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Heart Healthy Cooking: Balsamic Mustard Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Root Vegetable Salad

Friday, February 10th, 2012

This is one of those meals where you’ll get a little giddy the next morning when you remember that you have leftovers to eat for lunch. It’s that yummy. I love root vegetables but don’t often feel like bothering with the peeling, chopping, and roasting that’s required. After I knocked over an entire pile of celery root at Whole Foods the other day, I felt obligated to take some of the battered veggies home for transformation. I added parsnips and beets, and the root vegetables became the star of a delicious warm salad, which I served with a roasted pork tenderloin. It was a simple but elegant meal, easy enough to prepare on a work day but lovely enough for a special occasion (and Valentine’s Day is coming!) The veggies were tossed with olive oil and fresh herbs before roasting and became both crispy and tender and nutty and sweet. You could serve them just like this, but I put them over a bed of spinach dressed with a citrus and honey vinaigrette. The pork was simply roasted and glazed with We Olive’s Sweet Balsamic Mustard. Delicious, beautiful, and heart healthy. Enjoy!

Roasted Root Vegetable Salad
Serves 6
You’ll need:
1 lb celery root, peeled and cut in to 1/2 inch chunks
1 lb beets, peeled and cut in to 1/2 inch chunks (I used golden and red beets for color)
1 lb parsnip, peeled and cut in to 1/2 inch chunks
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (I used We Olive Arbequina)
3 sprigs each fresh rosemary and thyme, chopped
1/4 cup Blood Orange Olive Oil (You can use standard extra virgin olive oil and add fresh orange zest if you like)
2 tablespoons Pomegranate Champagne Vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 small shallot, finely minced (about 1 tablespoon)
10 oz fresh spinach
salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees positioning one rack in the upper third of the oven and one rack in the lower third. Toss the chopped parsnips and celery root with olive oil to coat and spread in one layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the veggies with rosemary and thyme and then season with salt and pepper. Repeat this step with the beets on a separate baking sheet.
2. Bake for 15 minutes and then swap the position of the pans – the upper pan to the lower position and the lower pan to the upper position. Bake for 15 more minutes or until tender. Remove from oven and set aside.
3. In a small bowl, combine the shallot, honey, and vinegar, then whisk in the olive oil until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Toss the spinach with the prepared vinaigrette just to coat and arrange on a platter. Top with roasted vegetables and serve.

Sweet Balsamic Roasted Pork
Serves 6
You’ll Need:
2 pork tenderloins
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
1 jar We Olive Sweet Balsamic Mustard

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Season pork tenderloins with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add one whole tenderloin, searing on each side until browned. Remove tenderloin from pan and transfer to a baking dish. Repeat this step with second tenderloin.
3. Brush the tenderloins with half the jar of Sweet Balsamic Mustard and roast for about 25 minutes or until done. Remove from oven and transfer to a cutting board to rest for about 5 minutes. Brush the tenderloins with remaining mustard to coat. Cut pork into slices and serve alongside salad.

Note: For timing purposes, I sear the pork and rub it with mustard while the vegetables are roasting so I can get the pork into the oven as soon as the veggies come out. I make the vinaigrette while the pork is roasting. When the pork comes out of the oven to rest, I dress the greens and plate the salad. The entire process will take just over an hour.

Tags: Arbequina, blood orange olive oil, pomegranate champagne vinegar, sweet balsamic mustard
Posted in Entree, HEART HEALTHY, Recipes, Salad, Side Dish | No Comments »

Baking with Olive Oil: Cranberry Spice Cake

Monday, October 31st, 2011

Ever since I made this lemon cake back in June, I’ve been dreaming about olive oil baked goodies. The problem is that baking doesn’t come naturally to me. I can make a decent meal with my eyes closed and out of the oddest ingredients at that, but I can’t throw a cake together without a detailed instruction manual. So when I came across a recipe for Cranberry Spice Cake in the current issue of Bon Appetit by Karen DeMasco, I decided to give it a few tweaks and see if it was foolproof enough for me. It was moist, flavorful, and gone in about 20 minutes. It’s versatile enough to serve as dessert with ice cream or whipped cream or with coffee for brunch. Enjoy!

