Roasted Balsamic Vegetables with Pancetta

This post will show you how truly simple it is to roast rich, caramelized veggies for a side to your fish or as a meal in itself. And if you already know how to roast, stick around, you may learn something…

A few quick tips: 1. Dry your vegetables thoroughly with a clean cotton cloth. 2. Cut them about the same size. 3. Pre-heat your baking sheet.

Drying your vegetables will help crisp them on the outside while staying soft on the inside. After washing roll them up in a clean towel and pat dry. Next, cut your vegetables about the same size. The smaller you cut them, the faster they’ll roast. I cut the veggies for this dish a little bigger than an inch.

While you’re chopping, pre-heat your baking sheet in a 425F oven. Pre-heating not only speeds up the roasting process, it helps your veggies cook evenly.

You can season your vegetables with a variety of herbs, like rosemary, thyme or oregano, but I usually stick with olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Throw your chopped veggies in a large bowl, coat with olive oil and seasonings, and toss to make sure every last morsel is covered.

When you put your veggies on the hot sheet, keep them in a single layer and do not crowd, no matter how tempting it may be. I know you have way too many vegetables to fit on one sheet. I know you’re hungry and want to roast every drop in that big bowl. That’s why you pre-heat two baking sheets instead one. Too many veggies means they’ll steam instead of roast, and you’ll get a tray full of floppy carrots.

Roasting times vary depending on the size of your vegetables, so keep your oven light on and take a peek once in a while. Smaller pieces can roast in 15 minutes.

That’s it. Now that you know the basics, try roasting with pancetta and serving with a side of this thick and lively balsamic sauce.

Recipe

(Thoroughly dry your vegetables before chopping)
3 carrots, chopped into 2 inch pieces
3 cippolini onions, peeled and chopped into 2 inch pieces
2 red fingerling potatoes, unpeeled and chopped into 2 inch pieces
1 fennel bulb (add a couple of beets too if you like them), stalks removed and chopped into 2 inch pieces
2 baby zucchini, chopped into 2 inch pieces
5 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 pound slab pancetta, cut into 1 inch pieces (be sure to get a slab, not sliced)
1/2 cup LunaOlivo Modena balsamic vinegar
LunaOlivo Mission olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven and two baking sheets to 425F.

Add all of your chopped vegetables to a bowl, and pour in about 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil. Add a generous pinch of salt and black pepper. Toss to evenly coat.

When your sheets are hot, slide an even amount of vegetables onto each sheet, in a single layer. Make sure vegetables aren’t touching one another.

Roast for 10 minutes. Add pancetta to both sheets and continuing roasting for another 15 minutes. Shake one time while roasting to prevent vegetables from sticking.

While vegetables are cooking, heat up balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan on medium-low heat. Cook for 20 minutes, until it reduced by half. The vinegar should thickly coat the pan when sauce is ready.

When vegetables are done, transfer to a dish and drizzle on a tad more olive oil and sea salt. Serve balsamic sauce on the side.

FETA CHEESE TURKEY BURGERS

INGREDIENTS


1 pound of 95% Fat Free Ground Turkey
1 cup crumbled Feta Cheese
2 teaspoons dried Oregano
3 tbsp of LunaOlivo Tuscan Oil
1/2 cup of Egg Whites
1 tbsp of Garlic

DIRECTIONS


Put your ground turkey in a large bowl.Add in the Feta Cheese, Egg Whites, Oregano, Olive Oil & GarlicMix together and form into patties.Place the patties on the grill and cook for 5-6 minutes on medium heat.Flip the patties and cook for another 5-6 minutes.Wrap into large spinach leaves.

NUTRITIONAL INFOCalories: 270Protein: 30gCarbs: 12gFats: 12g

Balsamic Strawberry Pizza with Chicken, Sweet Onion and Applewood Smoked Bacon

Ingredients:

½ cup strawberry jam or preserves

¼ cup Luna Olivo Portofino balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon Chili Sauce

1 ball pizza dough, your favorite or a purchased ball of dough*

1 cup diced or shredded chicken breast

½ cup applewood smoked bacon, cut in 1 inch pieces, cooked and drained

½ cup thin sliced sweet onion

12 ounces shredded Italian blend cheese, I used Sargento, but whatever you like best is fine

¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

¼ cup fresh strawberries, diced small

Directions:

1. Place pizza stone or sheet pan on middle rack of oven. Preheat oven to 450?F.

2. Place balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan. Warm up and add strawberry preserves and Chili Sauce and mix well. Set aside to cool.

