Need a new and creative venue for your next wine tasting, book club or social gathering in Charlotte? We are back to hosting parties at Olive This! At our olive oil tasting parties you and your guests will enjoy after-hours access for personal tours, private tastings, recipe ideas and our recommended pairings. Bring your favorite food and beverages to serve your guests at the Charlotte shop. The venue and staffing for the event are both free of charge.
For more details please call: 704-544-8099. Charlotte only.
Put water, rice, cardamom, raisins, and onions in saucepan. When boiling, cover with lid, remove from heat and put on a very low burner setting or no heat. Let cook for 15–19 minutes. Keep lid on until ready to serve.
Bring a large sauté pan to high heat and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. When it is shimmering, add pork. Sear well on both sides, cooking to medium rare – rare. Remove from pan and slice into strips. To plate, arrange strips on plate in a fan design, nest in some of the rice. Then drizzle the chimichurri generously in a line over the pork, adding a little bit to the top of the rice. Drizzle some of the oil in the chimichurri around the plate and serve.
With just a few chops and some zesting, you have the perfect topping for meat, to mix into pasta, to spread over bread with goat cheese as an appetizer, or to mix into a soup to blow the minds of your dinner guests. Even though this easy meal takes so little effort, I still say you’ll get a standing ovation!
INGREDIENTS
¾ cup finely chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
¼ cup finely chopped fresh mint
Zest of 1 lemon
2 large garlic cloves
½ teaspoon red chili flakes (can add more as desired)
Make chimichurri by combining all ingredients and set aside. Yes. By all means, lick some of that fabulous oil from a spoon. Let it sit while you prepare your main course, or over night. It is that simple!
Chutneys are sour and sweet, an excellent canvas for the exotic guava fruit flavors. The addition of shallots and vinegar make it a sure thing to accompany tender pork medallions so dinner can be fancy without being expensive. See how many flavors you can detect when you bite into this simple dinner. Or, serve with white fish or chicken. Nice with a side of sweet carrots. Also lovely over rice if that’s your preference.
INGREDIENTS
PORK:
1 ½ to 2 lbs pork loin, trimmed, and cut into 2-inch medallions
Prep pork, pressing the salt and pepper into the flesh after patting the pork pieces dry. Set aside.
In a large saucepan, add all the chutney ingredients. Bring to a boil then reduce to a low boil and cook for 8 – 10 minutes until everything is very soft and the juices are slightly thicker, but not syrupy. When done, turn off heat and set aside.
Bring a large sauté pan to high heat and add the butter and oil. Sear the pork on each side until medium rare.
To plate, arrange your side dish, in this case I used steamed tri-color carrots with butter and salt and pepper. Then angle two medallions in the center leaning on the carrots. Arrange a large serving of the tart chutney on the side and drizzle with the lovely chutney juices. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Recipe Credit: Camine Pappas. To read more about Camine and view all her recipes, click here to visit her website: IFeelLikeCooking.com.
Have a comment? We’d love to hear from you. Have you tried this dish? Do you have a variation that you think others will enjoy? Leave us a comment below.
As with all my recipes, each ingredient makes a huge difference. The subtleties of this vinaigrette are incredible, and the sweet but tart fresh Montmorency Cherry Rosé is bold and brave. It works PERFECTLY with the carefully selected ingredients although honestly, you could pour this vinaigrette on any salad, roasted vegetables, or even shrimp. Besides wanting to drink this from the bottle (Yes, that good), I definitely encourage you to try this Montmorency Cherry Rosé balsamic.
Fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped, to garnish
DIRECTIONS
Mix the balsamic, oil, salt and pepper, and fresh mint. Whisk well and set aside.
Prep all ingredients and have ready to assemble.
Using a large salad bowl, arrange the red leaf lettuce to one side, leaving the other side open to arrange other ingredients.
Starting at one side begin to layer each slice, much as you would assemble vegetables for a ratatouille. Curve it around layering the order you prefer until you’ve covered a little over half the bowl.
Now place the sliced hard boiled egg in the center.
Drizzle with the mint cherry vinaigrette and serve.
Note:
This was a very large salad for one person but great when you want impact. Otherwise this makes enough for two salads and serve each in a smaller but still flat bowl.
Serve with a lovely French Rosé and crusty bread. Can top with grilled salmon for a hearty meal.
When you make these kinds of recipes from scratch you begin to understand why you simply don’t need bottled pasta sauce EVERY again. I use this method for lots of different sauces. For instance, use jalapenos and tomatillos instead of tomatoes and pepper. And then use Olive This! Jalapeno Olive Oil. Use to top tacos or grilled steak. Don’t forget to smile while you’re cooking, it and then do a little dance while plating your beautiful food. Because it’s that good.
INGREDIENTS
3 whole boneless chicken breasts each trimmed and cut into thirds (roughly 5 ounces each)
1 large red pepper, cut into large chunks with seeds and pith removed
½ yellow onion cut into large chunks
4 large cloves of garlic, halved
3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary
3 teaspoons finely chopped fresh basil plus about 15 leaves of basil for garnish
¼ cup red wine like a Merlot
1/3 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons water
3-4 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoon black pepper
OPTIONAL – Shaved parmesan to serve
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425° F. Cut up chicken, trimming off any sinews or tough areas and put the pieces in a large bowl with the paprika, coriander, salt and pepper, parsley and about 3 tablespoons olive oil. Stir to combine, let sit.
Quarter the Roma tomatoes and cut out the seeds. Place in a large bowl with the cut onion, garlic cloves, and red pepper. Toss with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Spread out into a large glass, foil covered baking dish. Top with the rosemary and thyme. Roast for 45-55 minutes or until very soft and slightly charred. Remove from oven, discard the herbs, and let sit for about 5 minutes. Dump all cooked vegetables into a blender, including the Tuscan Herb olive oil. Add the water and pulse until well blended. Add the wine and pulse again until pureed. Add the basil and pulse lightly to combine. Taste and add salt if needed. Pulse, taste again and continue to season until balanced. Set aside.
Bring a large sauté pan to very high heat. Add about 1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add chicken pieces being sure to leave room between pieces so they can brown. When brown on one side, turn and brown on the other side until nearly done. Remove, cover with foil. Turn heat off but while pan is still hot immediately add the tomato pepper cream sauce to pan. It will bubble slightly then settle down. Turn the heat back on to about medium and gently nest in the chicken pieces. Top with pieces of torn basil, and when it begins to bubble and steam and you know chicken is hot, turn off heat and serve.
With Citrus Mint Relish & Lemon Raita with Sesame Soy Rice
Heat, sweetness, crunch, creaminess and lots of spice. All of which go perfect with this unique and perfectly balanced oil! Boom in your mouth, easy to make. I highly recommend you purchase authentic flour tortillas, and don’t skimp of any of the ingredients in the relish. They all need each other. Kind of like you need this recipe!
INGREDIENTS
PORK
4 cups thinly sliced pork tenderloin
¼ cup Sriracha sauce (can add more to moisten if it seems like it needs it.)
3 teaspoons finely chopped flat leaf Italian parsley
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
RICE
1 cup jasmine rice
2 cups boiling water
2 teaspoons Olive This! Sesame Oil
3 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
Dash of kosher salt
DIRECTIONS
Need 12 good flour tortillas. Small and fresh. Can heat or serve room temperature.
Combine cut pieces of pork (they should be about ¾ inches long, ½ inch wide, and sliced thinly) and all ingredients. Stir and set aside. When ready to cook add a bit more of the orange oil to a hot pan. Use a large pan so there is no crowding of the meat. Sauté until cooked. Place in bowl for serving.
For relish, combine all ingredients and stir well. Set aside for serving.
For rice, bring water to boil. Add rice. Bring to boil again, reduce heat to the lowest setting. Cover, let cook for 20 minutes. When done, remove lid and add the soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds and salt. Serve.
Have a comment? We’d love to hear from you. Have you tried this dish? Do you have a variation that you think others will enjoy? Leave us a comment below.
On Butter Seared Salmon Over Turmeric Paprika Yogurt
My garden is my happy place right now. And my basil is stupid happy. You know basil is fussy. Like a teenager. One minute it loves you, the next it is brooding, and you have no idea why. But happiness in this dish reaches next-level amazingness when you include garden cucumbers, and garden peaches. Just give this ingredient list a glance. It’s easy to make and quick to prepare. Don’t skip the yogurt or the lime. It finishes the dish with elegance and makes it almost poignant. Lots of big words for a dish that takes about 30 minutes from start to finish!
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ lbs good quality Atlantic salmon, cut into 4 steaks, skin on, seasoned with salt and pepper
1 generous cup plain Greek yogurt
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon ground paprika
2 large perfectly ripe peaches, dice into large pieces
Zest of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons thinly sliced shallot
2/3 cup peeled and thinly sliced small pickling cucumber. Size of cut is up to you.
Generous handful of small basil leaves + large leaves of basil for garnish
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons black sesame seeds
4 wedges of lime
DIRECTIONS
Pat the salmon steaks dry and generously salt and pepper. Make sure they’re at room temperature when you cook them. Set aside until you are done with salsa and yogurt.
Make the yogurt sauce by combining yogurt with the turmeric and paprika. Stir well and set aside.
In a large bowl combine the diced peaches (I left the skin on for color and texture! I like a larger dice for effect.), with the lemon zest, lemon juice, shallot, jalapeño, cucumbers, parsley, 6 Tbsp basil oil, salt and pepper. Combine and set aside. You will add the small basil leaves to the salsa at the end.
Bring a large saucepan to very high heat. Add the 3 Tbsp butter and the 3 Tbsp of oil and let the butter melt and begin to sizzle. Cook the salmon skin side first. When caramelized turn and cook on the other side until medium rare. You’ll see the sides of the salmon turn opaque. When you see the opacity almost reach the middle, remove, place on a plate and let sit for 5 minutes. You can cook longer but if it’s good salmon, do yourself a favor and enjoy it medium!
To serve, take the salsa and now toss with the small basil leaves. Slather ¼ of the yogurt into the center of the plate, swirling it to a disc of about 4 inches. Place a salmon steak atop and then garnish with the salsa. Garnish with a lime wedge and more large basil leaves then sprinkle black sesame seeds on top.
Recipe Credit: Camine Pappas. To read more about Camine and view all her recipes, click here to visit her website: IFeelLikeCooking.com.
Have a comment? We’d love to hear from you. Have you tried this dish? Do you have a variation that you think others will enjoy? Leave us a comment below.
Every bite is such an adventure! With the heat of the fresh jalapeño, the salty crunch of the peanuts, and that perfect umami flavor of the sesame vinaigrette made so complex by the tangerine balsamic, no one will believe you can put this salad together in less than 30 minutes! Perfection.
INGREDIENTS
1 large zucchini cut into slender ribbons
1 leaf of radicchio, julienned
6 – 7 very thin slices of fresh jalapeño
1 – 2 tablespoons chopped salted peanuts
3 tablespoons Single Varietal Olive Oil, like the Olive This! Picual
This makes a very generous and lovely salad for 1, but if you’re serving it as a side salad, it will make two. Or you can double as needed.
Make the vinaigrette by combining the oil, balsamic, sesame oil, soy sauce, and the shallots along with the small pinch of salt and pepper. (Soy is salty so no need for much salt and pepper.) Set aside for a few minutes to let the shallots infuse the dressing.
Prep all ingredients before beginning. Using a very sharp, wide vegetable peeler, cut about 10 to 15 thin strips of zucchini. Set it aside. Cut the shallot, chop the peanuts, finely chop the parsley, thinly slice the jalapeño, and thinly slice the tangerine.
To serve, arrange the ribbons of zucchini artfully in a pretty bowl, twirling them around and folding them so they nest in the bowl nicely. Put the small mound of the radicchio in the center. Sprinkle with the peanuts, and dot with the jalapeño. Add some cracked black pepper to the top to make it fun. Then ladle the dressing all over the salad. DO NOT TOSS. Garnish with a flourish of chopped parsley and a couple of thinly sliced tangerine. Serve.
NOTE: You can make this a main dish salad by adding some thinly sliced beef and then put dressing on top. Or to be sassy, add some goat cheese, dotting it around the salad. You could also add shrimp, or even top with seared scallops if you’re feeling really fancy!
I’m such a fan of sweet and tangy foods because they are the perfect accompaniment to any dish. What you may find surprising is the addition of Olive This! Peach White Balsamic to create the familiar and necessary tanginess. I will tell you; the notes of peach are perfectly intact and recognizable, evening out the flavors in this gorgeous side dish that is perfect for a spring or summer menu. My husband, who is not a braised cabbage fan gobbled it up in seconds. It’s THAT good. Quick, colorful, and delicious.
INGREDIENTS
4 1/4 cup thinly sliced red cabbage, about ½ a small head (don’t dice, keep in long strips)
½ shallot, small dice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup water
3 tablespoons red wine like Cabernet Sauvignon (substitute with vegetable stock)
In a large saucepan, melt the butter. As soon as it’s melted add the shallots and sauté for 2 minutes until soft. Add the cabbage and sauté on medium high to high temperature, just until it wilts, about 3 minutes. Then add water, wine, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring it to a bubble. Reduce heat to low, cover with lid, and braise for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally to gauge liquid in the unlikely case it gets too dry.
Serve as a wonderful side dish. Can garnish with parsley and feta cheese. Serve with your favorite fish or chicken. Or eat cold with your lunch. Or even as a snack like I do!
A quick bruschetta that combines complimentary flavors into eye-popping colors and explosive flavors! Fresh thyme elevates the entire dish and creates a beautiful glaze on these quick appetizers. Keep a bottle of this champagne vinegar in your pantry year-round. It is the one ingredient you’ll use with everything.
Recipe Credit: Camine Pappas. To discover more of her recipes and read all about Bling Cuisine, click here to visit her website: IFeelLikeCooking.com.
5 slices Italian bread, toasted and slathered with olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS
Chop the fresh thyme and mix with honey and Olive This!champagne vinegar. Set aside.
Slice the cheese and set aside.
Toss the grapes and tomatoes in the olive oil, and put in a baking dish lined with parchment paper. Lay a couple of thyme springs atop. Bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees F. Remove and place in a bowl. Lightly smash some of the grapes and tomatoes for serving.
Slice each bread slice in half so you have 10 large pieces of bread for the bruschetta. Put on a baking sheet and under the broiler, toast the first side. Then turn it over and brush with 2 tablespoons olive oil and return to the broiler until toasted on the oiled side. Remove and set aside for plating.
I served this with salmon baked with finely chopped pecans, salt and pepper, and a little parsley. Makes a nice main course.
Have a comment? We’d love to hear from you. Have you tried this dish? Do you have a variation that you think others will enjoy? Leave us a comment below.