Cranberry Spice Cake – Serves 8

You’ll Need:
For the Cake…
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups (8 oz.) fresh (or frozen, thawed) cranberries
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup Blood Orange Olive Oil
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup apple cider

For the glaze…
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoon strained fresh orange juice

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Coat bottom and sides of cake pan with nonstick spray. Line bottom with parchment paper; coat paper with spray. Whisk flour and next 5 ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside. Pulse cranberries in a food processor until finely chopped but not puréed; set aside.

2. Stir sugar, brown sugar, and blood orange olive oil in another medium bowl to blend. Add eggs one at a time, stirring to blend between additions. Whisk in sour cream and vanilla.

3. Whisk in dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with cider in 2 additions and whisking to blend. Fold in chopped cranberries. Scrape butter into prepared pan; smooth top.

4. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a tester inserted into center of cake comes out almost clean, 1 hour–1 hour 10 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let cake cool in pan for 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around inside of pan to release cake; turn out cake onto rack. Peel off parchment paper, then flip cake and let cool for 20 minutes.

5. Whisk powdered sugar and orange juice in a small bowl. Spread glaze over warm cake, allowing to drip down sides. Let stand until glaze becomes crackly, about 1 hour. Serve at room temperature.

Tags: blood orange olive oil
Posted in Baking, Breakfast, Dessert, Recipes, Thanksgiving | No Comments »

Fall Salad: Brussels Sprouts You’ll Love

Thursday, October 27th, 2011

I didn’t always love brussels sprouts. I have memories, like most people I think, of steamed, yellow-green balls of blah. But brussels got a bad rap and they are in fact, incredibly delicious and versatile. You can roast them in EVOO to bring out their naturally nutty flavor. You can caramelize them with balsamic vinegar for a terrifically tangy side dish. But my favorite way to prepare them is to treat them like a salad green. You can shred them up raw and dress them like you would a slaw. Or you can quickly blanch the leaves to give them a toothy but tender bite, which is what I’ve done in the following recipe. I served this recently at our La Jolla store for the La Jolla Gallery & Wine Walk charity event and it was a big hit. This salad makes a great accompaniment to any fall meal but is hearty enough for a light dinner. If you want to beef (or pork) it up a bit, crumbled bits of crisp bacon or pancetta would be a divine addition. Try it out on your pickiest eaters and you’re sure to have a few brussels sprout converts.

Citrusy Brussels Sprout Salad
Serves 8

Ingredients:
4 cups brussels sprouts, halved, cored, leaves separated
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
¼ cup white Balsamic vinegar *
¾ cup We Olive Meyer Lemon Olive Oil
½ medium head of radicchio, cored and thinly sliced
1 Red Bartlett pear, cored and sliced into thin wedges
Salt and pepper
4 oz. Manchego cheese, shaved
½ cup pecans, toasted
Zest of one lemon and one orange

1. Blanch brussels sprouts in boiling salted water for 30 seconds; drain and immediately transfer to a large bowl of ice water to cool. Spin in a salad spinner to dry leaves (or pat dry with kitchen towels).
2. In a bowl, combine the lemon and orange juice with the vinegar. Slowly whisk in the Meyer Lemon olive oil until thoroughly combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Combine the brussels sprout leaves with the sliced radicchio and pears in a large bowl. Toss with enough vinaigrette to coat. (Any excess can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week). Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Garnish the dressed salad with the shaved Manchego, toasted pecans, and lemon and orange zest. Serve.

Note: *Choose a White Balsamic that has some sweetness to it. We like House of Balsamic’s sweet and tangy Prelibato. If you can’t find it, Chapparal Gardens Winter Ambrosia makes a nice substitute and gives it a hint of fall spice.

