitely one to be careful with! I was a bit suspicious of the dried beef (instinctively I'd just have seared off a steak and stirred that in), but it gave a nice chew to the stew.

Overall, probably my favourite theme so far this year (I love seeing what everyone else is coming up with), and probably my favourite dish I've made so far!