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!

I know most of us have prepared Asparagus wrapped with bacon, but wow!! we drizzled our Blood Orange Olive Oil over 4 stalks each, wrapped the bacon, added dried herbs, fennel, basil, garlic, onion and baked for 20 min on 375, but then spri…nkled over them with our Serrano Chili Pepper Infused Balsamic Vinegar and then also tried a sweet white peach. OMG!! a meal all by itself. I ate probably 5 of them and loved every bite. The rest of my guys had chicken wings and a baked potato. Hope you guys have a great weekend. It is going to be BEAUTIFUL!!!!!

Ingredients:

• 2 Pints of back fin blue and claw crab meat
• ¼ stick of cream cheese
• ¾ cup of shredded cheese of choice: we used Asiago & Smoked Gouda
• 2 tablespoons of our smoky chipotle olive oil
• ¼ tsp. or 6-7 drops of the Baklouti olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Serrano Chili Pepper infused honey vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of our Mediterranean herb blend
• Dash of cracked pepper & seat salt
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 cup of panko chipotle bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup purple onion, minced garlic and one celery stalk chopped very fine

Directions:
Sauté onions, garlic and celery until done & add in all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Blend all ingredients together using your hands to fold in the cream cheese. Make approximately 6 round tennis ball size crab cakes, place on wax paper and set aside.
Toast halves of whole wheat English muffins. While still warm, drizzle with our Tuscan olive oil. Grab a crab cake ball and place on top of the muffin and smoosh it down a little. Place in a preheated oven at 365 for 25 min. and bake until golden brown.

ENJOY!! Delicious. Great dinner or appetizer.

Ingredients:

• 9-12 Lasagna noodles (3 each plate)
• 2 packages frozen chopped spinach (or 2 full cups Packed tight baby spinach leaves)
• ½ cup chopped onion
• ½ cup chopped mushrooms
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons Serrano Chili Pepper Infused Vinegar
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• ½ cup ricotta cheese
• Dash of dried basil, oregano, black pepper and sea salt
• 2-4 chopped diced Hanover tomatoes or Chunky tomatoes in the can (add in your own herbs to your sauce like you normally would (basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, garlic, onion, pepper, etc.).
• To cut the acid our moms used to add a ¼ teaspoon of sugar, but now just use one of our aged dark balsamic vinegars);
• Fresh basil sprigs.

Directions:

1. Cook noodles to direction, drain and set aside. You can under cook a little because they will be baked later.
2. Simmer your tomato sauce while working on next steps.
3. Sauté all of your ingredients above.
4. Drain spinach or add fresh spinach to your blender with the sautéed onions, mushrooms & garlic, and cheeses for a creamy consistency, but only pulse. Do not liquefy.
5. Transfer to a bowl and add in one egg to hold together. Spread mixture on each lasagna noodle and roll up.
6. Cut in half and place on a baking sheet curly side of noodle up. To hold roll together, just add a little oil to each side and press together.
7. Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 min on 350.
8. Spoon in your hot tomato sauce in each spaghetti bowl, place three rollups in center and add drops of our Pomegranate Aged Balsamic Vinegar in a small drop circular motion.
9. Do the same with a peppery Ultra Premium Olive Oil or you can use any of our herb infused olive oils. Wonderful Flavors!!!!!!

Compliments of Keith and Robin Southall

Maple balsamic glazed tuna with strawberry balsamic and butter olive oil dressing on salsa as well as marinated tomatoes and mozzarella. We also did the glaze on salmon.

Rubbed it with olive oil and glaze, pan seated it and brushed extra glaze on the last

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch fresh asparagus
• 1 carrot, sliced into matchstick-like pieces
• 4 spring onions cut into 2-inch lengths
• handful of fresh shiitake (or other type) mushrooms.
• 1-2 cups fresh bean sprouts
• 1 red bell pepper
• Peeled Shrimp
• Persian lime or Orange infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil

STIR-FRY SAUCE:

• 3 Tbsp. Teriyaki sauce
• 1 Tbsp. each of Honey and Blackberry Ginger Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 tsp. fresh minced red chili (OR dried chili flakes, OR chili paste), smoked paprika, garlic & basil.