Tags: meyer lemon olive oil
Posted in Appetizer, Dressing, HEART HEALTHY, Recipes, Salad, Side Dish, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian | No Comments »

Reader Recipe: Your Go To Grilled Chicken Salad

Tuesday, October 18th, 2011

This reader recipe comes to us by way of We Olive Ventura, where reader Leslie Dufresne shops for her CA EVOO. This recipes embodies everything we love about cooking with olive oil: it’s simple to prepare, packed with flavor, and it’s good for you. This is the perfect quick recipe to have in your tool box when you feel like calling the pizza guy…again. Try Leslie’s recipe below and submit your own recipes here. Thanks Leslie!

Grilled Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
-One half chicken breast, pan grilled in We Olive Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and sliced
-2 cups arugula
-1/4 cup Kalamata olives, sliced
-Crumbled goat cheese, to taste
-We Olive Meyer Lemon Olive Oil, to taste
-We Olive Aged Balsamic Vinegar to taste

Put a bed of arugula on a plate. Top the lettuce with the sliced
chicken, goat cheese, Kalamata olives, Meyer Lemon olive oil and Balsamic vinegar.
Enjoy!

Tags: balsamic vinegar, meyer lemon olive oil
Posted in Dressing, Entree, HEART HEALTHY, Recipes, Salad | No Comments »

Fall Cocktails with Aged Balsamic

Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

Ever since I created this recipe for a fun summer cocktail using our Peach White Balsamic vinegar, I’ve been experimenting with unlikely ingredients that have made for some interesting imbibables. I knew We Olive’s Aged Balsamic Vinegar could be a great addition to a cocktail with it’s concentrated sweetness and tangy finish. So I’ve been shaking and stirring my way through all manner of spirits, juices, fruits, and spices to come up with a few unique party beverages just in time for Autumn entertaining. Cheers!

To make each of the following cocktails, you’ll first need to make this Spiced Balsamic Simple Syrup. The simple syrup adds a punch of Fall to anything you add it to and is super easy to make.

Spiced Balsamic Simple Syrup – Makes 1 cup

You’ll need:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 cinnamon sticks
10 whole cloves
10 black peppercorns
1 inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced
3 T We Olive Aged Balsamic

1. Combine sugar and water in a small pan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil and stir until sugar is dissolved. Turn off heat and add spices. Let steep for 10 minutes.
2. Strain syrup into a container (I like to keep mine in a plastic squeeze bottle) and add balsamic vinegar.

Note: The simple syrup will keep for about a month in your refrigerator.

Fall Spiced Sangria

Fall Spiced Sangria – Serves 6

1 750ml bottle of dry red wine
1/2 cup brandy or Calvados
1 cup apple juice
1/4 cup Spiced Balsamic Simple Syrup
1 apple. cored and cut in thin slices
1 orange, halved and cut in thin slices

1. Combine all ingredients in a pitcher and let steep for a few hours. Serve over ice.

Note: For a little extra punch, top each serving with sparkling wine or ginger ale.

Spiced Pomegranate Sparkler

Spiced Pomegranate Sparkler – Serves 1

You’ll need:
4 oz dry sparkling wine
1 oz pomegranate juice
1/2 oz ruby port
1/2 tablespoon Spiced Balsamic Simple Syrup
1 teaspoon pomegranate seeds

1. Combine all ingredients in a champagne flute and serve.

Note: Alternatively, you can make a batch of the base: pomegranate juice, port, and simple syrup and store it in a pitcher. Pour about 2 oz into a champagne glass and top with sparkling wine and pomegranate seeds when ready to serve.

The Cocktail Lab

Spiced Cranberry Punch – Serves 6
I adapted this recipe from a cocktail by Jim Meehan and Andrew Knowlton in the October issue of Bon Appetit.

You’ll need:
1/2 recipe of Spiced Balsamic Simple Syrup
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1 lemon, cut into wedges
1/2 orange, sliced into rounds
1 1/2 cups London dry gin
1/2 cup dry sherry
6 mint sprigs

1. Heat Spiced Balsamic Simple Syrup in a pan almost to a boil; reduce heat to medium and add cranberries. Simmer just until they begin to burst, about 2 -3 minutes. Let cool in syrup.
2. Place 2 tablespoons drained cranberries and 6 tablespoons Spiced Balsamic Cranberry Simple Syrup in a large pitcher. Add lemon wedges and orange slices. Using a muddler of wooden spoon, vigorously mash the fruit. Stir in the gin and sherry. Let steep for 5 minutes.
3. Strain into a medium pitcher. Fill 3 glasses with crushed ice. Pour half of mixture into cocktail shaker. Fill with ice and shake for 10 seconds. Strain into prepared glasses. Garnish each with a mint sprig and a few cranberries. Repeat to make 3 more cocktails.

Have great cocktail or mocktail ideas using Aged Balsamic? Please share them with me in the comments below!

Tags: balsamic vinegar, cocktails, entertaining
Posted in Beverages, Recipes, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian | No Comments »

Balsamic Onion Jam

Thursday, October 6th, 2011

This Balsamic Onion Jam is a versatile condiment that can be used on everything from grilled cheese sandwiches to burgers to pizzas. Enjoy!

To make 1 cup of jam, you’ll need:
2 tablespoons buttery California extra virgin olive oil, such as Calivirgin
2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup Aged Balsamic Vinegar, plus 2 tablespoons
2 T brown sugar
salt and pepper

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until they just begin to color, stirring frequently. Add the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar and stir to coat. Cover, reduce the heat, and let cook for about 30-35 minutes, or until the onions have cooked down and caramelized deeply. If the mixture looks a little dry, stir in the additional 2 tablespoons of Aged Balsamic.

2. Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and pulse until it becomes a coarse puree. Serve.

Tags: balsamic vinegar
Posted in Recipes, Sandwiches, Vegetarian | 1 Comment »

Prize Winning Recipe: Cooking with California Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Monday, August 29th, 2011

California Sea Bass with Citrus Jalapeño Herb Vinaigrette
Note from AJ Dale: Using fresh, simple ingredients, including California EVOO, this healthy, flavorful entrée takes under 20 minutes to prepare

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
2 teaspoons honey
3 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup We Olive Meyer Lemon Olive Oil
¼ cup We Olive Tuscan Varietal Blend Olive Oil
1 jalapeno, seeded & diced
5 tablespoons fresh herbs, chopped (any combination of dill, flat leaf parsley, thyme, cilantro or basil)
Salt & pepper to taste

4 – 7 ounce pieces of California White Sea Bass
1 tablespoon buttery California EVOO (We used We Olive Mission Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
Salt & pepper

Preparation:
Whisk first 7 ingredients in a small bowl. Slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking to emulsify the vinaigrette. Stir in jalapeno and herbs. Salt & pepper to taste. Set aside while preparing fish.

Prepare grill (medium-high heat). Brush fish with olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until just opaque in center, about 4-5 minutes per side. Transfer to plates. Top with Chili Citrus Herb Vinaigrette and serve.

Tags: meyer lemon olive oil, tuscan olive oil, We Olive Mission Olive Oil
Posted in Entree, HEART HEALTHY, Recipes, Seafood | No Comments »

Food Memories and Figs

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

I was 7 years old the first time I ever tasted a fig, outside of a Newton, that is. My grandfather was a beekeeper in the Central Valley and he and my grandmother’s modest home sat in the middle of row after dusty row of almond, apricot, and fig trees. My cousins and I would walk through the orchards after swimming in one of the nearby canals and pick fruit off the trees to snack on. My sister and I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and canal swimming and fruit snatching weren’t something that were second nature to us. We did our best to emulate our cousins that were at home running barefoot through the trees and taking honeycomb from the hive, but we probably seemed like silly little girl versions of city slickers to them. One particular summer day, after we’d exhausted all of our usual options for mischief, we got into a fruit fight in the orchard. Dashing from tree to tree, we hurled apricots at each other, squealing and dodging the fruit as it landed with dusty thuds at our feet. I distinctly remember drawing my arm back to let another fruit bomb fly when I noticed that the thing I was holding was an odd brownish-green color and shaped like a teardrop. I stopped to stare at the foreign fruit in my hand and promptly got nailed in the belly with a rotting apricot. Undeterred, I held it up and asked “What is this thing?” to my much wiser cousins, who were too busy laughing at the fruit salad all over my shirt to answer me. Eventually I got told it was fig and called a “dingus” for not knowing what a fig was, but I slipped it into my pocket so I could taste it later without any mocking from my cousins, who were still throwing fruit at me. Later that night, I snuck into the bathroom and bit into the fig and was more puzzled than anything. It wasn’t very sweet and it felt a tad slimy and tasted almost like I was eating a leaf or a flower petal. I took one more bite and was rewarded with a pink center full of crunchy seeds. I didn’t really enjoy it, but I didn’t hate it either. I was just more mystified by this alien fruit than anything. How could this thing be what ends up in a Fig Newton? Why would people eat these things? Why had I never seen one before? And then I got bored, chucked it in the trash and went off to find my cousins playing in an old broken down school bus.

While that fig certainly didn’t change my life, I think of that day every time I see figs at the market. There’s something about the wonder of discovering food that makes those memories more indelible than others. So the other day, when my husband came home with a box of figs, given to him by someone at work from their own tree, I fondly remembered the fruit fight in my grandparents orchard and my first fig encounter. After tasting one, I decided that they weren’t as sweet as I would have liked and that I would have to help them along somehow. Since my husband already had the grill going, I sliced a handful in half and threaded them onto a few wood skewers. After a quick look at my “We Olive pantry” (as the shelf that houses my bounty of oil and vinegar is known), I chose the Blood Orange Olive Oil to brush on the cut sides of the fig. I put the fig skewers on the grill cut side down for about 2 minutes until they were caramelized and soft and then flipped them over and let them cook for another 2 minutes. I sliced each half into quarters and popped one in my mouth. The fig was soft and sweet, with a bright orange flavor and a hint of burnt sugar. That night they ended up on some vanilla ice cream with a drizzle of Aged Balsamic. The next day I tossed them with arugula, gorgonzola, and a blood orange vinaigrette. This weekend I am going to serve them just off the grill as a side to pork tenderloin. And each time I make them, I’ll be thinking about running barefoot in the dirt, swimming in canals, and being tormented by my cousins.

Do you have a favorite food memory? Share them with me in the comments section and I’ll re-post your stories!

Tags: balsamic vinegar, blood orange balsamic, blood orange olive oil
Posted in Appetizer, Dessert, HEART HEALTHY, Recipes, Salad, Side Dish, Vegetarian | No Comments »

Summer’s Best Tomato Salads

Thursday, July 28th, 2011

Tomatoes any other time of year just aren’t as sweet. And I mean that literally. They’re also usually orange-y and mealy and just a sad reminder that we’ve forgotten that there are actual seasons for food. So I take an immense amount of pleasure from a red, ripe, bursting-with-juice tomato that needs nothing more than a bit of sea salt and some fresh olive oil to make it sing. In honor of the start of tomato season, I’m sharing my favorite salads using summer’s favorite fruit.

Caprese Salad

My husband and I eat this a couple of times each week in the summer months. It’s that easy and that delicious. I don’t know of another recipe that better exemplifies the idea that quality ingredients need little manipulation to produce spectacular results. Find the best and most beautiful tomatoes you can (heirlooms are always nice for variety in color) and cut thick slices. Get the best fresh mozzarella available to you. If you can find someone who makes it locally, you’ll be rewarded with a cheese that is more delicate, creamy and flavorful than what you find at your grocery store. Buffalo mozzarella is a great alternative to locally produced cheese because of it’s texture and distinctive tangy flavor. Cut thick slices of mozzarella, roughly the same size of the tomatoes. Cut both tomatoes and mozzarella just before serving so they don’t lose all of their juices from sitting on the plate too long. Arrange the tomato slices on a platter and season with sea salt. Top each slice with a piece of mozzarella and a basil leaf. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the tomatoes and cheese and serve immediately. I like a robust oil with grassy, peppery notes on my Caprese, so I use our Tuscan Blend, but our Fresh Basil olive oil is stunning in this dish as well.

Panzanella Salad

Whenever I make panzanella, which is made with toasted pieces of leftover bread, I imagine a little old lady in the Italian countryside surveying the day old loaf in her pantry and then shuffling out to her garden to pluck a few tomatoes and a handful of basil leaves. Within minutes, she’s transformed the humble ingredients into something magical. Clearly, I have a tendency to romanticize, but I always send a silent thank you to whoever’s nonna was resourceful enough to come up with this one. To make panzanella, you’ll need a few perfectly ripe tomatoes, a clove of garlic, 6 – 8 thick slices of crusty bread (preferably a few days old), a handful of fresh herbs (I usually use basil, but oregano, thyme, or parsley work in any combination), a pungent extra virgin olive oil, aged balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. Cut the tomatoes into wedges and remove any seeds with your fingers. Rub the cut slices of bread with the clove of garlic and stick it under the broiler just long enough to get it golden and crisp. When it’s cool enough to handle, tear the bread into bite-size chunks and toss it in a bowl with tomatoes. Chop the herbs and add to the bowl along with a hearty drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and then season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Greek Tomato Salad

I made a version of this salad (which I’ve adapted from a recipe by Chef Gavin Kaysen) for my friend Linda Lou, who is Greek and notorious for stealing olives out of unsuspecting martinis. She loved it, so I consider it to have the official Greek stamp of approval. To make it, you’ll need a half cup of heavy cream, about 2 cups of feta cheese, a few pounds of assorted heirloom tomatoes (cut in quarters or wedges), roughly 2/3 cup of pitted kalamata olives, a quarter of a red onion, sliced as thinly as possible, fresh chopped oregano, sea salt, pepper, and of course, extra virgin olive oil. Put the feta in a bowl and add a little bit of cream at a time, whisking with a fork, until the cheese becomes creamy and smooth. Spread one quarter of the cheese onto the center of plate. Top with one quarter of the tomatoes, onions and olives and season a bit with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil (my preference is our California Koroneiki) and garnish with the chopped oregano. Repeat on four more plates and serve.

Share your favorite summer tomato salad recipe with me – it may appear in our next Reader Recipes post!

Tags: balsamic vinegar, basil olive oil, tuscan olive oil
Posted in Appetizer, HEART HEALTHY, Recipes, Salad | 2 Comments »

My Favorite Pizza Toppings

Saturday, July 16th, 2011

Once you have the dough prepared, there are literally endless ways to top this crispy, chewy crust perfection. I’ve outlined the basic baking instructions below with some of my favorite toppings.

To make the pizza:
1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees for at least 30 minutes. You want the oven screaming hot when the pizza goes in so it cooks quickly and evenly. Rub a baking sheet or pizza pan with oil.

2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. I press the dough out by hand – no rolling pins or fancy air tosses. Place the dough ball in the center of the work surface and flatten the ball into a disk with the palms of your hands. Starting at the center of the disk and working outward, use your fingertips to press the dough until it is about a 1/2 inch thick.

3. Holding the dough center in place, stretch the dough outward. Rotate the dough a quarter turn and stretch again. Repeat until the dough is a diameter of about 12 inches.

4. Carefully lift the dough round and transfer it to your baking pan. If the dough loses its shape, adjust it gently on the pan.

5. Brush your pizza with olive oil and add toppings.

6. Bake until pizza begins to brown in spots, about 6 – 10 minutes. Remove from oven, cut into wedges and serve.

My favorite toppings:

Fresh Basil Olive Oil with sliced Roma tomatoes and sliced mozzarella.

Fresh Garlic Olive Oil with prosciutto slices and grated Parmesan. When it comes out of the oven, I top it with arugula that’s been tossed with some olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper.

California Koroneiki Olive Oil with feta cheese, Black Olive Tapenade, roasted red peppers and mint.

These are just a handful of possibilities for a pizza night. Share your favorites in the comments section and don’t forget to enter our We Olive Facebook Recipe Contest with your best recipes featuring California extra-virgin olive oil!

Tags: balsamic vinegar, basil olive oil, garlic olive oil, tapenade
Posted in Baking, Entree, Recipes | No Comments »

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