Wow what a great Saturday (even with the deluge of rainfall). Thank you “Devoted Tasters”. Have a nice Sunday everyone.
Israeli Couscous (Lemony Pearls)
1 tablespoon of butter olive oil1 shallot and the zest of half a lemon;Over medium heat, let the butter olive oil get infused with the flavors of the shallot and the lemon zest. Give this about 3 minutes.  You are sweating the aromatics not browning them.
Throw  in a cup of your Israel couscous and toss everything together, ensuring your couscous is covered by the shallot and butter mixture.  Using our Seasonello herb infused Sea Salt & pepper to taste, toast the Couscous for about 2 minutes;
Pour in 1 and 1/4 cups of chicken broth or stock. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Optional: add parmesan cheese & chives. Great as a side or the next day, toss with assorted vegetables, nut crumbs (spicy, Italian or coconut curry) & raisins.

Ingredients:
For the Crab Cakes
1 large egg
2-1/2 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil. (2 Tuscan and ½ Blood Orange)
1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
1/4 teaspoon pepper & garlic powder or 2 garlic cloves
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely chopped onion & celery
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 pound lump crab meat (16 oz. cup)
½ stick of herbed cream cheese
¼ cup panko bread crumbs
Extra virgin olive oil, for cooking

Instructions:
For the Crab Cakes
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Combine the egg, extra virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire, Old Bay, pepper, garlic, onion, celery, and parsley in a large bowl and mix well. Add the crab meat (be sure to check the meat for any hard and sharp cartilage) and panko; gently fold mixture together until just combined, being careful not to shred the crab meat. Shape into 9 crab cakes (about ½ cup each or a flattened golf ball size) and place on prepared baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 min.

Preheat a large nonstick pan to medium heat and coat with extra virgin olive oil. When oil is med/hot, place crab cakes in pan and cook until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes per side. Serve immediately with tomatoes, cucumbers and spinach salad.

OR, toast English muffins with our butter infused olive oil and place toasted crab cakes on top for an open faced crab cake sandwich.

INGREDIENTS:

1 turkey tenderloin (approx. 12 X 5 in.)

1 8oz pkg, cream cheese

1 jar roasted red peppers

1 pkg bacon cooked, crumbled

1 pkg. of our Parmesan Basil dried dipping herb pack

Spinach leaves fresh (to taste)

Herbs de Provence olive oil

Pomegranate Quince Balsamic Vinegar

salt & pepper

Smoked paprika

INSTRUCTIONS:

Unwrap your turkey tenderloin, filet it open, spread it out and get it nice and flat. You can use a meat tenderizer for more flattening & rolling to produce a great spiral cut.

Once the tenderloin is flat and has a good surface area, spread the cream cheese all over the top. Lay the roasted red peppers over the cream cheese then sprinkle on the crumbled bacon. Evenly sprinkle on parmesan basil herb seasoning and lay the spinach leaves all over the top.

Roll the turkey up (like you would if you were making cinnamon rolls) and tie it shut with kitchen twine. Next, rub on a mixture of the olive oil, pomegranate quince, paprika, salt and pepper all over the turkey and place in an olive oiled baking dish or cookie sheet.

Bake at 350-degrees about 45-50- or until turkey is cooked through depending upon the size and density of the tenderloin. Once cooked, slice and serve!

**This makes quite a lot. After rolling, but before baking, cut it into thirds or fourths. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze!!

Plate your dish with a chopped salad of choice tossed with the Pomegranate Quince and Herbs de Provence Olive Oil.

Needing your veggies. Try this Easy One skillet Not so Traditional  Fideuà Paella pronounced fid-ayoo- ah : fideuà is Catalunya’s version of the paella. But unlike the rice based dish best known to us all, its Catalan cousin made with…. pasta. Here we improvised using fresh Brussels sprouts, onion, cabbage, artichokes, cauliflower, garlic, tomatoes, bone broth, stuffed chili pepper olives & smoked sausage.
https://www.carolinescooking.com/fideua-catalan-pasta-paella/

Bourbon Honey Crisp Apple Chutney

• 2tbls Bourbon Honey

• 2tbls Aged Red Apple Balsamic

• Diced Cherry tomatoes

• Red onion

• 1tsp. Harissa olive oil

• Dash of salt & Pepper

Mix all ingredients; set aside to marinate while Roasting pork tenderloins using Arbosana extra virgin olive oil. Bring the Bourbon Honey crisp Apple chutney to a quick rolling boil. Let cool & garnish each chop just before serving with crusty bread drizzled with our Garlic olive oil. EASY 20 min.mid-week meal.

Classic Mignonette:
*Champagne wine vinegar & Red Onion
How about a *Granita using our Cranberry Pear balsamic or A little finish w/ Green Chili oil called *Baklouti. However you choose to eat your oysters, we’ve got a little more than hot sauce. What’s your favorite way to eat oysters?

Rockefeller secret: saute onion & spinach with our garlic EVOO. Get to topping w/ #Bacon & Pecorino (don’t lose the liquor). Grill until bubbly & melted.

Is it Chicken Pilaf or Chicken Bog?  What?  A Little South Carolina History:

 

https://discoversouthcarolina.com/articles/a-taste-of-south-carolina-just-what-is-chicken-bog  

Courtesy of: Gwen Fowler, Author and Recipe Adaptation by @Susie Wilson Miller

 

Garnish Each Bowl with a drizzle of any of our Olive Oils for a bold Flavor Burst (e.g. Tuscan, Garlic, Lemon, Mushroom & Sage, Picual or if you enjoy spicy, try our Baklouti Green Chili Oil). You can also Add some of your favorite Hot sauce, Grated Sharp Cheddar cheese & Chives.  Truly Enjoy!!!!

 

CHICKEN BOG

Start to finish: 80-90 minutes

Stock

1 (3-4 pound) whole chicken or chicken legs (they have

the most flavor)

2 onions

4 whole carrots(omitted here)

4 celery stalks

4 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon of fresh cut basil or parsley

2 tablespoons of fresh oregano

1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon of fresh thyme

2 tablespoons of salt

1 tablespoon of ground black pepper

Bog

6-8 cups of water or half and half Chicken or Vegetable Stock

2 cups of long-grain white rice

1 pound of smoked sausage of choice

2 tablespoons of dry Italian-style seasoning

Pulled or chopped chicken pieces from the whole cooked chicken

 

MAKE THE STOCK

Remove gizzards and rinse the whole chicken inside and out.

Peel and slice two onions. When slicing the onions, cut a grid into the onion from the top but stop short of the bottom so the onion remains whole. Slice carrots and celery on an angle into large pieces. Peel and crush garlic cloves. Chop fresh herbs. Prepare 2 tablespoons of salt and 1 tablespoon of pepper, season to taste.

Place all the ingredients, starting with the chicken, in a large pot (we used a 13 ¼ quart pot, a Dutch oven from Le Creuset). Pour in enough water to cover the entire chicken.

Bring to a boil; cook until chicken is tender, usually about one hour. Remove the chicken and set it aside to cool. Remove all large pieces of carrot, celery, onion and garlic. You can save these and use otherwise or discard.

 

FINISH THE BOG

Remove the skin and bones from the chicken. Chop or pull chicken into bite-size pieces.

Place chicken pieces, rice (we used Carolina Gold), sliced sausage and dried Italian-style seasoning in the pot full of chicken stock. Cook together and let come to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Cook for 20-30 minutes until the rice is tender. Stir often while cooking, just not too often. Remember if you’re looking you’re not cooking.

If you prefer less bog in your chicken bog, cook uncovered on medium-low heat until it reaches the desired consistency.

Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1 1/2 pound total)
½ cup Italian Progresso bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch ground black pepper
3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil Hojiblanca
1/2 cup chicken stock or dry white wine (such as a Sauvignon Blanc)
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup brined capers
2 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley

 

PREPARATION
Place chicken between 2 large sheets of plastic wrap. Using a meat pounder or side of a heavy pottery plate, lightly pound chicken to 1/4-inch thickness. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Drizzle Hojiblanca olive oil onto both sides; place the breasts into a gallon bag with Progresso bread crumbs & shake until well coated. Pull each out & shake off excess.
Heat 1 tablespoon Hojiblanca olive oil in an electric skillet. Cook two filets until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to platter.
Bring wine, lemon juice, capers and broth to boil in same skillet over medium-high heat to reduce. Pour sauce over Chicken. Creamy Rigatoni Pasta Sauce recipe coming soon….

TOMATO CREAM SAUCE:
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves pickled garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 can tomato sauce or marinara sauce
1oz. Espresso balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds Rigatoni
1 cup heavy cream
Grated Parmesan or Romano, as needed
Chopped fresh basil, for serving

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions and saute for a minute or so. Pour in the tomato sauce, add balsamic, salt and pepper to taste and stir. Cook over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.

Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the cream. Add cheese to taste, then check the seasoning. Stir in the pasta and thin with a little pasta water if needed. Add the chopped basil and serve immediately.

MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP
Ingredients
1 cup whole plain yogurt or if mayo (Dukes:)
¼ cup of our organic red wine vinegar or Neapolitan herb infused balsamic
1 tablespoon hot chili paste
½ teaspoon baklouti green chili olive oil
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon celery seeds
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
Whisk yogurt, vinegar/Balsamic, hot chili paste, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, celery seeds, pepper flakes and paprika in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper.