Fall Recipe Ideas
Balsamic Glazed Pork Chops
Ingredients
4 pork chops, 1″ thick, about 7-8oz each
2 tbsp SLO Olive EVOO
1 garlic clove, minced
1 onion, finely sliced (1 cup of onion, brown, yellow or white)
1 cup SLO Olive balsamic vinegar. Reserve, Fig or Dark Cherry can be used.
1/3 cup brown sugar
Salt and pepper
Garnish (optional)
Crumbled goats cheese or feta, Fresh rosemary
Directions
Sprinkle both sides of pork with salt and pepper.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook the first side for 4 minutes until it has a lovely dark gold crust, then turn and cook the other side for 3 minutes.
Transfer to a plate, cover loosely with foil.
Add 1 tbsp oil to the skillet, still on medium high. Add garlic and onion, cook until translucent – around 3 minutes.
Add balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. Stir until the sugar is melted. When it comes to a simmer, adjust the heat so it is bubbling gently, not rapidly.
Simmer for ~5 to 8 minutes or until it reduces by almost half and is a THIN syrup. Then add the pork back into the skillet, including all the juices on the plate. Simmer, turning pork to reheat, for 2 minutes or until the the sauce becomes syrupy (to your taste) and pork is reheated.
Serve, garnished with crumbled goats cheese if desired.
Nicoise Salad
Ingredients
8 baby/yellow or red potatoes
4 oz green beans, trimmed
2 tomatoes, each cut into 8 – 10 wedges
1/2 baby romaine lettuce, cut or torn into large bite size pieces
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
¾ cup unpitted black olives
8 – 10oz canned chunk tuna in oil, drained and broken into large chunks
Lemon Nicoise Dressing:
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsp SLO Olive EVOO
1 small garlic clove, minced/grated
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Pinch black pepper
Instructions
Dressing: Shake or wisk ingredients in a jar or bowl.
Cook potatoes: Boil potatoes until tender. Drain and leave to fully cool. Slice into halves.
Blanch beans: Boil green beans until tender or done to your liking. Drain and refresh under cold running water to quickly cool. Drain, pat well to dry.
Arrange the lettuce on a large, wide plate.
Scatter and layer the remaining ingredients artfully around the plate, finishing with the eggs, olives and chunks of tuna. Drizzle with dressing.
Oven-Roasted Honeyed Pears with Cranberry and Walnuts
Ingredients
4 pears (Bosc, Bartlett, Anjou)
1 cup fresh cranberries
¼ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 cup SLO Olive Cranberry balsamic
¼ cup honey
¼ cup powdered sugar, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly coat a baking dish or sheet with cooking spray. Set aside.
Cut the pears in half lengthwise. Gently core the pears with a spoon. Slice a small piece off the backside of the pear so it can lay flat on the baking sheet.
In a small bowl, toss the cranberries, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and balsamic with lemon juice. Scoop a spoonful of the fruit and nut mixture into the cored halves of each pear. Drizzle honey over the top of the filling.
Bake at 375°F for 25-30 minutes or until the pears are tender. Begin checking for tenderness around 20 minutes.
Optional: garnish the pears with a light dusting of powdered sugar.
