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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 »

Pork Tenderloin Sliders with Balsamic Onion Jam

Thursday, October 6th, 2011

These sliders were served at an event with Slow Food in San Francisco using Llano Seco organic pork. The Balsamic Onion Jam is a versatile condiment that can be used on everything from grilled cheese sandwiches to burgers to pizzas. Enjoy!

To serve 18 sliders, you’ll need:

1 – 1 lb. pork tenderloin
2 tablespoons robust California extra virgin olive oil, such as Roanti Ranch
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
salt and pepper
1 cup Balsamic Onion Jam – recipe follows
18 small rolls

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a small bowl combine the garlic, brown sugar, along with a 1/2 teaspoon salt and a generous sprinkling of freshly cracker pepper. Place the pork tenderloin in a glass baking dish and coat the tenderloin with the olive oil. Rub the sugar and garlic mixture all over.
3. Bake for 25 minutes or until a thermometer registers 145 degrees. Meanwhile, make the Balsamic Onion Jam.
4. Let stand for 10 minutes before thinly slicing. Spread a tablespoon of Balsamic Onion Jam on each roll and top with a few slices of roasted pork. Serve!

Tags: balsamic vinegar, pungent, roanti ranch, robust
Posted in Entree, HEART HEALTHY, Organic, Sandwiches | 1 Comment »

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 »

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 »

Fire Up the Grill!

Friday, July 1st, 2011

It’s Independence Day weekend and chances are you are going to find yourself in front of a grill. Whether you’re sticking with the classic hot dogs and burgers or fancying up your 4th feast, we’ve got ideas for simple ways to spruce up your spread using California Extra Virgin Olive Oil. So read on for ideas and have a happy holiday weekend!

Marinades
The following marinades are my favorite flavor combinations because they are versatile, tasty, and can literally be thrown together in minutes. Each recipe should make enough to marinade food that will feed up to 10 people. I generally marinate meat and poultry for 2 – 3 hours. Seafood for up to an hour, and veggies for about 30 minutes.

Lemon & Herb Marinade
To add fresh, lemony flavor to chicken, seafood or veggies, like zucchini, summer squash, eggplant, and asparagus, combine the following ingredients in a resealable plastic bag:

1 cup We Olive Meyer Lemon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

After you remove the food from the marinade, season it with salt and pepper and throw it on the grill. For a little extra tang, hit the just grilled food with a squeeze of lemon juice before serving.

Garlicky Honey Soy Marinade
This marinade works on just about anything: pork tenderloin, flank steak, chicken breasts, and veggies, so it makes a great marinade if you’re considering kebabs. Combine the following in resealable plastic bag:

1 cup We Olive Fresh Garlic Olive Oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 T honey
1 T sesame oil
1/2 t black pepper

If you like a little heat, chili paste is a nice addition to this marinade. I would recommend seasoning with salt and pepper AFTER you’ve cooked the meat and tasted it. The soy sauce in the marinade may make it salty enough.

Blood Orange & Chili Marinade
Here’s another flavor combination that works with almost anything. It’s great on beef and pork, but also lovely on skewered shrimp. Combine the following ingredients in a resealable plastic bag:

1 cup We Olive Blood Orange Olive Oil
1 thinly sliced fresh red chili pepper (seeds removed if you aren’t a fan of heat)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Season with salt and pepper after it comes out of the marinade and then grill.

Seasoning
You don’t always have to impart flavor before you grill. Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a great way to finish your grilled meats and veggies. Following are some simple ideas for adding flavor as your dinner comes off the grill.

1. Toss grilled vegetables with a flavored olive oil. Asparagus and zucchini shine when drizzled with our Meyer Lemon Olive Oil. Grilled mushrooms are a natural match for We Olive’s Fresh Garlic Olive Oil. And our Fresh Basil Olive Oil is delicious in place of butter on grilled corn on the cob.

2. Dress grilled meat and veggies like you would a salad. Simply grilled and seasoned meat or vegetables are some of my favorite foods. They have that unmistakable smoky char and can be spruced up in endless ways with an olive oil based dressing. Toss grilled veggies with equal parts We Olive Arbequina Olive Oil and We Olive Aged Balsamic. Drop a tablespoon of tapenade into our California Koroneiki Olive Oil and drizzle over chicken, fish and veggies for quick Mediterranean flavor. Mix a tablespoon of our Golden Honey mustard into our Mission Olive Oil for a sweet, tangy glaze for grilled pork and chicken.

3. Finish with a little vinegar. We Olive’s vinegars have the perfect balance of acidity and sweetness, which make them a fantastic way to finish your food from the grill. Sprinkle some of our Peach White Balsamic on grilled pork or chicken. It’s even better when served with grilled peach halves. Just rub the cut side of the peach with a little olive oil, grill until the fruit softens a bit and serve. Same goes for our California Blackberry Balsamic, try brushing it on poultry or meat during the last few minutes of grilling for a sweet and tangy glaze. And if you’ve had our Aged Balsamic, you know that it packs a serious punch of flavor. Brush it on as a glaze or drizzle it on to finish, it will make ANYTHING taste better.

However you prepare your July 4th feast, have a safe, happy holiday. Cheers!

Tags: arbequina olive oil, balsamic vinegar, blackberry balsamic, blood orange olive oil, garlic olive oil, meyer lemon olive oil, peach white balsamic
Posted in Entree, HEART HEALTHY | 1 Comment »

Bruschetta with Aged Balsamic

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

Easy Summertime Cooking by Karen Kostrinsky

Appetizer
Bruschetta with Aged Balsamic – Best when made in advance!
(Prepared with We Olive Tuscan olive oil and We Olive Aged Balsamic Vinegar)

1. Seed and Chop (finely chop) about 10 Roma Tomatoes.
2. Add 2 tablespoon of We Olive Tuscan Olive Oil
3. Add 1 tablespoon We Olive Aged Balsamic Vinegar
4. Add 1-2 minced garlic cloves.
5. Add 1 tablespoon Basil leaves ribboned and chopped.
6. Mix well, add salt and pepper to taste and chill for a few hours.

Tags: balsamic vinegar, basil, black pepper, garlic, olive oil, salt, tuscan olive oil
Posted in Appetizer, Menu, Recipes, Salad, Side Dish | No Comments »

Sweet Balsamic Strawberries

Friday, May 28th, 2010

A great sweet snack for weekend BBQ’s or an elegant wine tasting party favorite…

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

16 oz of fresh strawberries
2½ tbsp of We Olive Traditional Aged Balsamic Vinegar
¼ cup of sugar (white)

Directions

Clean and slice a large bowl of plump and fresh strawberries. Next, drizzle We Olive Traditional Balsamic on top of the strawberries. Let the mixture sit for 10-15 minutes allowing the strawberries to soak in and drink up the delicious balsamic flavors. Then, sprinkle the sugar on top of the mixture, gently mix, and serve!

Tags: balsamic vinegar, strawberries, sugar
Posted in Appetizer, Dessert, Dressing, Menu, Recipes, Salad, Side Dish | No Comments »

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