I was tempted to call this article "The Girl and the Pig," because I am hooked on bacon. More specifically, I am hooked on my own home-cured bacon. Prompted by a whole lot of time on my hands thanks to sheltering in place, as well as an affinity for charcuterie, I decided to have a go and cure pork belly, aka bacon. I am now here to say that you -- any of you -- can do this too, and once you try it, there will be no turning back. Not only are the results positively swoon-worthy, but the process is ridiculously simple, except that you need to plan ahead.

Curing pork belly takes time -- a week, in fact -- but don’t stop reading. There’s nothing to do in that week except designate a little refrigerator space to your DIY project and remember to flip the pork every other day. The hardest part will be waiting. To make this exercise in patience worthwhile, I encourage you to buy a good amount of pork belly. It’s not expensive, and you might as well reap a generous stash for the time it takes to cure.

All of this may beg the question: What to do with five pounds of home-cured bacon? (Oh, to be so lucky to have that problem.) Well, so far I’ve eaten quite a bit, frozen half, and given some away. While I often use bacon as an ingredient in salads, stews and pasta dishes, this bacon is so good, I only want to eat it straight up, fried in a skillet or baked in the oven. So, in the spirit of simplicity, I’ve included a recipe for caramelized bacon chips, roasted in the oven with sugar and spices.

Home-Cured Pork Belly

Recipe adapted from Saveur Magazine

Active time: 20 minutes

Total time: 3 hours and 20 minutes, plus 7 days curing time

Yield: Makes 5 pounds

5 pounds pork belly with skin

1/3 cup kosher salt

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons black peppercorns

3 bay leaves

2 garlic cloves, chopped

Rinse the pork and pat dry with paper towels. Lay the pork on a large sheet of parchment paper.

Combine the salt, sugar, peppercorns and bay leaves in a mortar or spice grinder. Coarsely pound or grind and then mix in the garlic. Smear the spices all over the pork. Transfer to a large resealable plastic bag, turning to distribute the spices. Place on a rimmed baking tray and refrigerate for 7 days, flipping the bag every second day. After seven days, the pork should feel firm to the touch. If not, refrigerate an additional day and check again.

Remove the bacon from the bag and thoroughly rinse under cold water. Pat dry with paper towels.

Heat the oven to 200 degrees. Place the bacon on a rimmed baking sheet or baking dish. Roast in the oven until the meat is brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 150 degrees, about 3 hours.

Transfer the bacon to a cutting board. Slice off the skin with a long, thin knife. Cool the bacon to room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator and cool completely. Once cold, cut into portions, if desired, and wrap in plastic. Store in the refrigerator for up to one week or freeze for up to three months.

Caramelized Bacon Chips

Active time: 20 minutes

Total time: 20 minutes, plus cooling time

Yield: Makes 12 ounces

1 cup light brown sugar

12 ounces thinly sliced bacon, cut in 2-to-3-inch strips

1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spread the sugar on a small plate. Dredge the bacon in the sugar, making sure that a good amount sticks. Arrange the bacon in a single layer on a grill pan or in a cast iron skillet. Sprinkle the cayenne and cinnamon over the bacon.

Transfer to the oven and bake until deep golden brown, without burning, turning once with a spatula, 12 to 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and transfer the bacon to a plate lined with parchment paper. Cool completely. The chips will continue to crisp as they cool.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

How do you define comfort food? For me, it’s a meal or dish that is easy to make and undemanding, yet deeply flavorful and homey, as though it has been tended to for hours to reap delicious results. Sheet pan recipes often fall into this category.

A sheet pan dish is simply that -- a complete meal assembled on a pan and plopped in the oven, where the meat, vegetables and aromatics mingle together. Their juices baste the dish, along with any other liquids, such as a splash of wine or stock, infused by sprigs of fresh and woodsy herbs.

Bone-in chicken thighs are perfect for sheet pan cooking. They are almost impossible to overcook, and the succulent meat does not dry out, allowing the time needed to tenderize and brown additional ingredients, such as sturdy root vegetables, sweet onions and earthy mushrooms.

In this recipe, I use cipollini onions. Cipollini onions are small, flattened red and yellow onions. They are sweeter and milder than their larger yellow, red and white brethren, making them great for roasting and caramelizing. Mushrooms are also a key ingredient of this dish. As they roast, their juices impart a rich umami flavor to the pan juices. Any mushroom will work, but try to choose a selection of wild mushrooms, if possible. I used a mix of shiitake, beech, king trumpet and cremini mushrooms in this recipe. Be sure to cut them into large bite-size pieces of similar size.

Sheet Pan Chicken With Wild Mushrooms and Onions

Active Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes, plus marinating time

Yield: Serves 4

Marinade

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 chicken thighs, bone-in with skin

1 pound red or white cipollini onions, peeled, halved crosswise

3/4 pound assorted wild mushrooms (or cremini mushrooms)

4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 thyme sprigs, plus more for garnish

3 rosemary sprigs, plus more for garnish

Whisk the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add the chicken and turn to thoroughly coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Combine the onions, mushrooms and garlic in a large bowl. Drizzle with the oil, season with the salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Spread the vegetables on a rimmed baking sheet. Nestle the chicken thighs, skin-side up, among the vegetables. Scatter the thyme and rosemary sprigs around the pan.

Roast in the oven until the chicken is cooked through (a meat thermometer will register 165 degrees when inserted in the thickest part not touching the bone), about 35 minutes. If the skin is not golden yet, turn on the oven broiler and continue to cook until the skin is golden brown, 1 to 3 minutes more.

Remove from the oven and discard the thyme and rosemary sprigs. Taste the mushrooms and season with additional salt if desired. Serve warm with the pan juices and fresh thyme or rosemary for garnish.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

Winter is chicory season. Chicories are the often-labeled bitter greens, which include radicchio, endive, puntarelle and escarole. Bunches and heads of chicory are prolific throughout the season, difficult to miss with their with dramatic frilly, spiky and cone-headed leaves. And while their bitterness can be off-putting to some, at winter’s peak, chicories are crisp, juicy, nutty and mildly sweet -- all qualities that pleasantly balance their natural bitterness.

And they are healthy to boot. Fiber-rich and loaded with vitamins C, B and K, and nutrients such as iron, zinc, copper and potassium, chicories are the cold season warriors that will fight to keep you healthy throughout the winter.

The best way to approach these robust greens is to pair them with equally assertive yet balancing ingredients. A general rule to building good flavor is to strike a balance between bitter, sweet, sour and heat. So check those other flavor boxes when smoothing chicory’s bitterness, and be confident that it can handle it.

For instance, when eating fresh chicory leaves, mound them in salads with equally hefty greens and crucifers, such as kale, red cabbage and spinach. Garnish them with dried fruit, nuts and seeds, and finish with sweet and sharp dressings such as a rich balsamic-Dijon vinaigrette or a lemony-anchovy dressing.

When cooking chicories, saute, roast or braise them to temper their bitterness. Cook and season them with flavorful stocks, vinegar or citrus, and a little sugar or honey for a rounded and flavorful effect.

This is my favorite way to cook purple- and red-leafed radicchio. Radicchio’s sturdy head holds up well to braising (and grilling and sauteing; you get the picture). The balsamic vinegar is a great foil. It’s fruity, rich and sharp, and, when cooked, the vinegar reduces to a rich sweet-and-sour syrup that shellacs the wilted radicchio wedges. Choose deeply colored, firm heads that have a little weight to them, and try to purchase similarly sized heads for this recipe to ensure even cooking.

(Note: The photo is a process photo. The finished radicchio will be wilted.)

Balsamic Braised Radicchio

Active Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: Serves 3 to 4 as a side dish

4 medium-large heads radicchio

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup chicken stock, mushroom stock or water

2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

3 to 4 thyme sprigs

Halve the radicchios top to stem. Using a paring knife, cut out the white stem at the bottom of each half. Then halve each half lengthwise so that you have 16 wedges.

Heat the oil in a large skillet with a lid over medium heat. Arrange the wedges, cut sides down, snugly in the skillet. Cook until slightly colored, 2 to 3 minutes. Using tongs, turn the wedges so that the other cut side is down in the skillet. Season with the salt and black pepper and cook until slightly colored, about 2 minutes more.

Pour the balsamic vinegar over the radicchio and then pour the chicken stock over it. The pan should be about 1/2-inch full of liquid. Top off with additional balsamic or stock if needed. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the radicchio and then scatter the thyme sprigs in the skillet.

Partially cover the skillet and simmer over medium-low heat until the radicchio is crisp-tender when pierced with a knife through the base, 12 to 15 minutes, carefully turning the wedges once or twice. Remove the cover and continue to simmer until the radicchio is soft, 5 to 7 minutes more, turning once or twice to evenly coat and cook.

Using tongs, transfer the radicchio to a serving dish, gently squeezing any excess liquid back into the skillet. Continue to simmer the braising liquid until reduced to a syrupy consistency, 5 to 6 minutes. Discard the thyme sprigs and taste for seasoning. You may need to add a little more salt and black pepper. There should be a balance of sweet, salt, bitter and the kick of black pepper in the flavor.

Drizzle the syrup over the radicchio and serve warm.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS