Be your own French gourmet chef.  It is easy & elegant (even I can bake them If I stand & watch them and don’t walk away.  Otherwise ultimately they will burn)

Pre-heat your oven 400-410 deg. line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Sprinkle loose amounts of grated parmesan cheese (keep them airy), spaced well apart and flatten them with the back of a spoon.   Bake only long enough to melt the cheese and slightly brown (5 min.).  Don’t over bake them.  After they cool a little, remove them from the parchment paper with a spatula & fold them over a rolling pin.  They are a great snack or a finishing touch to a nice soup.

Play with them.  Before baking, sprinkle them with poppy seed & cracked black pepper or try Rosemary and a slice of smoked salmon.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. of good quality pasta (Linguine, fettuccini, spaghetti, etc.)
• 1 bag Farm Raised Little Neck Clams (bag of 50, or at least 15 clams per person)
• 2 cloves of Garlic sliced
• 1 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley chopped
• 1 Tablespoon Fresh Basil chopped
• Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper
• Pinch of Black Pepper
• 1 cup of vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup Red Apple Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 cup of your favorite white or red wine
• Sprinkle of grated Romano Cheese
• 2-3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (we used Tuscan and Harissa)

Instructions:

1. Place a large stock pot on stove to cook pasta per directions on the box
2. Finely chop parsley and basil
3. Chop garlic
4. Rinse clams in cold water checking to make sure they are all closed, or that they will close when tapped. If they are open they are dead. Do not use them!
5. As soon as the pasta water is ready, add the pasta and set your timer per instructions. Rinse your pasta set to the side and work on your broth.
6. Place a large sauté pan on the stove, add in the wine, vegetable broth, balsamic, olive oil and garlic (after briefly sautéing the garlic), bring to a boil, and reduce heat. Add in the pasta and clams.
7. Cover with a lid allowing the clams to steam open.
8. Sprinkle fresh chopped parsley on top of the clams and serve with grated Romano cheese.

Grilled Portabella Mushroom Burger with sweet peppers. Drizzle our Wild Mushroom and Sage on the Bella & Peppers before grilling.  Mmmm Good. Top the lettuces & arugula off with the Espresso Balsamic Vinegar.  Just to die for.

Mango and Avocado Pepper Salad.  Splash on some mango balsamic or the lemon balsamic vinegar with our NEW Rosemary Fused Olive Oil. (hint:  the espresso works too well with the rosemary.  They compliment one another to the point it is so savory.  Almost like a roux or gravy.  Could get you into trouble).

Take care and enjoy!!

Meat Protein:  ½ pound of Beef Oxtails & 4 Smoked Turkey Wings

Other Protein:  Lentils, Barley, Navy & Pinto Beans (dried)

Vegetables:  Carrots, Celery, Onion, Cabbage & mushrooms

Grains/Bread:  Cous Cous & Long Grain Black Rice

Herbs:  Garlic, Basil, Oregano, Bay leaves & Thyme

Spices:  Cracked Black Pepper, Smoked Paprika & Cumin

2 tbl. Extra Virgin Olive Oil or our Tuscan Olive Oil (for sautéing)

The true historical recipe from France calls for a pint of dark stout!

Coat your Ox tails with our Tuscan Olive oil & 1 tsp. of flour and shake in a gallon bag until coated well.  Saute your ox tails with diced garlic, onions, carrots, celery & cabbage until they are opaque.  Approx. 15 min. Set your vegetable blend to the side.

Bring 2 cups of water and 2 cups of chicken or beef broth to a boil.  Add in your Ox tails & Turkey wings and the vegetables.  Boil for approx. 20 min. Then add in ¼ cup each of the lentils, barley, navy & pinto beans.  Reduce your heat to medium/low & simmer for 30 min.

Add in your spices, the cous cous and long grain rice. Cover your pot with a lid (I like a clear lid to see what is going on in there) & simmer for another 30-45 min on low.  The rice, cous cous and bone marrow will thicken this delicious soup.

Toast up some crusty bread for dipping in the juices.

ENJOY!!!  2 HRS.

History:  Much of the food of Rome is based on cucina povera.  Offal, the quinto quarto, is a huge part of this cuisine.  The quinto, “fifth” quarter of the animal, includes the “lesser” cuts and the innards.  Rich folks took the premier cuts of meat. The poor, making due with what was left, cooked the hell out of these pieces, establishing the cuisine of Rome, that still thrives today.

They caressed the flavors from these tough unwanted pieces into dishes as rich as Rome’s history, with layers of flavors running as deep as the ancient cities lying below Rome.  Coda alla Vaccinara (braised oxtail) is one of these dishes.  The tail is slowly cooked, tenderizing the meat, and releasing flavors from the tailbone that give the dish an intense meatiness.

Time for some comfort food like at G-ma’s house.

Ingredients:

• 3-4 Pound Pot Roast
• 3-4 Med. Size Idaho potatoes (cut into quarters)
• Baby carrots
• Half of a purple and white onion
• Sliced mushrooms
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• Hickory sea salt and cracked black pepper
• ½ cup beef stock
• 3 oz. espresso balsamic vinegar
• 3 oz. wild mushroom & sage olive oil

Directions:
Marinade your roast beef in the Espresso and Wild Mushroom & sage olive oil overnight in the fridge in a gallon bag.

Place all of the above ingredients in your slow cooker & simmer on Med. High. for 6 hrs.
Turn the roast over and Reduce to low for another 2 hrs. Makes a wonderful leftover with toasted ciabatta bread and aged sliced cheese melted with an au jus sauce.

  

Ingredients:

• 2 packages of Wild mushroom ravioli frozen (Costco or Sam’s Club)
• 1 can of low sodium cream of mushroom soup
• ¼ cup of low fat milk.
• ¼ cup of chicken broth
• ¼ cup of Chili Lime Sauce (organic from Kroger)
• 1 pound of ground beef
• Salt, pepper, and herb to taste
• 1 cup of fresh bruschetta (tomatoes, onions, garlic, cilantro, etc.)
• 2 cups of mixed yellow and white aged cheeses
• 2 oz. of our garlic or Tuscan olive oil

Directions:
Boil your frozen ravioli’s on a low rumble for about 10 min. Do not overcook them, just enough that they separate from each other and are a little flimsy. Drain & toss in our garlic or Tuscan olive oil just enough to coat them, salt & pepper to taste.
Cook our ground beef, rinse and drain.

Blend in a bowl your mushroom soup, water, chicken broth and organic chili lime sauce (Kroger: chili’s, spices, & fresh lime juice).

Coat a baking dish with that mixture so the raviolis do not stick to the bottom of your dish. Layer your raviolis and then pour the remaining mixture over the top.

Spread your bruschetta over the top and then sprinkle with your cheeses and herbs.

Bake in oven on 390-410 for about 30 min. until mixture is bubbly and cheese has crusted on top. Remove oven and let cool. Easy!!! About 40 min.

It is time to get back on track with eating healthier and smarter. Winter salad with Salmon fillets. That is what is for dinner:

Ingredients:

• Cabbage
• Collard Greens
• Chard
• Kale
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Dried Cranberries
• Walnuts & Almond Slivers
• Chopped tomato & onion

Directions:
Toss all above ingredients in a large mixing bowl, add in fresh herbs, such as, dill, thyme, rosemary, oregano & basil.

Put a swirl of our pomegranate balsamic vinegar on top of the salad (2-3 oz.) with sea salt and cracked pepper. Then the same amount of our Blood Orange, Tuscan or Herbs de Provence olive oil.

Shake well and put in the fridge for 20 min while you sauté some salmon fillets. Top the salad with your fillets and serve. 20 min. (Wikipedia: Winter greens have similar nutritional characteristics to other leaf vegetables and are therefore good sources of vitamins A and C. They are also a source of several dietary minerals including Iron, Potassium and Calcium.)

Dice up your fruits first & marinade in mango or pumpkin pie spiced balsamic with black pepper. Sauté onions, garlic and pumpkin. When crisp, throw in the fruit, reduce heat until thickens, but don’t over cook. Say 7 min. Plate chicken & salsa between. Finish off with smoky chipotle olive oil drizzle. 30 min. Enjoy!

• 4 Large Chicken Breasts sliced into strips (approx. 4 strips ¼ thickness per breast);
• 3 pieces of bacon or turkey bacon pre-cooked, but still flimsy to wrap around chicken;
• talian herbs: garlic, onions, basil, thyme & oregano sautéed with our garlic and smoky chipotle olive oil ( I used 50/50 about 4 tablespoons)& the chicken pieces. Chicken should not be completely done.
• Two cans of croissant dough, opened and laid out on baking pan, slightly stretched out;
• ¼ stick of cream cheese, ¼ of goat cheese & Blue cheese crumbles;
• Blend cheeses, add in dill weed, smoked paprika, and herb & garlic mixture you sautéed with the chicken.
• When out of the oven and still hot, drizzle our vegan dairy free butter olive oil over each wrap and sprinkle with garlic powder or other fine grained herbs.
• You can add in chopped spinach, ham chunks or salsa to make your own chicken Gordon bleu!!
• Place in oven until golden brown (15-22 min). Easy!! 30 min (pre-heat oven at 375 for 15 min before hand).

Savory, Sweet and a touch of Spiciness

Breaking this recipe into steps…it is not complicated. The peach jalapeno jam can be made in advance. The olive oil crust may be made in advance and blind baked. This is a great savory, sweet and spicy dish celebrating the last days of summer…

Ingredients:

• Taproom Eureka Lemon Olive Oil
• 4 large ripe tomatoes
• 1 cup of peach jalapeno jam
• 1 cup of part skim ricotta cheese
• 1 egg yolkfresh thyme
• 1 T of local honeyzest and juice of one lemon
• Taproom Mango Balsamic vinegar
• 1 olive oil blind baked tart shell
• Salt, pepper, granulated sugar

Peach Jalapeno Jam: (This can be made 1-2 weeks in advance.)

• 5 large ripe peaches, peeled and diced
• 2 jalapenos seeded and diced
• 2 cups of sugar
• pinch of sea salt
• 2 1/2 T of Mango Balsamic vinegar

Directions:
Place diced peaches, sugar and pinch of sea salt in heavy bottom pan (prefer stainless steel), let peaches macerated for an hour, releasing juices.

Add diced jalapenos and Mango Vinegar… bring contents to boil, stir and simmer uncovered till thick and syrupy…stir occasionally, this may take 35-50 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow to cool. Store in a good closing container in fridge up to 2 weeks. (delicious on toast too) Yields about 2 cups.

Olive Oil tart crust:

• 1/2 cup Eureka Lemon Olive Oil ( or your favorite Taproom Olive oil)
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1 t sea salt
• 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour.

Combine oil and milk together, in a large bowl add flour and salt, stir to combine, add the oil and milk together… stir with a wooden spoon until the mix comes together… you may need to get in there with your hands. Turn the dough out on to a floured surface, cut into 2 and form into discs, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour. This can be done 1-2 days ahead. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

On a floured surface, roll out one disc to fit your tart pan. Doc the bottom of the prepared dough. Place a sheet of parchment into the bottom of the dough lined tart pan and weight down with pie weights, dried beans or rice. Blind bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Prepare Tomatoes:
Slice the top off of each tomato, holding over the sink or a bowl…give the tomatoes a good squeeze to remove seeds and some of the juices, slice into 3/8 inch and let tomato slices drain on to a double layer of paper towels…salt and sugar slices to help remove excess juices. Let them rest about 15 minutes. In a rimmed baking sheet spread a tablespoon of olive oil and lay tomato slices in pan…not touching. Bake at 375 for roughly 20 minutes ( this can be baked right after you remove the tart crust).

Preparing the Ricotta:
In a small bowl place the ricotta, egg yolk, honey, 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves, the zest from the lemon and the juice from the lemon, stir to combine.

Let’s put it all together…
Preheat oven to 375Place the ricotta mixture into the bottom of the blind baked tart crust, try to spread evenly, top with one cup of the peach jalapeno jam, top with baked sliced tomatoes arranged in a circle, overlapping. Drizzle with a tiny bit of Eureka Lemon Olive oil and bake 35-45 minutes til the crust is browned nicely and the tomatoes have a hint of color. Allow to cool for a bit, serve just warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!