MY name can never be revealed. I was trained as a chef in a top secret government facility and sent out to the corporate high street restaurants. I promptly escaped from this maximum security stockade to the cheffing underground, known today as the Atomic Kitchens . Today, still wanted by the government, I survive as a chef of fortune, and if you have a problem and no one can help, maybe you can eat an Atomic Burger.

I work at Cowley Road’s Atomic Burger and Pizza restaurants, training the Space Cadets in the ways of culinary sabotage. I have been there since my mission began in 2010. Keeping things simple is key: identify flavour combinations that compliment each other through experimentation and design, matching these flavours with ingredients – and creating a masterpiece.

Bacon jam (yes, really)

THIS is more than a recipe, it is a revelation. Bacon jam, a sacred ingredient that will never fail to make you smile. It can be added to everything as an ingredient, as a topping, or on its own straight from the jar. Trust me, you will never store buy again. Your partner will love you, your kids respect you, and you will be revered among your peers as a true genius.

Giving you this knowledge is dangerous, guard it with your life and tell no-one it came from us.

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 lb smoked streaky bacon
  • Two large sweet Spanish onions, peeled and thinly sliced
  • Four cloves of fresh garlic, smashed with the flat of a knife and peeled s 125ml cider vinegar
  • 4oz light brown sugar s 125ml pure maple syrup
  • 375ml strong freshly brewed black coffee (not granulated)
  • One teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

 

  • 1. Cut the bacon slices into one inch strips and cook on a medium heat in a non-stick saucepan. Cook the bacon, keep the bacon moving by stirring frequently, until browned but not burnt. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon and drain on a kitchen towel lined plate. Drain the bacon fat from the pan leaving two tablespoons for the next stage.
  • 2. Add the crushed garlic cloves and thinly sliced onions to the remaining bacon fat and sweat on a medium high heat, again keep stirring for approximately eight minutes or until the onion mix is soft and translucent.
  • 3. Next add all the remaining ingredients and reduce the heat to low. Slowly bring the mixture to the boil, stirring and let the mixture simmer for two minutes and then mix in the drained cooked bacon and 50 ml of water. Let the pot of Atomic goodness simmer, uncovered on a low heat stirring occasionally to make sure that no sticking or burning occurs. Allow the mixture to reduce for four to six minutes or until the mixture thickens to a jam. When the onions are melted and soft and the liquid is thick and syrupy, remove from the heat and stand for a further five minutes.
  • 4. Finally pour and scrape the mixture into a food processor and pulse the contents until it forms a slightly chunky and smooth paste. Carefully remove the jam from the processor and transfer to a jam jar(s) with a sealable lid. Date label your jam with a use by date, and store in the refrigerator for up to one month or the freezer for up to six months. Your bacon jam can be served chilled, at room temperature or heated. Once reheated do not return to the jar.

What can you do with it? Everything.

Use it as a burger topping with avocado, as a dip for nachos, add to a stir fry, spread on an English muffin with a poached egg, use it to top an ice cream, have it thick on crackers with cheese, or even straight from the jar. Be creative, have fun.