Veggies were never better than this!

I'm of the opinion that people's perception of a prepared dish is influenced by its appearance.  Thus, the expression, "Eating with your eyes".  So, having said this I'm telling you that this vegetable casserole will have your friends or family ready to dig in at the first sight of the dish.

Again, this is another simple, quick and tasty recipe that will have guests believing you're a gourmet cook  even if you're not.

                                                            

                                         Provencal Zucchini and Yellow Squash Medley

　

1 Tbsp. Joe and Son’s Mushroom Sage Olive Oil
½ cup finely chopped onion
1 large zucchini, cut into 1 inch cubes or sliced into rounds
1 large yellow squash, cut into 1 inch cubes or sliced into rounds
½ cup halved cherry tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp. dried rosemary
½ tsp. dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ crumbled feta cheese

Preheat oven broiler.
Heat the olive oil over low-medium heat in a large skillet.
Add the onion and saute for 3 minutes. Add the zucchini, yellow squash and tomatoes  and saute for 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to saute for another 2 minutes. Do not overcook the veggies; you want them cooked but firm. Add the next 3 ingredients. Transfer the vegetable mixture to a casserole dish and sprinkle with the feta cheese.
Place the casserole dish under the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese melts.

Makes 4 servings.
　

Chocolate brownie Bites.......A Spectacular Nibble!

                                            Where can these tempting delights be found?

                                                     At  Joe and Son's Olive Oils 
                                                   3401 W. Bay to Bay Blvd 
                                                           Tampa, Florida

If you came by Joe and Son's today you were treated to a delicious and easy dessert. Imagine the rich tastes of decadent chocolate and blood orange combined in a way to just melt in your mouth.

To those unlucky souls who missed out...........Come by tomorrow and purchase the ingredients to make these tasty morsels.
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RECIPE:

Take a regular brownie mix and substitute our Blood Orange EVOO for the vegetable oil that it calls for.

Add 3/4 cup of chocolate chips to the batter and bake for the least amount of time your mix suggests. (Don't overbake the brownies.)
When they come out of the oven and are still warm, break up the brownies with a fork and incorporate the melted chocolate chips.
Add about 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup of our Dark Chocolate Balsamic to moisten the cooked brownie mixture and then roll into 1" balls. If the mix is too dry, add more Balsamic.

Coat with Sugar In The Raw or  cocoa powder.

HINT:  They taste good the first day, but are extra good on the second.
 It is that easy!

You can even change the taste by using Raspberry Balsamic rather than the Chocolate Balsamic.

Cream Cheese Dessert Ball...........Easy Holiday Entertaining

  

Entertaining doesn’t have to be difficult and it doesn’t have to take up a lot of time to make a delicious appetizer or dessert. This cheese ball can be used for either purpose and your guests will marvel at how good it tastes.

                                                     

                                              

                                                                                           

 1  8 oz package cream cheese
 1/3  cup powdered sugar

 3 Tbsp Joe and Son’s Blood Orange Olive Oil
 3/4  cup mini chocolate chips
 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

 Goes well with graham crackers, banana bread, date nut bread or apple slices

Allow cream cheese to come to room temperature.
 In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients except for the pecans.and mix until well combined.
Place in a serving dish or form into a ball. (Line small bowl with plastic wrap if shaping into a ball).
Allow to chill for 2 hours and remove wrap before rolling the ball or topping it with the pecan chips.
              

Mango Chutney - A Wonderful Accompaniment To So Many Foods....

                               And you're wondering what I could possible be talking about.

                                                          


                                                         Mango Pineapple Chutney

                                         This is sweet with some heat and you're gonna love it!


3 Tablespoons Joe and Son's Chipotle Olive Oil
1 cup diced red bell pepper
1 cup diced onion
3 Tablespoons Joe and Son's Serrano Honey Vinegar
1 tsp brown sugar or Splenda brown sugar subsitute
1 16 ounce package of frozen mango pieces, thawed (or fresh if in season)
1 8 ounce can pineapple tidbits (drained)

Pour the Chipotle Olive Oil into a sauteing pan and warm to low heat.  Place the bell pepper and onion in the pan and cook for about 20 minutes until the onions become slightly transparent.  Stir while cooking.  Add the Serrano Honey Vinegar and brown sugar.  Continue cooking over low heat until the vinegar has reduced and the mixture has thickened.
Add the mango and pineapple pieces; stir to evenly coat the fruit.  At this point you can slightly mash the fruit to create a chunky puree or leave as is.

This chutney is delicious with seafood, chicken, pork or ham.  In addition, it's great with plain ol' tortilla chips.

