The Spicy Olive Slow Cooker Beef, Barley & Squash Stew

The Spicy Olive’s Slow Cooker Beef, Barley and Squash Stew

3 tablespoons The Spicy Olive’s Organic Garlic olive oil, divided

1 lb. beef chuck roast, cut into 3 pieces

sea salt and pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

4 thyme sprigs

4 cups beef broth, divided

1/2 pound small potatoes, halved

2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed

1/2 cup pearl barley 

If your slow cooker has a stove top safe insert then heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat, otherwise do in a medium skillet and transfer to slow cooker later. Season beef with salt and pepper and brown pieces in olive oil until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes. Add remaining olive oil and garlic and saute until fragrant. Place insert into slow cooker or transfer to slow cooker and add thyme and 2 cups beef broth and scrap down sides and bottom of pan to release browned bits. Transfer this broth to slow cooker.  Add potatoes, squash and barley to slow cooker with 2 cups water and remaining 2 cups of beef broth. Cover and cook on high until meat is very tender and liquid mostly absorbed (about 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.) Using 2 forks shred beef. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 6.

 ** Would also be delicious with carrots or celery or other vegetables you might like to add.


Recipe from Fox 19 appearance

     Here is the recipe Melanie Cedargren of The Spicy Olive prepared on The Fox 19 Morning Show. This pasta dish is simply delicious but also very simple. You could make this a main dish with a salad and bread to round out the meal, or it can be a great side dish to accompany a grilled steak!                 

  The Spicy Olive’s Mushroom and Smoked Gouda Pasta


 1/4 cup The Spicy Olive’s Organic Wild Mushroom and Sage olive oil
 1 package protabella mushrooms, sliced
 1/2 lb. bacon or pancetta, fried and crumbled
 1 lb. linguine, cooked to package instructions
 1/2 cup shredded, or crumbled smoked gouda cheese
    Heat the Wild Mushroom and Sage olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and saute. Add the cooked linguine, fried bacon or pancetta and gouda cheese and blend until cheese begins to melt and coat the pasta. To finish the dish, drizzle with additional Wild Mushroom and Sage olive oil  and a sprinkle of sea salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Warm Potato Salad

2 lbs. floury potatoes (scrubbed, halved or quartered)
1/4 c. The Spicy Olive Milanese Gremolata Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 c. flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 head celery, inner stalks only, chopped

Bring a pot to boil with water just covering the potatoes. Add salt, then cook over moderate heat for 20-30 minutes, until potatoes are just tender.

Drain and cool; peel and cut into bite-sized pieces.

While the potatoes are still warm, toss them in a bowl with oil, parsley and celery. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Potato Pie

2 1/2 lbs. starchy potatoes
3 tbsp. The Spicy Olive Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 c freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 c. milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 lb. smoked mozzarella cheese, cubed
1/4 lb. salami, chopped
3 tbsp. flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 lb. fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced thin
1 c. fluffy breadcrumbs

Cook the potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain and cool so that they can be handled. Peel and mash. Stir in The Spicy Olive Garlic EVOO and parmesan, then add the milk, eggs, smoked mozzarella, salami and parsley. Stir well and season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Grease a gratin dish with butter or more Garlic EVOO. Spoon half of the mixture into the dish. Cover with mozzarella slices and top with the rest of the potato mixture. Stir additional Garlic EVOO into the breadcrumbs and mix well before sprinkling over the potato pie.

Bake for about 40 minutes until the top is golden and crunchy and the filling is hot and bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Gratin Potatoes with Tomatoes, Olives and Capers

4 large ripe tomatoes (peeled, halved and seeded)
2 lbs. waxy potatoes
2 tbsp. The Spicy Olive Cilantro & Roasted Onion Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 red onions, sliced thin
1 tsp. thyme
1/2 c The Spicy Olive Kalamata Olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 small lemon, sliced super thin
1 1/2 tablespoons capers, rinsed

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F

Chop one of the tomatoes and slice the rest. Drop the potatoes into a large pot of boiling, salted water and cook for 4 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Combine 1.5 tbsp. of The Spicy Olive Cilantro & Roasted Onion Extra Virgin Olive Oil with the onions and thyme in a frying pan. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté over moderately high heat until the onions start to gain color. Arrange these ingredients in an oiled gratin dish. Then toss in the tomato, olives, garlic, half of the lemon and extra sprigs of thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Finish with a drizzle of EVOO.

Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 20 minutes, until the potatoes are very tender.

