Recipes From December 2015 Newsletter

The Spicy Olive’s Appletini 

1 1/2 oz. vodka
1 oz The Spicy Olive’s Gravenstein Apple balsamic vinegar
Place ice in a cocktail shaker. Put vodka and balsamic vinegar over ice and put lid on shaker and shake. Strain cocktail into martini glass and enjoy!
You could make this cocktail with many of our white balsamic vinegars: Cranberry Pear, Cara Cara Orange Vanilla, Sicilian Lemon  or Ripe Peach. The balsamic vinegars contain much less sugar than flavored syrups and are low calorie as well! (3 grams of sugar and 10 calories per Tablespoon) A great way to enjoy a cocktail without the guilt!

The Spicy Olive Holiday Ham 

1/3 cup The Spicy Olive’s Butter olive oil
1/3 cup The Spicy Olive’s Vermont Maple balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup Steinke’s local honey

 

Place pineapple, cherries and cloves on ham. Mix olive oil, honey and maple balsamic together in a bowl. Use mixture to baste ham. Bake ham at 350 degree oven , basting frequently, about 50-60 minutes until heated through. Enjoy!

Two Great Appetizers for Holiday Entertaining:

The Spicy Olive’s Baked Brie with Vermont Maple Balsamic Vinegar
Bake brie until warm and softened in a baking dish. Meanwhile reduce Vermont Maple Balsamic vinegar (1/2 cup) in a sauce pan until thickened, simmer 10-15 minutes. Drizzle Maple Balsamic over warm brie and serve with crackers.

The Spicy Olive’s Marinated Mushrooms or Mozzarella Cheese Balls
1/2 cup Tuscan Herb olive oil
1/2 cup Neapolitan Herb or Traditional Balsamic
1-2 cups fresh mushrooms
1-2 cups fresh mozzarella cheese balls
Place olive oil and vinegar in a bowl and place mushrooms or cheese balls into the bowl to marinate. Marinate for 24 hours and serve with toothpicks.

Recipes From November 2015 Newsletter

The Spicy Olive’s Cranberry Sauce
 An easy way to wow your Thanksgiving guests with your cranberry sauce!
 1 can of Ocean Spray whole cranberry sauce
Option 1:
 Place cranberry sauce in a sauce pan and heat. Add 3 tablespoons The Spicy Olive’s Raspberry balsamic and some orange zest and stir until combined. Allow to cool and place in refrigerator. Can be made a week in advance.
Option 2:
Place the cranberry sauce in a sauce pan and add 3 Tablespoons Black Cherry balsamic vinegar. Stir and heat until combined and thickened. You can add dried cherries and or walnuts to this sauce.
 Option 3:
    Place cranberry sauce in saucepan and add 3 Tablespoons of Gravenstein white apple balsamic or Red Apple balsamic to the cranberry sauce. Add fresh apple cubes, celery and walnuts for a Waldorf cranberry sauce.

Turkey Patties

What do I do with all of these leftovers?! Here’s an idea…
 
Combine leftover chopped turkey, leftover stuffing and mashed potatoes and shape into patties. Sauté in The Spicy Olive’s Wild Mushroom & Sage Olive Oil. Serve with cranberry sauce.

Spicy Olive Thanksgiving Turkey

12 lb. turkey
3/4 c. The Spicy Olive Mushroom & Sage Olive oil
2 tbsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. basil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 c. Red Apple Balsamic
1 c. water
I like to put apple slices, celery sticks, onion wedges, sage, salt and pepper in the cavity of the turkey for flavor and to keep the turkey moist. I cook the stuffing separately in a casserole due to the risk of salmonella.
Prepare the turkey for roasting by washing it and removing the neck and other parts from the cavities. Inject the turkey with the 1/2 of the Wild Mushroom & Sage olive oil with  1/2  of the Red Apple balsamic vinegar, reserving the rest for basting the bird as it roasts. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and other seasonings. Roast turkey according to directions on the packaging, basting often with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar mixture.
You could also use The Spicy Olive Herbes d’Provence olive oil with Pomegranate Balsamic vinegar for a different fall flavor.
The Spicy Olive’s Fall Skillet Dinner
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chunked
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
4 Tbsp. The Spicy Olive’s Wild Mushroom and Sage olive oil
6 slices bacon, cut into peices
3 cups Brussel Sprouts, halved
2 medium sweet potatoes, microwaved or boiled for 4 minutes, then peeled and cubed
2 apples, peeled and diced
1 tsp. garlic
2 cups chicken broth
Finish with a drizzle of The Spicy Olive’s Cinnamon Pear balsamic vinegar
Season chicken with poultry seasoning. Heat 1/2 of Wild Mushroom and Sage oil in a deep, nonstick skillet. Add chicken and cook over medium heat until lightly browned and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Remove chicken and transfer to a plate. Place bacon in skillet and cook until crisp. Place bacon on plate with chicken and drain the bacon grease and add the rest of the Wild Mushroom and Sage olive oil.
Add the brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes, brussel sprout should be softened and browned.  Cook stirring occasionally until browned and caramelized. Add the apples, garlic, cinnamon, chicken and bacon back to pot. Add half of the chicken broth. Cook until evaporated and add the remaining broth. Cook two minutes or more  until all  broth has been reduced.  All Chicken broth should be absorbed, To finish, drizzle with The Spicy Olive’s Cinnamon Pear balsamic vinegar and serve! Enjoy! Internal temperature of chicken should reach 165-170 degrees before serving