3. Pat or roll out pizza dough on a lightly floured surface to approximately a 14 inch circle. Shape does not have to be perfect as this is a rustic pizza. Place a piece of parchment paper, slightly larger than your dough on a pizza peel or an upside down sheet pan. (The parchment paper will make your transfer of the pizza to the oven infinitely easier!) Sprinkle parchment paper lightly with cornmeal. Fold dough in quarters and place on parchment paper, then unfold.

4. Combine chicken with 2 tablespoons of the balsamic-strawberry mixture and mix to coat all chicken with sauce. Pour rest of sauce onto pizza dough and spread to cover. Leave a 1 inch border all around the edge. Scatter chicken evenly over the sauce.

5. Place about 3/4 of the cheese on top of dough and spread to cover sauce evenly. Scatter  bacon and sweet onion over cheese to distribute evenly. Scatter remaining cheese over this layer.

6. Slide parchment paper with pizza on top onto stone or cookie sheet. Bake for approximately 8-10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and crust is golden brown. Watch carefully, at this temperature it is easy to burn the pizza!

7. Remove from oven and let cool slightly, 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and fresh diced strawberries. Serve and enjoy!

*You can purchase pizza dough from Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and many other grocery stores. Often pizzerias will sell a ball of their own dough for a very reasonable price.

Prosciutto Pears

serves 4 as a starter

4 small ripe pears, halved and cored

8 slices proscuitto

4 handfuls rocket

1/2 cup Luna Olivo Modena balsamic vinegar

1/4 brown sugar

Wrap each pear half with a slice of proscuitto and arrange two halves per person on serving plates with the rocket.

Drizzle balsamic over the pears. Serve immediately.

Mixed Greens with Oranges and Balsamic Steak

Ingredients

• 1 large filet mignon or 1 small flank steak
• 2 tablespoons LunaOlivo Citrico Balsamic
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• mixed salad greens
• 5 radishes
• 2 blood oranges
• 2 navel oranges
• 1/4 cup gorgonzola
• 3 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons LunaOlivo Blood Orange Olive Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Slice your choice of steak into strips. Combine the vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper. Toss steak strips with the vinegar mixture. Let sit for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the peel off of the oranges all around the edges and slice the oranges into rounds. Thinly slice the radishes. Set aside. For the dressing: Combine the orange juice, oil, mustard, salt, and pepper. Whisk to combine. Set aside.

In a saute pan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the beef. Sear on either side, about 1-3 minutes per side. Remove from heat. Fill a dinner sized plate with several handfuls of mixed greens. Top with sliced radishes, oranges, steak, and a sprinkling of cheese. Drizzle with dressing. Serves 2 as a main dish.

Peach, Smoked Ham & Buffalo Mozzarella Salad with Rocket & Balsamic

Peach, Jamón ibérico (or Parma Ham) & Buffalo Mozzarella salad
serves 4 as a side dish


50gm rocket or Arugula, rinsed and dried
2 peaches, sliced into 8
6-8 slices of Jamón ibérico or Parma Ham
250g buffalo mozzarella, torn
1/2 lemon, juice only
LunaOlivo Citrico Balsamic and Arbequina olive oil to drizzle
salt and pepper to season


Slice peaches and toss with lemon, olive oil and salt and pepper. Rinse and dry rocket and scatter on plates. Arrange Jamón ibérico, peaches, mozzarella on plate and drizzle balsamic. Serve.


prep time: 10 mins.
total: 10 mins.

Easy!

LunaOlivo Holiday Ham

Bone in Ham, not pre-sliced

Ingredients

6- to 8-pound fully cooked smoked bone-in ham

1

cup packed brown sugar

2

tablespoons LunaOlivo Portofino balsamic 

1/2

teaspoon ground mustard

Orange slices, if desired

Maraschino cherries, if desired

• 1Heat oven to 325ºF. Place ham, fat side up, on rack in shallow roasting pan. Insert meat thermometer so tip is in thickest part of ham and does not touch bone or rest in fat. Cover loosely and bake 1 hour 15 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes or until thermometer reads 135°F (13 to 17 minutes per pound).
• 2About 20 minutes before ham is done, remove from oven. Pour drippings from pan. Remove any skin from ham. Mix brown sugar, balsamic and mustard; pat or brush on ham. Bake uncovered 20 minutes longer.
• 3Cover ham loosely and let stand about 10 minutes or until thermometer reads 140°F. Garnish with orange slices and cherries.
• Serves 12
• Cooking Time: 2 hrs 40 min

Cajun Injected Thanksgiving Turkey

(Adapted from Emile Lagasse)

10-12 Servings

Prep time: 15 min.

Cook Time: 2:45

Ingredients

·         2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
·         1 tablespoon concentrated liquid crab and shrimp boil (recommended: Zatarian's)
·         1/4 cup apple cider
·         3/4 cup honey
·         1 (12-ounce) bottle beer
·         1 tablespoon salt
·         1 tablespoon ground allspice
·         1/2 cup Creole seasoning
·         1/4 teaspoon cayenne
·         1/2 cup LunaOlivo Tuscan Dipping oil
·         1/4 cup finely minced garlic
·         1 (10 to 12-pound) turkey, rinsed well inside and out, patted dry
·         4 teaspoons kosher salt
·         2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
·         1 to 2 cups chicken broth, as needed for bottom of roasting pan

Directions

Make the marinade by combining the Worcestershire sauce, crab boil, apple cider, honey, beer, salt, allspice, Creole seasoning, cayenne, olive oil, and minced garlic in a blender and process until very smooth, about 5 minutes. Fill a large syringe* and inject turkey in the breast and thigh area, as well as the back, wings, and legs, with at least 2/3 of the marinade. You will have to fill the syringe numerous times.

Preheat the oven to 420 degrees F and line a large roasting pan with aluminum foil.

Season the injected turkey well both inside and out with the kosher salt and black pepper. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan lined with aluminum foil and pour the remaining marinade all over the turkey. Bake the turkey uncovered for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, add 1 cup of the chicken broth to the roasting pan, and continue to bake the turkey until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the deepest part between the thigh and the leg registers 165 degrees F. (If the turkey begins to brown too much, tent loosely with aluminum foil until it is done. Also, add more broth as necessary to keep the bottom of the roasting pan from burning.)

When the turkey is done, remove it from the oven and set aside to rest at least 20 minutes before carving.

* Large syringes designed especially for injecting turkeys may be purchased at many grocery stores in the spice / marinade / seasoning sections; many folks inject turkeys before frying them.

Roasted Vegetable Meatloaf with a Balsamic Glaze.

Unbelievably good.  A warning though, this recipe is only for those with time on their hands.  This meatloaf takes about 3 hours to prepare, but it is so worth it!

Ingredients:
1 T. butter
2 T. LunaOlivo Tuscan dipping Oil
5-6 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
2 carrots (finely diced or grated)
2 stalks of celery (finely diced)
1/2 medium white onion (finely diced)
1 zucchini (finely diced or grated)
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
2/3 c. parsley (finely chopped)
1 lb. lean hamburger
1 lb. hot jimmy dean sausage
1 c. panko bread crumbs
1/2 c. parmesan cheese (grated)
1/2 c. ketchup
2 T. LunaOlivo Modena Balsamic
1 T. worchestshire sauce
2 t. hot sauce (chalula)
2 T. BBQ sauce

2 T. steak sauce (A1)

Glaze:
1/2 c. ketchup
1/2 c. LunaOlivo Modena Balsamic
1 T. worchestshire sauce
1 T. BBQ sauce
1 T. steak sauce (A1)
1 t. hot sauce (chalula)

* side note, if you don’t have all of these sauces, don’t worry. just remember that the ketchup and balsamic vinegar are the only 2 that you shouldn’t change.

directions:

preheat oven to 400 degrees.

heat the oil and butter in a large saute pan. add the garlic, carrots, celery, onion, and zucchini. saute vegetables until almost soft, about 5 minutes. salt and pepper vegetables, to taste. set aside to cool.

whisk together the eggs and parsley in a large bowl. add the meat, bread crumbs, cheese, sauces, and cooled vegetables. mix until just combined – it’s usually best to do it by hand. [side note: like i said, if you don't have all of the sauces, don't worry. the ketchup and balsamic vinegar are the most important. as for the rest of them, just throw in what you have. those were the sauces that we decided to use, to give it a little extra kick, so feel free to leave some of them out or add some of your own].

mold the meatloaf on a baking sheet. whisk together the ingredients for the glaze, and spread it across the entire meatloaf. cook for 1 to 1 1/4 hours. [use a meat thermometer if you have one].

ps. this recipe makes for delicious leftovers. so to those of you that have ever complained about leftovers or meatloaf as children, your mother just didn’t have the right recipe. no offense to your mother, i’m sure she’s a lovely person.

happy meatloafing!

Chicken with Mushroom & Balsamic Cream Sauce

recipe adapted from Rachel Ray

Pasta:

Salt

1/2 pound orzo pasta

Chicken:

2 tablespoons LunaOlivo Garlic Mushroom Oil, 2 turns of the pan

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 6 ounces

1/4 teaspoon

salt & pepper to taste

Mushrooms:

2 tablespoons butter

10 oz cremini or baby portobello mushrooms, sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)

10 oz white mushrooms, sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)

2 large cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon thyme leaves, a couple of sprigs, chopped

1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 tablespoon LunOlivo Modena Balsamic

3 tablespoons heavy cream or half-and-half

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley for garnish

1/4 cup crumbled cooked bacon for garnish (optional)

Prepare the pasta by heating a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and add orzo pasta. Cook to al dente.

Prepare the mushrooms by preheating a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add extra-virgin olive oil. Season chicken liberally with salt, pepper garlic powder. Add to the hot skillet. Cook the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the pan and cover with foil to keep warm.

Return the skillet to the heat, turn heat back a bit, and add the butter. Once the butter melts add the mushrooms and brown stirring occasionally for about 4 to 5 minutes. Once the mushrooms are brown season with salt and pepper then add the garlic, thyme and shallots. Cook stirring occasionally for about 2 minutes or until the shallots are wilted. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and cook 2 minutes more. Whisk in the stock, balsamic vinegar and the cream. Turn the heat up to high and simmer for about 2-5 minutes or until thickened.

To serve, pile orzo on dinner plates and top with top with a chicken breast and sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley and crumbled bacon (if using.)

Balsamic Pork Belly with Caramelized Figs

Recipe adapted from Donna Hay Magazine

1kg pork belly, skin removed

1 cup (175g) brown sugar

1 cup (250ml) water

½ cup (125ml) LunaOlivo Portofino balsamic vinegar

2 cloves garlic, crushed

8 black figs, halved

¼ cup (45g) brown sugar, extra

balsamic vinegar, extra, to serve

Preheat oven to 160°C (320°F). Cut the pork into even-sized pieces, thread onto metal skewers and place in a baking dish.

Combine sugar, water, vinegar and garlic in a bowl and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Pour over the pork and cover with aluminium foil. Roast for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, increase the heat to 200°C (390°F) and roast, turning occasionally, for a further 1 hour or until caramelised.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan over high heat. Press the figs, cut-side down, into the extra sugar and cook for 1 minute or until caramelised. Serve with the pork and drizzle with extra vinegar to serve. Serves 4.

Flatbread Pizza with Prosciutto and Gouda Cheese

We made our own pizza dough, but it is much easier to use store-bought pizza dough! It also takes more time to make your own because you have to let it rest for about an hour.

Slice 2 red onions thinly and saute in a pan until they get soft and caramelized. Set aside.

Once the dough is ready, roll it out to about 1/4 inch thick. Dock dough with a fork and bake at 500 degrees for about 7 minutes. Docking (which is when you poke the dough with your fork) keeps the dough from puffing up. You want this to be a flatbread pizza.

Meanwhile, grate your gouda cheese. We used this Smoked Gouda Cheese, but any will do.

And now the fun part - putting on all the toppings! Add the grated gouda cheese, caramelized onions, and prosciutto. Pop this into the oven for another 5 minutes directly on the oven rack so the bottom gets crisp.

Once the cheese has melted and the edges of the pizza brown up, take it out of the oven and sprinkle with fresh arugula (or spring lettuce mix) and LunaOlivo Modena Balsamic. Take a knife and cut it up into squares and enjoy! You will love the crunch of the pizza, the sweetness of the onions, the saltiness of the prosciutto, and creaminess of the cheese.