Rosemary Olive Chicken

2 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken thighs or breasts
1/4 c. The Spicy Olive Tuscan Herb EVOO
1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1.5 tbsp. chopped  fresh rosemary leaves
1/2 c. The Spicy Olive Sherry Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 c. The Spicy Olive Kalamata Olives, pitted
2 anchovy filets, rinsed and chopped
1.5 tbsp The Spicy Olive Traditional Balsamic Vinegar

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil over moderately high heat in a sauté pan, add the chicken and brown on all sides. Add the onion, rosemary, and Sherry Balsamic Vinegar. Cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in The Spicy Olive Kalamata Olives and anchovies, crushing the anchovies into the sauce. Season with coarsely ground black pepper. Cover again and simmer for another 10-15 minutes adding more vinegar if necessary. Finally, stir in The Spicy Olive Traditional Balsamic Vinegar and serve.

Arrabbiata Chicken

1/4 c The Spicy Olive Chipotle EVOO
1 red onion, wedged
1 garlic bulb, peeled
1/2 c The Spicy Olive Traditional Balsamic Vinegar
2 hot red chilies, chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes

Soffrito
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 oz. fatty pancetta, cut into cubes
1 tsp. fresh rosemary

To make the soffrito, combine the garlic, pancetta and rosemary in a small processor and pulse until chopped.

Transfer the mixture to a heavy-based pot, add The Spicy Olive Chipotle EVOO and cook over moderate heat until the pancetta is golden. Turn the heat up high, add the onion, chicken and garlic cloves. Brown the chicken well on both sides. Stir in The Spicy Olive Traditional Balsamic Vinegar and cook for about a minute. Add the chili and tomatoes.

Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook gently for 40 minutes. The chicken is cooked when juices from the chicken run clear.

Lemon Baked Chicken

6 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on
1 lemon, thinly sliced, and 1 lemon squeezed
1 1/2 tbsp. The Spicy Olive Tuscan Herb EVOO
1/4 c The Spicy Olive Oregano Balsamic Vinegar

Season the chicken with aromatic salt, arrange on a plate and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 425F. Place the sliced lemon in an oven-safe dish. Heat a non-stick pan over moderately high heat. Add The Spicy Olive’s Tuscan Herb EVOO and the chicken, skin side down. Brown well on both sides, about 6 minutes. Arrange the chicken over the lemon slices in the casserole dish.

Add the lemon juice and The Spicy Olive’s Oregano Balsamic Vinager to the pan and deglaze to a sauce consistency, ensuring you scrape up and save any browned bits. Pour over the chicken in the baking dish. Place the dish in the oven and bake 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is tender and juices run clear.

Aromatic Salt
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 c. cooking salt
zest of 2 lemons, finely chopped
1.5 tbsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
.5 tsp. freshly chopped fresh rosemary leaves
.5 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf

Finely chop 2 of the garlic cloves, saving the third for later. Place all ingredients, except the bay leaves, in a processor and pulse just until the salt is slightly ground. Store mixture in an airtight container. Bury the final garlic clove and bay leaf in the salt mixture and refrigerate.


Pancetta-wrapped Chicken

8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
2 large cloves garlic
3 tablespoons chopped rosemary
8 slices pancetta
3 tablespoons The Spicy Olive Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 cup of The Spicy Olive Sherry Balsamic Vinegar

Chop the garlic and then sprinkle the over the chicken, then season the chicken with rosemary, salt and pepper. Wrap each piece of chicken with a slice of pancetta.

In a large pan, heat the oil and brown the chicken over moderate heat. Add the Sherry Balsamic Vinegar, cover the pan and cook gently for 20-30 minutes. Remove the chicken and place on a warm plate. Reduce the cooking juices until thickened – to a syrup consistency – then spoon over the chicken.

Serve with roasted potatoes.

Black Currant Pork Roast

4 lbs. pork butt roast, tied neatly
3 tbsp. The Spicy Olive Wild Mushroom & Sage EVOO
1 bottle full-bodied red wine
4 large cloves garlic
3 tbsp. The Spicy Olive Black Currant Balsamic Vinegar
2 bay leaves

Set a heavy-based pot over high heat. When hot, add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom and sides of pan. Add the pork and brown it on all sides. Season with salt and pepper while roasting.

Add the wine so that it nearly covers the pork. Bruise the garlic and add it to the pot with the bay leaves and Black Currant balsamic vinegar. Cover the pot and simmer over very low heat for 3-4 hours, turning the meat from time to time.

Remove the pork to a plate and cover loosely with foil. If the liquid in the pan is thin, put over high heat to reduce. Slice the pork, arrange on a platter and then cover with juices.