Recipes From September 2015 Newsletter

Neapolitan Herb Balsamic Bloody Mary
Ingredients:
ground pepper to taste
1/2 ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice
3/4 ounce Neapolitan Herb Balsamic Vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons horseradish
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 ounce Worcestershire sauce
12 ounces tomato juice
6 oz. Vodka
4 celery stalks with leaves attached
Directions
 Add ice to 4 glasses. Mix vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, Neapolitan Herb Balsamic, and horseradish (if using) and pour into glass.
Garnish with a celery stalk.
Serves 4
Blueberry Lemon Paletas
Creamy, smooth, healthy, refreshing, interesting, delicious.
2 cups fresh whole blueberries, washed
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons The Spicy Olive Lemon olive oil
1 cup whole milk yogurt
1/2 cup honey
Place the blueberries in a medium sauce pan over medium heat along with 2 tablespoons of water, the lemon zest, and honey.  Heat until the blueberries until simmering for approximately 2 minutes.  Allow the mixture to cool slightly, and then add the yogurt and olive oil, whisking until blended.  When the mixture is at room temperature, portion into 12 popsicle (or paleta)  molds and freeze.
The Spicy Olive’s Fizzy Fig
1 teas. The Spicy Olive’s Fig balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup ginger ale
1 jigger Canadian whiskey
Fill a cocktail glass with ice. Add jigger of whiskey. Add ginger ale to fill glass. Add teaspoon of fig balsamic and stir. Add more balsamic to taste. Enjoy!
The Spicy Olive’s Skillet Steak and Wilted Kale Salad
1 bunch kale, stems removed
2 (3/4 inch thick) beef strip steaks
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. The Spicy Olive’s olive oil (plain or a flavor like Harissa, Garlic,Tuscan Herb, Herbs de Provence)
1 large Vidalia or other sweet onion, sliced
1 Tbsp. The Spicy Olive’s Traditional Balsamic or Neapolitan Herb balsamic
Crumbled blue cheese (optional)
Preheat oven to 450°F. Chop kale. Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper. Cook steaks in 2 Tbsp. hot olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat 3 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and place on a baking sheet and place in preheated oven for 6 minutes.

Add remaining 1 Tbsp of olive oil to skillet and add onion. Saute until tender. Remove steak from oven and wrap with foil. Allow meat to rest before slicing. Add kale to the sauteed onion and stir constantly for 5 minutes or until kale is wilted. Stir in balsamic vinegar. Place wilted kale and onions on a plate. Top with sliced steak and sprinkle with crumbled blue cheese if desired. Enjoy

Baked Parmesan Garlic Chicken Wings

 

Baked Parmesan Garlic Chicken Wings 

Serves 4  

 

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt (1/2 tsp table salt)

2 1/2 pounds chicken wings

2 tablespoons The Spicy Olive’s Organic Tuscan Herb Olive Oil

2 tablespoons minced fresh basil

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt (like Lawry’s)

1 cup blue cheese dressing

1-2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (or to taste)

 

1. Preheat oven to 425F. In a small bowl, mix together the oregano, rosemary, cumin and salt. Lay the chicken wings on a baking sheet and season the chicken wings with this mixture.

2. Bake the chicken wings for 20-25 minutes. While the chicken is baking, mix together the olive oil, fresh basil, garlic, Parmesan cheese and seasoning salt.

3. In a separate bowl, mix together the blue cheese dressing with the mustard (this is your dipping sauce)

4. When the chicken is cooked through, toss the wings with the garlic/cheese/olive oil (or butter) sauce and return to the oven for 5 minutes.  Serve with the blue cheese/mustard dressing.

Grilled Steaks Balsamico

1 c. The Spicy Olive Fig Balsamic Vinegar

4 (6 to 8 oz.) boneless beef steaks (sirloin)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
Marinate the steak in fig balsamic and salt and pepper for two hours or more. Grill for five minutes per side, or until desired doneness. Drizzle with additional fig balsamic before serving.

Balsamic-Pepper Flank Steak with Grilled Pears and Blue Cheese

For extra flavor, the marinade can be mixed with beef broth, boiled and reduced until thick – while the steak cooks – then drizzled over the finished dish.


1/4 c. The Spicy Olive’s Traditional Balsamic
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp. black peppercorns
Kosher salt
1.5 lbs. flank steak
2 pears, peeled, halved and cored
Crumbled blue cheese, for topping
In a blender, combine the vinegar, garlic, peppercorns and 1 tsp. of kosher salt. Blend for 20 seconds, then transfer to a wide shallow bowl. Add the steak to the marinade, turning to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, over night if possible.
When ready to cook, heat the broiler with a rack six inches from the heat. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil, then coat it lightly with any of The Spicy Olive’s single-varietal EVOO. Cut each pear half into four slices and arrange them on one half of the sheet. Remove the steak from the marinade and set it on the other half of the sheet. Broil everything for five minutes. Use tongs to flip the steak and pears. Broil for another five minutes for medium-rare.
Let the steaks rest for 10 minutes then cut into thin slices against the grain. Divide the slices between 4 serving plates, then top each with pear slices.
Top each serving with a little bit of crumbled blue cheese and serve.

Grilled Steak Salad with Walnut Dressing

1 small red onion, sliced

1/2 c. The Spicy Olive’s Single Varietal EVOO or Roasted Walnut Oil
1 c. coarsely chopped walnuts
1 garlic clove, minced
2 lb. flat iron, hanger or tri-tip steak
2 tbsp. The Spicy Olive’s Tuscan Herb Olive Oil
1 tbsp. of your favorite steak seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1/3 c. of The Spicy Olive’s Traditional Balsamic Vinegar
1 tbsp. dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
1 romaine heart, torn
2 oz. crumbled blue cheese

Preheat grill. Saute 1 thinly sliced red onion in 1/2 c. olive oil or the walnut oil in large skillet over medium high heat until golden and tender – about three or four minutes. Add walnuts and garlic, cook stirring occasionally, for three or four minutes, until walnuts start to brown. Remove from heat and cool.

Rub steak with the Tuscan Herb olive oil, steak seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Grill steak for five to seven minutes on each side until desired degree of doneness is reached (145-150 degrees for medium rare). Remove steak from grill and allow to rest 5 minutes. Slice thin.

Whisk together balsamic vinegar and dijon mustard. Gradually whisk in the walnut and oil mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Arrange lettuce on serving platter, drizzle with 1/4 c. of the salad dressing mixture. Top with steak slices. Sprinkle on blue cheese. Drizzle on the remaining salad dressing and serve.

Balsamic Strawberry Pork Tenderloing

3 lb. package pork tenderloins

1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. sea salt
10 bacon slices
1/2 c. The Spicy Olive’s Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 c. The Spicy Olive’s Strawberry Preserves
1/2 c. quartered fresh strawberries
2 tbsp. The Spicy Olive’s Organic Garlic Olive Oil
Preheat grill to 400-500 degrees (high heat). Sprinkle pork tenderloins with pepper and salt. Wrap each tenderloin with bacon slices and secure with toothpicks – three to four pieces should cover and average pork loin. 
Turn off one side of the grill and arrange pork loins on the unlit side of the grill. Let pork cook on the grill for 30 minutes, turning once after 15 minutes. 
Meanwhile, place garlic olive oil in a sauté pan and heat over medium heat. Add strawberry balsamic vinegar and allow to come to a boil, cook 5 minutes and then add the strawberry preserves. Reserve 1/2 of the mixture for basting the pork tenderloins. Allow the other 1/2 to cool, then add the fresh strawberries. 
After the 30 minutes, put the tenderloins on the hot side of the grill and cook on each side for the 2-3 minutes, basting each side with the strawberry balsamic vinegar mixture. The tenderloins should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Take them off the grill and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Then slice and drizzle additional balsamic vinegar and strawberries over the top.

Basil + Lemongrass Fish

2 tbsp. The Spicy Olive’s Basil Olive Oil

1.5 tbsp. The Spicy Olive’s Lemongrass Mint White Balsamic Vinegar
2 white fish fillets
Pour over fish fillets and grill or broil in the oven. 
A nice, light way to prepare fish with a Thai twist!

Salmon + Cara Cara Salsa

4 salmon fillets (about 4-6 oz. each)

Marinade:
1/2 c. Cara Cara Orange Vanilla Balsamic Vinegar
1 clove garlic minced
1 tbsp. Lemon Olive Oil
Cara Cara Salsa:
1 Cara Cara Orange, peeled, segmented and diced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, diced
1 tsp. jalapeno pepper, minced
4 tbsp. cilantro chopped
1 tsp. Sicilian Lemon White Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to broil. Place salmon fillets in shallow baking dish. Combine Cara Cara Orange Vanilla Balsamic with Lemon Olive Oil and garlic in a bowl. Reserve 1/4 c. of this marinade for broiling. Pour remaining mixture over salmon. Place in refrigerator and let marinate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, combine all salsa ingredients and set aside. 
Remove salmon from marinade, place on rimmed baking sheet pan. Pour reserved marinade over top. Broil for 10-12 minutes, until salmon flakes easily with a fork. Top with Cara Cara salsa and serve.