• 2 strips bacon
• 5 ears corn, shucked
• 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely diced
• 1 orange bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely diced
• 1 cup finely diced red onion
• 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 tablespoon salt

Pickled Corn and Bacon Relish

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• 2 ripe tomatoes, preferably Creole
• salt and pepper, to taste
• ½ pound thick sliced bacon, cooked
• 8 (½-inch thick) slices sourdough bread
• 1 wedge brie, at room temperature
• 1 loose cup fresh basil leaves
• ⅓ cup mayonnaise
• butter, as needed

Creole Tomato, Bacon, Basil, and Brie

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Here is a baroque version of arroz al horno, or "baked rice." Meatballs chicken, pork, and chickpeas are buried in the rice in this specialty of Elche, a small town in the Alicante Province of Spain. This is an ideal dish for home entertaining, as it can be assembled up to four hours in advance and then finished in the oven just before serving.

For the Meatballs:

• ½ pounds  ground lean pork or veal, or a mixture
• ½ cup fresh bread crumbs, soaked in milk or water to cover and then squeezed dry 
• ¼ cup (I½ oz/45 g) almonds, ground 
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
• 1egg
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

• 1 red bell pepper 
• 6 tablespoons olive oil 
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole 
• 4 cups chicken stock 
• 1 whole chicken breast, boned with skin intact and cut into 1-inch pieces (about ½ lb)
• 1/2 pound pork, cut into 1-inch cubes
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 
• ¼ Ib thick-cut bacon, cut into ¼-inch dice, or sweet pork sausage, sliced 
• 2 cups medium-grain rice
• 1 cup drained, cooked or canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

Baked Rice from Alicante

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• 1 head cabbage
• 5 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 large sweet onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• salt, pepper, and hot sauce

Wendy's Bacon-Smothered Cabbage

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• 6 cups shelled fresh sweet green peas
• 4 bacon slices
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter

Note: 2 (16 oz) bags of frozen sweet green peas, thawed may be substituted.

Green Peas With Crispy Bacon

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Potatoes

• 48 golf ball sized or smaller potatoes
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper

Toppings

• butter, melted
• Creole seasoning
• shredded cheddar cheese
• crumbled blue cheese
• crumbled feta cheese
• sour cream
• minced green onions or chives
• crumbled bacon
• minced, rendered andouille or other sausage
• chili
• steamed broccoli
• hot sauce
• minced hot peppers

Baked Potato Bites

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• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 or 5 yellow onions, chopped
• 2 green bell peppers, chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 6 strips of bacon (I prefer Applegate Farms)
• 2 lbs frozen okra, cut and thawed
• 2 cans Rotel Diced Tomatoes with Chilis
• 8 cups shrimp stock (can substitute chicken stock)
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons Konriko Creole Seasoning (or similar seasoning)
• 2 bay leaves
• 5 lbs medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined (if the shrimp are too big, you can cut them into chunks)
• 1 cup green onions, chopped (will need extra for individual bowls)
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped (will need extra for individual bowls)

Shrimp and Okra Gumbo

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• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2 tablespoons Chef Paul Prudhomme's Vegetable Magic
• 14 slices very hard, very green tomatoes, sliced about 1/4-inch - about 4 tomatoes
• 8 slices bacon, diced
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 6 English muffins, split

Fried Green Tomatoes with Cream Gravy

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• 1 dozen freshly shucked Louisiana oysters
• 1 cup seasoned seafood breading (fish fry)
• Oil, for frying
• 1 cup fresh baby spinach
• 4 slices Provolone cheese
• 4 slices ripe tomato
• 6 slices crisply fried thick cut bacon
• 4 slices wheat bread, lightly toasted
• 1/4 cup each mayonnaise and Creole mustard, combined

Gattuso's Fried Oyster Club Sandwich

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• 1 teaspoon liquid crab boil 
• 2 pounds small Louisiana shrimp
• 1 pound bacon, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
• 1/4 pound salted butter
• 1/4 cup Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 pound lump crabmeat
• 1 cups seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 cups grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• Fresh shucked oysters, well drained

Oysters Vincent

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