Roasted Brussel Sprouts With Balsamic Vinegar

Brussel sprouts seem to make a regular appearance at our Thanksgiving meal.  But this year I thought I  might play around with fixing them in a slightly different way.

If you don't overcook brussel sprouts then they do develop a slightly sweet taste after cooking so seasoning them with an ingredient that  plays up that sweetness makes sense.

 

 

                             Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Balsamic Vinegar

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds fresh brussel sprouts

3 tablespoons Joe and Son’s Garlic EVOO

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons Joe and Son’s Fig Balsamic Vinegar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Rinse the brussel sprouts; cut off the stem and cut in half.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. In a large bowl, toss brussel sprouts with 2 tablespoons Garlic Olive Oil, salt and pepper.

Transfer the brussel sprouts to baking sheet ( lined with foil)  and roast, stirring occasionally to ensure even browning, until tender and caramelized, about 20 minutes.

Place the Fig Balsamic Vinegar in a small saucepan and cook on low heat, stirring regularly. Reduce the vinegar until it begins to coat your spoon and decreases in volume. (About 10 minutes) Remove from heat and set aside.

Add the brussel sprouts back into the original bowl. Add remaining tablespoon of Garlic Olive Oil, the Fig Balsamic reduction and toss to coat evenly.

Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, then serve.



Oxtails in a Wine/Balsamic Sauce

Making a stew for a family meal is really one of the easiest dishes to put together.  Rarely are the ingredient amounts crucial to the outcome of the dish so you can add more of something you like or decrease the amount of something that you're not too fond of.

We enjoy eating oxtails but I know this may not be something many of you are used to eating, so you could substitute short ribs or beef cubes for the oxtails.  The cooking time would probably have to be adjusted because of the sizes of the cuts of meat.

If you like, you could also add potato chunks towards the end of the cooking time.  I also have added a drained and rinsed can of cannellini beans.  The options to change this recipe to better suit your taste are endless.

I like to serve this over rice or polenta.  Either way, it's might fine eating!!!!

Oxtails in a Balsamic Wine Sauce

5 pounds of oxtails

2 Tablespoons Joe and Son’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I used robust Barnea)

2 medium onions, diced

4 cloves garlic, diced

2 cups celery, cut into 1” pieces

2 cups carrots, cut into 1” pieces

2 cups canned, diced tomatoes with its liquid

1/2  cup Joe and Son’s 18 yr Traditional Balsamic Vinegar

1 cup red wine

16 oz. beef broth

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the Olive Oil in a large pan and brown the oxtails, taking care not to crowd the pan. You may have to do this in several batches. Don’t be afraid to truly brown them; they’ll have more flavor if you do.

Place the browned oxtails in an ovenproof casserole dish. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Saute the onions, garlic, celery and carrots in the original pan. Cook and stir over moderate heat until the vegetables are soft and the onions are transparent.

Add the Balsamic Vinegar and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes until the vinegar begins to reduce and thicken a little bit.

Add the wine, broth and canned tomatoes and cook over low heat for about another 10 minutes.

Pour the onion mixture into the casserole and spoon over the oxtails.

Cover the casserole and cook in the oven for about 2 ½ - 3 hours until the meat is very tender.



Chef Christophe was "In the House"!

We had the great honor of having the Executive Chef of The Tampa Yacht and Country Club, Chef Christophe Setin, along with his amazing pastry chef, Sam, in  Joe and Son's Olives Oils for a cooking Demo.

 

 

 

 

 

 The food was amazing!

 

 

We had a lineup of: Roasted butternut squash and goat cheese crostini topped with pepitas and drizzled with Butternut Squash Seed Oil,  Grilled Kale Salad with Roasted Chestnuts and Carmelized Pears,  Pork Loin stuffed with dried stone fruits soaked in Mission Fig Balsamic with a Mushroom Sage Olive Oil Vinagrette, Fingerling potatoes with Garlic Olive Oil and Sicilian Lemon White Balsamic.

 

The dessert was fantastic...A Lemon Curd Tart made with our Sicilian Lemon Balsamic Vinegar.

 

 

 

Of course we can't forget the amazing wines from Charles with Time For Wine. We hope to see you at our next event!