Ok friends, you got to have my Basting Oil in your fridge. I have been cooking almost everything that calls for oil with it. Plain olive oil taste good; however, if you infuse the oil with dried herbs and garlic, then you elevate it to another level. That’s what I am talking about, FLAVOR! I purchased several brands in the past but at the end of the day, I decided to develop my own by using the flavors that I like in my meals. The only herb that I did not use today was Rosemary, since that was the herb that I was using prior to making this blottle. You can use it though, if you want to make this recipe. So Good! Prep Time: 10 minutes Approximate Cost: $3.54 Serve: Multiple Servings Ingredients 8 oz. Olive Oil (@ Walmart: Pompeian Organic EVOO16 oz. = $4.98) (8 oz. = $2.49) 1/2 tsp. Parsley Flakes (.15) ¼ tsp. Cilantro Flakes (.15) ¼ tsp. dried Oregano (.15) ¼ tsp. dried Thyme (.15) ¼ tsp. dried Basil Leaves (.15) ¼ tsp. of Garlic Powder (.15) ¼ tsp. Rosemary (optional) (.15) Directions Clean 8 to 10 oz. glass bottle Add all the herb ingredients and shake well. Fill the bottle with olive oil (or your preferred oil; canola, vegetable, sunflower, peanut oil…) Shake well and leave it at room temperature for few hours. Then Refrigerate. Shake well before using. HACK: Drizzle my basting oil on meats, pork, chicken, fish, shrimp, scallops, lamb, and anything that you want to grill such as veggies. You can also use it on fried eggs, and to sauté mushrooms. I use it a lot when I oven roast mixed veggies together such as beets, carrots, sweet potatoes and Brussel sprouts. The sky is the limit.
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You can use Balsamic Vinegar in avocados, salads, meats, etc., when the Balsamic is of great quality (expensive) since the flavor alone is great. However, if the vinegar cost is low, then make a Vinaigrette. As you can see in this photo, there is a significant difference between these two bottles. Alessi is been cured for 20 years, therefore it is of great quality and therefore, the expensive one. I use it directly over avocados with a bit of salt and pepper as well as in other special dishes. For this recipe, however, I used a balsamic that cost under $5. This recipe renders: 1 Cup Prep Time: 15 Minutes Approximate Cost: Under $5.00 Render: Almost 1 Cup Ingredients 1 tablespoon chopped garlic 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil Directions The only prep to do is to chop the garlic. Add the chopped garlic , vinegar, salt and pepper to a glass bowl and mix. Add the oil slowly and whisk constantly as you add it . Or, add all ingredients to a bottle with a nice screw top and shake it all well. You are done, but it will be good to taste to adjust seasoning before using it. Finally, if you are not using the dressing right away, cover and refrigerate and remember to shake well again before each use. The Flavor Series Food Tastes as good as what you add. Salt and Pepper alone will not do it. The Series will Include my basic Homemade: Salad Dressing Dry Rub Seasoning Basting Oil Valsamic Vinagrette Chimichurri Beginning next Monday, stay tuned! Tomorrow is FRIDAY. Let’s make this easy and as quick as possible but delicious! No fuss about what to cook, here is the list of ingredients that you will need. Go shopping tonight and be ready to cook it for you and your honey tomorrow, smile! Approximate prep and cooking time: 30 Minutes Approximate cost: $9.50 for the whole meal for 2 (or $4.75/serving) Serves: 2 people Ingredients 4 small pork tenderloin steaks ($3.75) ¼ cup olive oil to marinate and sauté (.50) 5 cloves of garlic (.30) 1 tbsp. Adobo Goya for seasoning and Paprika if you have it in your pantry 6 asparagus cut at an angle ($1.50) 5-6 large mushrooms ($1.00) 2 cups of Kale, stems removed ($1.45) 1 Avocado ($1.00) Directions Clean cut and marinate your pork tenderloin steaks. Add 1 tbsp. of olive oil to a pan and sauté the mushrooms until golden. To keep the green colors and the crunch, sauté the asparagus, garlic and kale briefly. Remove from pan, add the pork tenderloin steaks and sauté until golden and cooked. Plate the dish as I show in my slide show. Serve with avocado and a salad of your choice. If you want to be “different and unique” the next time that you make potato salad, go bold and make it purple. This is not your traditional salad and you will know the minute you read the ingredients. Therefore, go ahead, try it, it does taste super delicious and is very healthy. Prep and Cooking Time: 15 to 20 minutes Serve 2 Approximate cost: Under $5.00 Ingredients 6 purple potatoes ($1.85lb.) 5 asparagus 1/2 med size onion chopped 1/2 cup Italian Parsley 4 tsp. Red wine vinegar 6 tsp. EVOO 2 hardboiled eggs Salt and Pepper to taste Parmegiano Reggiano - Shaved Directions Peel, cut in bite size pieces and boil the potatoes adding just a tsp. of salt. While the potatoes get soften, get the following ingredients in a bowl: the chop onion, parsley leaves and asparagus. Drain the potatoes and pour into the bowl on top of the chopped veggies and cover for about 3-4 minutes. This process will blanch the raw veggies briefly but will not cook them. Uncover and add the olive oil, red wine vinegar and adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with the sliced hard boiled eggs. Before serving, shave the cheese over it. |
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