Preparation:

1. Rinse asparagus, then snap off the ends (these will snap off easily in just the right place, leaving only the tender stalks behind).
2. Prepare all other vegetables and place them in separate piles near the stove.
3. Make the sauce by stirring all sauce ingredients together in a cup. Stir well. Set the cup beside the stove.
4. Heat 2-3 Tbsp. oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add the asparagus and stir-fry 1 minute.
5. Add some balsamic, plus the carrots, mushrooms & shrimp. Stir-fry another 1-2 minutes, or until mushrooms are cooked & shrimp is pink.
6. Add the spring onions and bell pepper. Stir-fry 1 more minute.
7. Finally, add the bean sprouts plus the sauce. Stir-fry to combine (30 seconds to 1 minute).Add more oil or balsamic.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup aged strawberry balsamic vinegar
• 3-4 large strawberries, stems removed and sliced (or quartered)
• 2 Tbsp ultra premium extra virgin olive oil or your favorite flavor infused olive oil
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots and 2-3 garlic cloves
• 3 cups (lightly packed) arugula or spinach leaves (large stems removed)
• 4 extra jumbo scallops
• 6-8 uncooked jumbo (or larger) shrimp, peeled & deveined
• Coarse sea salt & cracked pepper

Preparation:
In a bowl, stir together the vinegar and strawberries, cover, and chill for at least one hour. Remove from the fridge when you’re ready to start cooking.

Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the shallots & garlic until softened, then add the greens and turn until well mixed. Cook just a minute or two until all the leaves have wilted but are still fully green. Remove greens to a strainer and keep warm (place in a dish in the oven on low warm temp.)

Let the shrimp sear for about 1 minute per side until just opaque. Remove and keep warm. Don’t move the scallops until you can see a brown edge forming around the bottom (about 2 to 2 1/2 minutes.) Carefully lift one scallop — if the surface has a nice caramelized color, turn them over.

Cook for just another minute until the scallops are springy but not quite firm. Remove and keep warm.To serve, place the greens on a plate, top with the scallops, shrimp, and strawberries, then drizzle the balsamic reduction over the scallops and shrimp.

Makes 2-3 servings. ENJOY!!

Fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables are abundant now. Try a nice blackberry salad with a rich blue cheese, grape tomatoes, red onion, chicken and pecans: delicious!!!

Drizzle our aged balsamic vinegar Blackberry Ginger and the Persian Lime Olive Oil.

Cancer Prevention Anthocyanins, which give blackberries their dark color, are an antioxidant shown to reduce inflammation. As an antioxidant, they destroy free radicals in the body that harm cells and lead to cancer. Research has also shown that the ellagic acid in blackberries may have anti-cancer properties. One cup of blackberries contains half of the daily recommendation of the antioxidant vitamin C, which protects the immune system and may lower the risk of developing certain types of cancer.

Researchers have found that blackberries may reduce esophageal cancer by relieving the oxidative stress caused by Barrett’s esophagus, a precancerous condition usually brought about by gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Perhaps the greatest benefit from eating blackberries is their high level of phenolic acids which, besides having many other potential health benefits, are antioxidant compounds known as powerful anti-carcinogenic agents. Because of these compounds, blackberries have been given an ORAC value (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) of about 5350 per 100 grams, placing them near the top of ORAC fruits.

Ingredients:

• 6-8 large red tomatoes halved (will make enough for a small dinner party)
• 3 tablespoons Ultra Premium Extra Virgin olive oil (high Poly=Green, spicy & Grassy) Or your favorite flavor infused
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup pesto, store-bought or homemade
• 1/2 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese or Mascarpone

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Core the tomatoes and then slice them across (not through the stem) in 1/2 inch-thick slices. Arrange the slices in a single layer on a sheet pan. Drizzle the tomatoes with the ultra premium olive oil and sprinkle with the oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper. Bake the tomatoes for 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven, spread each slice with pesto, and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Return the tomatoes to the oven, lower heat to 350 and continue baking for 7 to 10 minutes, until the Parmesan or Mascarpone is melted and begins to brown. Using a flat metal spatula put the tomatoes on a serving platter, sprinkle with extra salt, and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature. I just could not wait for the REAL garden tomatoes to be here. You can use green tomatoes too. Try coring some of the tomato halves out and adding into the mixture mascarpone with fresh dill, garlic, chopped mushrooms and chopped scallions. Fill back into the halves and melt away. ENJOY!!!! 25 MIN.

Compliments of Mistie McPadalis

Ingredients:

• Black-eyed peas – 15-oz can, no salt added, rinsed and drained
• 1 chopped tomato
• 1 small can of green chiles
• Orange & Red bell pepper – 1/4-in dice
• 2 green onions – 1/2 cup
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• Ground cumin – 1 teaspoon
• Ground black pepper, salt – to taste
• Equal parts Persian Lime olive oil and Rice Wine Vinegar

Instructions:
Combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Pour the olive oil & vinegar over the salad and toss gently. Refrigerate for several hours to allow the flavors to blend. Serve with fresh avocado for tacos, OR as a side salad.