Pecan Pie Muffins--Baking made easy

                                                    PECAN PIE MINI-MUFFINS

                            Only 5 simple ingredients combine to make a "can't eat just one" dessert.

 This is a recipe that's sure to become one of your favorites...not only because it's so darned good, but because it's so easy to put together.  Notice it only calls for 1/2 cup of flour...that's not a misprint.
                                                               

                                                               



1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup Joe and Son's Organic Butter Olive Oil
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat over to 350 °.  Spray muffin tins with cooking spray* or line them with foil lined baking cups.

Mix together pecans, sugar and flour.  Beat the eggs and Butter Olive oil until foamy.  Pour this into the pecan mixture and stir until just blended.

Fill the muffin tins 2/3 full and bake for 9-10 minutes.  Do not overbake; you want the centers to be a bit soft and gooey.

Makes about 28-30 mini-muffins and the recipe may be doubled.

*If using cooking  spray rather than foil cups, run a sharp knife around the edge of each muffin to ease in releasing it from the baking tin.

A wonderful "Go To" meal that's quick and delicious!

 

You folks know I like good food.  But I like good food even better if it takes little time to prepare.

This is one of my "go to" recipes that's quick and easy to prepare and never disappoints.

If you have fresh fish, that's great. But if you don't, then frozen, thawed filets work just as well.

 Ingredients:

        4   5-7 oz.  Tilapia fillets or Orange Roughy filets
        1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes
          1/2  cup olives green or black
           1/4 cup capers, drained
           2-3 cloves crushed garlic (I use 6-8 cloves, but we really love garlic.)
           2 tablespoons Joe and Son’s Eureka Lemon Oil

Directions:
     Cut the tomatoes and olives in half and cook with garlic, capers and Lemon Oil for  5 minutes on medium heat – until tomatoes start to soften.
        Add fish and cover, cooking for 5 more minutes until fish flakes with a fork.
    Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with a side dish of rice or risotto. 

 Add a salad and you have a meal that looks as though you spent hours preparing it.

 

Goodness !!! What a week!!!

We were really excited to have Charlie Belcher from our local channel 13 come to the store on Monday morning as he taped another segment of Charlie's World from Joe and Son's Olive Press.  As a result, we have had a lot of new customers come into the store to try some of the oils and vinegars he and Andrea talked about.                                                               

They were also very interested in tasting some of the goodies we had out for Charlie. You can see some of them in the above picture.  They tasted, got the recipes and bought the oils and vinegars they needed to make them.

For some reason, we seem to get the friendliest, nicest customers in the store.  By the time you folks leave, it's like we've known each other for years.  Just let me thank all of you for taking the time to come in, visit with Michael, Andrea (or me) and giving our oils and vinegars a try.

We just introduced a new and easy recipe that has become a favorite of our customers.  It's a recipe for Roasted Cinnamon Pear Bruschetta. Trust me; this one's a keeper!!!
                                                                 

Roasted Cinnamon Pear Bruschetta

1 baguette, sliced into rounds (or purchase pre-sliced and toasted bread rounds)
2-3 pears, chopped and peeled
2 1/4 teaspoon Joe and Son’s Butter Olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
2 tablespoons Joe and Son’s Cinnamon Pear Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 cup mascarpone or whipped cream cheese
1 teaspoon honey

Preheat oven to 400. Lay baguette rounds on a baking sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes, or until golden brown and toasted. Set aside.

Heat a skillet over medium-low heat and add Joe and Son's Butter Olive Oil. Add pears, then sprinkle with salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Allow to caramelize slowly – for about 10-15 minutes. Mash the pears slightly so they form a sort of puree.

In a bowl, combine mascarpone and honey. Spread on baguette slices.
Once pears are caramelized, add balsamic vinegar and cook for 1-2 more minutes. Add spoonfuls of pear mixture on top of mascarpone on baguette. These can be served warm or cold.

Now, don't think this pear mixture is only for this recipe.  Let me tell you that it is delicious over vanilla ice cream.  Also, when added to brie in pastry, it's another fantastic appetizer.

Enjoy!  And let us know how you liked it.

                                                                       

Soooo quick; Soooo easy ; Soooo tasty!

                                                   

 Now, I ask you…Don’t these words make you curious about this recipe?  I fixed this for the family last night and they all raved about it. It was delicious, but it also looked so pretty when I plated it for serving.  I happen to think the presentation of a dish adds to its appeal, don't you?

                         Give it a try and let me know what you think.

                                                    

                                             

                                       

Lemon Basil Shrimp with Pasta

3 quarts salted  water

8 ounces uncooked spaghetti  

1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp  

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

3 tablespoons drained capers

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, not oil packed

2 tablespoons  Joe and Son’s  Garlic Olive Oil  

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4  teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 cups baby spinach

Preparation:

Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a Dutch oven. Add pasta; cook  until al dente and drain. Set aside in the pot.

Heat Garlic EVOO over medium heat and add shrimp to pan. Cook 2 minutes, then add fresh basil, capers, lemon juice, pepper flakes, tomatoes and fresh spinach. Cook for 1 minute until spinach has wilted.

Add the shrimp mixture to the pasta and stir until the pasta is well coated and ingredients are combined.

Serves 4.



Why should I eat Kale? And what is it, anyway?

Top 10 Health Benefits of Eating Kale

By Alison Lewis

Kale is being called “the new beef”, “the queen of greens” and “a nutritional powerhouse.” Here are ten great benefits of adding more kale to your diet:

1. Kale is low in calorie, high in fiber and has zero fat. One cup of kale has only 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber and 0 grams of fat. It is great for aiding in digestion and elimination with its great fiber content. It’s also filled with so many nutrients, vitamins, folate and magnesium as well as those listed below.

2. Kale is high in iron. Per calorie, kale has more iron than beef. Iron is essential for good health, such as the formation of hemoglobin and enzymes, transporting oxygen to various parts of the body, cell growth, proper liver function and more.

3. Kale is high in Vitamin K. Eating a diet high in Vitamin K can help protect against various cancers. It is also necessary for a wide variety of bodily functions including normal bone health and the prevention of blood clotting. Also increased levels of vitamin K can help people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

4. Kale is filled with powerful antioxidants. Antioxidants, such as carotenoids and flavonoids help protect against various cancers.

5. Kale is a great anti-inflammatory food. One cup of kale is filled with 10% of the RDA of omega-3 fatty acids, which help, fight against arthritis, asthma and autoimmune disorders.

6. Kale is great for cardiovascular support. Eating more kale can help lower cholesterol levels.

7. Kale is high in Vitamin A.Vitamin A is great for your vision, your skin as well as helping to prevent lung and oral cavity cancers.

8. Kale is high in Vitamin C. This is very helpful for your immune system, your metabolism and your hydration.

9. Kale is high in calcium. Per calorie, kale has more calcium than milk, which aids in preventing bone loss, preventing osteoporosis and maintaining a healthy metabolism. Vitamin C is also helpful to maintain cartilage and joint flexibility

10. Kale is a great detox food. Kale is filled with fiber and sulfur, both great for detoxifying your body and keeping your liver healthy.

 

So now you know why it's good to eat Kale, but you don't know how to cook it.

 

Well, here's a real easy way to fix Kale.  Trust me, you'll like it.

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                                               Kale with sausage and beans. 
2 tablespoons Joe and Son's Olive Press EVOO...I like using Arbequina

1/2 large green bell pepper...diced
1 large yellow onion          ...diced
2-4 cloves garlic            ..  minced
1 bag Kale...I buy Glory Kale and it can be found at your local grocery store in the produce section
2 small cans beef broth + 1 can of water for each can
Turkey Kilbasa, if desired
1-2 cans Northern beans...with juice
 

1. Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add bell pepper,onion and garlic. Cook until
translucent.
2. Add broth, water and Kale. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Cook for 40 minutes.
3. Add beans and sausage and cook for another 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

 

Serves 4-6
 

Tasting EVOO's and Balsamic Vinegars

We have over 50 different Evoo's and Balsamic Vinegars in stock at Joe and Son's Olive Press.  Many are infused flavors which you never knew existed.  So, how do you decide which "taste" you like?  By tasting them, of course.

But you may be wondering just how to do this.  Our store encourages you to taste before you buy.

If you have ever been to a wine tasting or any sort of a wine education class, an olive oil tasting is very similar. You receive tastings of olive oil with a description of what you are drinking, where it is from and what you should be tasting. You smell it first and then drink it the first taste. After waiting a moment, you finish the taste with a second drink. The first taste coats the mouth, while the second taste is the “true” taste.

Our EVOO's  are called varietals. A varietal olive oil is like produce in season: different varietals are fresh at various times of the year. Right now, the freshest oils are coming in from Spain, California and other locations in the Northern Hemisphere. So just like any fresh product, it has a shelf life of 1 year. We recommend storing our olive oils in a dark bottle for the longest shelf life.

The type of olive oil you get at the grocery store is not a varietal, it is a blend. We would compare it to drinking an excellent  wine versus drinking a blended table wine.

Our Olive Oils are the freshest olive oils on the market, and you can definitely taste the difference.

Joe and Son’s Olive Press also carries Infused Balsamic Vinegars. The thought of taking a shot of vinegar may be intimidating, but it goes down like a taste of wine. It is smooth with much flavor. Unlike the oils, a bottle of vinegar can last forever.

We encourage you to taste the EVOO’s and the Balsamic Vinegars either individually or as suggested pairings. You may either sip directly from a tasting cup, or dip a piece of bread in the oil or vinegar to savor the taste.  The choice is yours.

Shopping at Joe and Son’s Olive Press is a tasty experience.  We look forward to having you come in, meet the staff and learning wonderful new ways of cooking healthy and delicious meals for family and friends.

Our Olive Oils

Extra Virginity author, Tom Mueller, has listed Joe and Son's Olive Press as a wonderful place to buy good, fresh and authentic extra virgin olive oil.

 

 

Great olive oils of the world

 

Tom Mueller says:

"This list is work in progress, and will grow and evolve a great deal over the coming months and years, so check in again soon for updates.  What follows is my personal first cut at places to get great olive oil in America, and brands from various parts of the world to watch for.  For now my focus is on the US market, though this will also evolve with time."

Florida
	Aventura	Sur la Table (5 additional locations)
	Boca Raton	Williams-Sonoma (21 additional locations)
	Cocoa Village	From Olives and Grapes
	Fort Meyers	Fort Meyers Olive Oil Co.
	Ft. Lauderdale	Jean Pierre Cooking School
	Jacksonville	Olive Oil Store
	Lakewood Ranch	Katy Rose Olive Oil
	Naples	Naples Olive Oil/Health Wize
	Punta Gorda	Bella Balsamic
	St. Petersburg	Kalamazoo
	Tampa	Joe and Sons
	Venice	Venice Olive Oil Co.
	West Palm Beach	Oil & Vinegar
	Winter Park	The Ancient Olive

 

Strawberry Spinach Salad With Walnuts

   Three Superfoods:  walnuts, strawberries and spinach, team up to create a fresh-from-the-garden flavor when  you want to welcome Spring with a nutritious lunch or side salad.

                                                 

                                             Strawberry Spinach Salad

• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds (May be omitted, if desired)
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 cup Joe and Son’s Olive Press Roasted Walnut EVOO
• 1/4 cup Joe and Son’s Olive Press Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 large red onion, thinly sliced
• 10 ounces fresh spinach - rinsed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
• 1 quart strawberries - cleaned, hulled and sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

          Makes 6-8 generous portions

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the poppy seeds, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, paprika and Worcestershire sauce. Cover, and chill for one hour.
2. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries, sliced onion and walnuts. Pour the dressing over salad, and toss. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Spinach.......makes a different kind of pesto

                                                                 

This is a wonderful way to sneak a vegetable into a pasta dish. Even spinach haters will love it!

Spinach-Walnut Pesto

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup walnuts, toasted
• 3 cups fresh spinach leaves
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped ( I use 2-3 cloves 'cause I love garlic!)
• 1/2 cup Joe and Son’s EVOO, moderate intensity
• Salt 
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Yields: About a cup

Preparation

 Place walnuts, spinach, basil, and garlic in a blender or food processor.  Process until the ingredients are combined.

 Drizzle in the EVOO slowly until it is absorbed and the mixture makes a smooth paste.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over Penne Pasta, Farfalle or Ziti.  Sprinkle with grated cheese. 

Ham for Easter?

Not sure what to fix for Easter? We have a suggestion for you. How about a balsamic glaze for your ham?


BALSAMIC GLAZED HAM
1 bone-in skinless ...smoked ham, shank or butt end portion, 6-8 lbs.
1 cup Joe and Son's Artisanal Honey Vinegar
                                 OR
1 cup Joe and Son's Aged Cinnamon-Pear Balsamic Vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon or grainy mustard

Preheat the oven to 325.

Line a large roasting pan with foil. With a sharp knife, score the fat all over the ham in a diamond pattern. Place the ham, cut side down, in the roasting pan and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, reduce the balsamic to 1/2 cup, by gently simmering it in a medium sauce pan set over low heat. This process should be done slowly, taking approximately 25-30 minutes to complete. When the balsamic condimento has become thick and syrupy and is reduced by half, remove from heat and whisk in the Dijon mustard.

After baking for an hour, remove the ham from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 350. Using a pastry brush, liberally apply the balsamic glaze all over the ham, paying special attention to working it in to the scored portions. Cover just the shank end with a small piece of foil to prevent it from burning. Return the uncovered ham to the oven and roast for approximately 35 minutes, or until the glaze has caramelized and the ham is golden brown.

375 ml bottles of the Artisanal Honey or Cinnamon Pear are 30% off through Saturday at Joe and Sons Olive Press.