The Art of Food: tuscan extra virgin olive oil

Showing posts with label tuscan extra virgin olive oil. Show all posts

Baked Tomatoes with Garden Herb Salsa

Baked Tomatoes with Salsa Verde

5-6 roma tomatoes, quartered to base

1 jar Bella Cucina Garden Herb Panini spread

2T Bella Cucina EVOO

2t. Bella Cucina Citrus/Fennel Salt

1/3 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350.

Take quartered tomatoes and put 1 t. salsa verde inside each one. Place stuffed tomatoes snugly in Mezze tagine or other baking dish and add another teaspoon of salsa verde to the top of each tomato. Then drizzle w/ EVOO, sprinkle w/salt and top w/ panko.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, then finish by broiling for 2-3 minutes until the crust is golden.

White Bean + Tuna Tomato Basil Salad

White Bean and Tuna Tomato Basil Salad

1-16 oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

12 oz. canned albacore tuna

1 pint sweet 100’s or grape tomatoes, cut in half

3 tablespoons basil leaves, sliced in thin strips

½ cup fennel, sliced in thin strips

¼ cup red onion, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic

juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon Bella Cucina Cabernet Vinegar

¼ cup Bella Cucina Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1 tablespoon kosher salt

4 tablespoons Bella Cucina Extra Virgin Olive Oil

In a large bowl, add cannellini beans, tuna, tomatoes, onion, fennel, red onion and garlic.

In a separate small bowl, whisk add lemon juice, vinegar, pesto, pepper and salt whisking until smooth. In a slow steady stream, drizzle in olive until whisking constantly until emulsified.

Pour the sun-dried tomato vinaigrette over the bean and tuna mixture. Toss gently until well-coated. Add the fresh basil and toss once more just until combined.

Serve as a salad over fresh arugula greens.

Serves four

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Olivada Vinaigrette

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Wild Oregano and Sage Savory Salt

and Olive Pesto Vinaigrette

Serves 8

2 # fingerling potatoes, washed and halved lengthwise

2 T Bella Cucina Wild Oregano and Sage Savory Salt

1 t cracked black pepper

3 T Bella Cucina Extra Virgin Olive Oil

For the Olive Pesto Vinaigrette

1 ea (6oz) jar Bella Cucina Olivada Olive Pesto

3 T Bella Cucina Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1T lemon juice

1 T fresh thyme, picked

For the olive Pesto Vinaigrette:

Whisk together Olivada Olive pesto, olive oil, lemon juice and thyme until well mixed (this is a broken vinaigrette so it will never fully come together).

For the Fingerling Potatoes:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit. Put a sheetpan in the oven while it preheats. Put the fingerling halves in a large bowl and toss to coat with the olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Carefully remove the hot sheetpan from the oven and scatter the potatoes evenly, in one layer onto it. Put the sheetpan back into the oven for about 25-30 minutes or until the fingerlings are golden brown and crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Let the fingerlings sit for 5 minutes when they come out of the oven then toss in the olive pesto vinaigrette.

Tagliatelle with Fresh Fava Beans + Preserved Lemon Cream

Tagliatelle with Fresh Fava Beans + Preserved Lemon Cream
Celebrate the fresh flavors of spring with this recipe which takes full advantage of the first fresh crop of fava beans and the floral undertones of our unique Preserved Lemon Cream. If fava beans are not available, use roasted asparagus or fresh English peas instead.

Ingredients: 1/3 cup Tuscan Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 16 oz.
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
6 ounces Preserved Lemon Cream
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings, for garnish
1 pounds fava beans, shelled
1 pounds tagliatelle or other pasta (choose a high-quality durum wheat pasta)

Directions:
In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of salted water to a boil. Add the fava beans and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Ladle the beans out of the water and set aside until they are cool enough to handle, then remove and discard their skins.

Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Meanwhile, in a large bowl mix together the lemon cream, mascarpone cheese, olive oil, salt, and pepper until smooth. When the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the bowl with the lemon cream mixture. Toss and serve, topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings.

Arugula + Preserved Lemon Salad

Arugula, Preserved lemon, pine nut and shaved Parmasean Salad

with lemon oil dressing served with Pane Rustico

with olive and caper relish

Serves 4

4 large handfuls of baby arugula, washed and dried

¼ c pine nuts, toasted

4 oz Parmesean cheese, use a vegetable peeler to shave into long shards

4 ea wedges Bella Cucina preserved lemons, seeds removed, pulp taken out and reserved and outside finely diced

1 T Bella Cucina Champagne vinegar

3 T Bella Cucina Tuscan extra virgin olive oil

1 t Bella Cucina lemon oil

½ t kosher salt

½ t ground black pepper

2 ea large rounds Bella Cucina Pane Rustico, toasted dry

olive and caper relish

For the Vinaigrette: In a blender puree the preserved lemon pulp, champagne vinegar, lemon oil, salt, and pepper. When the Lemon mixture is pureed,with the blender on low, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and when then the dressing has come together set aside

For the Salad: Place the baby arugula, pine nuts and diced lemon in a large mixing bowl and toss with the dressing. Top the plated salads with the shaved parmesaen cheese.

Branzini with Preserved Lemons, Olives and Salsa Verde

Branzini with Preserved Lemons, Olives and Salsa Verde

I like to bake this dish in a terracotta planter base (one without a hole in the bottom) and serve it from oven to table.

4 - 6 oz. sea bass or other fish, such as halibut, cod, tilapia or even salmon. {make sure you buy only safely & humanely approved sea bass}
1/4 c. sliced Preserved Lemons, about 3 wedges (rinse lemon and remove and discard pulp before slicing)
1/2 c. Citrus Fennel or Antipasti olives
{our NEW! Citrus fennel olives will be on our website soon}.
3 T. Olive oil from the antipasti Olives
Wild Oregano & Sage aromatic salt (or kosher salt)
Freshly cracked pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut fillets into 2-inch pieces and place in an oven proof baking dish or terracotta platter. Scatter the preserved lemon slices and olives over the fillets. Drizzle with olive oil and season with the salt and pepper. Bake until the fish is just cooked (it should be firm to the touch), 7-10 minutes.

To make the sauce:

Salsa Verde
1/2 c. Italian parsley leaves
2 T. plus 1 teaspoon champagne vinegar
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 T. chopped fresh chives
2 T. capers, drained or rinsed, if salt packed
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 t. coarsely chopped sage leaves
1 t. fresh oregano leaves
1 t. kosher salt
1 t. freshly cracked black pepper
3/4 c. Tuscan Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 T. aromatic lemon oil (optional)- not currently on the site, but available.

In a blender or food processor, add all of the ingredients except the oils. Process on high speed, slowly adding the olive and lemon oils in a steady stream through the top of the blender or processor, until the mixture is smooth and emulsified.

Makes 1/2 cup.

NOTE: you can substitute salsa verde with Bella Cucina Garden Herb Sauce.