By Easter at Maryvale. Roberto at the cinder block grill. The tradition. The man is sixty-eight — his birthday is next month — and the grill is forty-four years old and the two of them stand together in the Maryvale backyard like a monument to persistence. Roberto grills slower each year. The pauses between flips are longer. The cane is always within reach. But the fire is the same. The carne asada is the same. The smoke rises over the Maryvale rooftops the same way it has risen every Easter since before I was born.
I smoked the ham. Year six. Sofia grilled corn, asparagus, peaches. Diego and Fuego provided the entertainment — a game of fetch that devolved into a game of chase that devolved into both of them lying exhausted in the shade while Elena fed them leftover tortillas (Elena feeds everything — children, dogs, the dead at the ofrenda, the plants in the Maryvale garden. Feeding is her language. Feeding is the entire Rivera language.)
Thirty people at the Maryvale tables. The family, the tradition, the food. After dinner, Roberto sat in his chair (the new recliner is at the Maryvale house — the Christmas gift transported in January, installed in the living room, occupied by Roberto approximately eighteen hours a day) and he said, "Mijo, the expansion. When is it done?" I said, "June." He said, "I want to see it." I said, "You will see it, Dad. You will sit at the counter and you will see twenty new seats and a second smoker and a bigger kitchen." He said, "I want to see it before June." I said, "Come next week. I will show you the construction."
He came on Thursday. Elena drove him. He walked through the construction zone — slowly, carefully, the cane tapping on the concrete floor — and he looked at the framing and the electrical and the plumbing and the space where the second smoker will go. He put his hand on the wall. The same gesture he made in the empty building three years ago. Feeling for the heartbeat. Listening for the fire. He said, "The building is growing. Like the family." He patted the wall — the Roberto pat — and walked back to the car. Elena told me later that he slept the entire drive home. The visit exhausted him. The visit was worth the exhaustion.
I smoked the ham for six hours that Easter morning, but honestly, the recipe that keeps finding its way onto my weeknight table — the one that scratches the same itch without asking me to tend a firebox at dawn — is this one: Canadian bacon, a hot pan, and a couple of apples that go jammy and golden at the edges. Roberto put his hand on the restaurant wall and felt for the heartbeat. I feel something close to that when I lay the bacon into a hot skillet and hear it sing. The fire is smaller. The feeling isn’t.
Canadian Bacon With Apples
Prep Time: 5 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 20 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 12 oz Canadian bacon, sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 2 medium apples (Honeycrisp or Gala), cored and sliced into 1/4-inch rings
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch of kosher salt
- Fresh thyme sprigs, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the pan. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and let it shimmer, about 1 minute.
- Sear the bacon. Lay Canadian bacon slices in a single layer. Cook 2—3 minutes per side until edges are golden and slightly caramelized. Work in batches if needed. Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil.
- Cook the apples. Reduce heat to medium. Add butter to the same skillet. Once melted, add apple rings in a single layer. Sprinkle brown sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt over the top.
- Caramelize. Cook apples 3—4 minutes without moving them, until the undersides are golden. Flip gently and cook another 2—3 minutes until tender and jammy at the edges.
- Combine and finish. Return Canadian bacon to the pan, nestling slices between the apple rings. Add black pepper. Toss gently over low heat for 1 minute so the flavors come together.
- Serve. Plate bacon with apple rings arranged on top or alongside. Garnish with fresh thyme if using. Serve immediately.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 210 | Protein: 18g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 16g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 820mg