CategoriesBread
by 0

Blood Orange Pumpkin Bread

This pumpkin bread is a two for one special; you get the benefit of incorporating a good for you fat and you get a lovely taste of orange essence in this loaf. By using the whole fruit fused blood orange extra virgin olive oil, the orange flavor is just right and not too overbearing.

What you’ll need:

1 cup unbleached flour

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or only unbleached flour may be used)

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup So Olive Blood Orange Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/4 cup honey

2 eggs

Here’s how:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan with olive oil and set aside.

Mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a bowl. In another bowl, beat together blood orange olive oil, brown sugar, honey, and eggs really well. You may use a cake or electric mixer. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the bowl. Gently combine the ingredients together being careful not to overmix. Be sure to capture all the flour when mixing. Pour batter into greased loaf pan, spreading evenly. Bake in oven for 45 – 50 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and transfer to wire rack to let it cool for 10 minutes. Then remove loaf from pan and allow it to completely cool. Slice and eat!

CategoriesSides
by 0

Wild Mushroom Sage Stuffing

If I had to choose a Thanksgiving dinner side dish that I cannot do without, it would have to be the stuffing. Thanksgiving just would not be the same without it. Our Wild Mushroom Sage extra virgin olive oil is the star of this stuffing. No sage is needed because the sage flavor from the olive oil really shines through.

What you’ll need:

1 loaf of herb bread, a day old

1 pound mushrooms (Shitake, Cremini, Button)

3 celery stalks

1 small onion

1/3 cup So Olive Wild Mushroom Sage Olive Oil

1/2 cup pecan pieces

3 cups vegetable stock + more to add

Sea salt

Parsley for garnish

Here’s how:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cut loaf of bread into small medium cubes and spread evenly on a baking sheet. Toast in oven for about 10 minutes.

Finely chop celery stalk and onions. Then roughly chop the mushrooms. Heat olive olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven. Add mushrooms and allow to cook until tender. Add onions and celery and cook until softened. Add pecans and vegetable stock. Bring the stock to a boil. Add toasted bread cubes and fold gently until stock is evenly distributed throughout. Add more stock if needed. Season with sea salt. Transfer stuffing to a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish, greased preferably with the wild mushroom sage olive oil. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the foil and bake until the top is golden brown for about 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and allow it to cool for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle on parsley as a garnish.

CategoriesSides Vegetables
by 0

Lemony Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I have Ina Garten to thank for roasted brussel sprouts. Growing up, I could not stand them because they were cooked into mush and very bitter. Sorry, Mom. So years back, while watching Barefoot Contessa, Ina pulled out the brussel sprouts. Oh no, not the brussel sprouts, I thought, but because it was Ina I continued to watch. How she prepared them was so different, it was an epiphany. Wow, I can roast them! Why did I not think of that? So I gave it a try, and it has been a staple side dish ever since. Overtime, I’ve seasoned them in different ways and these brussel sprouts are given a delicious lemon flavor.

What you’ll need:

3 pounds fresh brussels sprouts

2 tablespoons So Olive Lemon Olive Oil + 1 tbsp for drizzling when serving

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 teaspoon fresh gound pepper

Here’s how:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Cut off brown ends of brussels sprouts and cut them in half. Lay the brussel sprouts on the baking sheet. Drizzle the first two tablepoons of the lemon olive oil over them and sprinkle on the lemon sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Mix them together and then spread evenly on sheet. Roast in oven for 30 – 35 minutes. Pour in serving bowl and drizzle on the remaing olive oil. Best served while still hot. Feel free to drizzle them with a nice dark balsamic vinegar.

CategoriesSides
by 0

Roasted Squash with Balsamic Reduction

One thing I love about winter squash is how versatile it is; from soups to desserts, the possibilities are endless. Sometimes just keeping it simple is the way to go and this recipe is all about that. Just cut up the squash into even sized wedges. No need to peel. Then place it on the pan with a drizzle of olive oil and pop it in the oven to roast.  Balsamic reduction and toasted pecans give it a more fancy touch, which is especially great for the holiday season.

What you’ll need:

Winter Squash (I used Carnival Acorn, Delicata, and Kabocha)

3 tablespoons Varietal Olive Oil such as Picual or Coratina (high intensity)

2 teaspoons sea salt

Fresh ground pepper

1/4 cup pecan pieces

Balsamic Reduction

1 cup So Olive Traditional Balsamic Vinegar

Here’s how:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut squash in wedge like pieces. Lay on sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place pan in oven and roast for 30 – 40 minutes until squash is tender.

Balsamic Reduction

Pour balsamic in a small saucepan over medium heat. Allow balsamic to come to a gentle boil until it is reduced by half. This should take about 10 minutes. Remove from heat so it can cool, making sure that it does not become to thick to drizzle.

Lightly toast pecans in a toaster oven or in a pan.

When squash is done roasting, drizzle the balsamic reduction over the squash, and sprinkle with the toasted pecans.

CategoriesSauces
by 0

Tangerine Balsamic Cranberry Sauce

Homemade cranberry sauce beats out canned cranberry sauce every time. Once I started to make my own, I’ve never went back. Most cranberry sauce recipes require one cup of sugar, but we cut the sugar in half because of the natural sweetness of the tangerine balsamic and tangerine juice. This recipe is quick and simple.

What you’ll need: 

12 oz. fresh cranberries

3/4 cup tangerine or clementine juice

1/4 cup So Olive Tangerine Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 cup cane sugar

1 tablespoon tangerine zest

Here’s How:

Add the tangerine balsamic, tangerine juice, and sugar to a medium sauce pan. Bring it to a boil and stir until sugar disolves. Add the cranberries. Stir and reduce heat, allowing the cranberries to simmer for about 10 minutes or until the cranberries have burst. You will hear the cranberries pop. Once the cranberries are done, stir in the tangerine zest. Remove the sauce pan from the heat and allow the sauce to cool. Then transfer in a container to be chilled in the refrigerator. The cranberry sauce will thicken in the refrigerator.