The Olive Cellar - Appleton WI

BONELESS PORK CHOPS IN CREAMY GARLIC SPINACH SAUCE

INGREDIENTS LIST FOR THE PORK CHOPS
3 pork chops, boneless
Salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
6 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 small yellow onion, minced
1/3 cup vegetable or chicken stock
1 3/4 cups half and half or heavy cream
3 cups baby spinach
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper flakes, optional
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese, optional
Fresh chopped parsley

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the boneless pork chops on both sides with paprika, salt and pepper, and sear in the hot pan, for 3-5 minutes on each side depending on the thickness, or until cooked to your liking. Once done, remove pork chops from the pan and set aside.
2. Melt butter in the remaining cooking juices in the same pan. Add garlic, onion, Italian seasoning, and red crushed chili pepper and stir-fry until fragrant, about one minute. Add in the vegetable or chicken stock, and allow to reduce a little.
3. Reduce heat to low heat, add the half and half (or heavy cream), and bring to a gentle simmer. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
4. Add the spinach leaves and allow to wilt in the sauce, and stir in the Parmesan cheese (if using). Allow sauce to simmer for a further minute until cheese melts through the sauce.
5. Transfer the pork chops back into the pan to reheat; sprinkle with the parsley, and spoon the sauce over each pork chops. Serve over steamed vegetables, zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice. Enjoy.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Pecans, and Cranberries

Ingredients
12 oz Brussels sprouts ends trimmed, yellow leaves removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
4 slices bacon cooked and chopped
1 cup pecans
½ cup dried cranberries
The Olive Cellar's 18 year aged Traditional Balsamic for drizzling

Instructions
How to Roast Brussels Sprouts
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Slice all Brussels sprouts in half.
In a medium bowl, combine halved Brussels sprouts, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and toss to combine.
Place Brussels sprouts on the baking sheet, cut side down.
Roast in the oven at 400 F for about 25 minutes. During the last 5-10 minutes of roasting, turn them over for even browning, the cut sides should be partially charred but not blackened.

How to Cook Bacon in the Oven
Line the separate baking sheet with foil. Add the bacon slices in one layer. Bake in the preheated oven at 400 F for about 20 minutes or until the bacon is done. You can do it at the same time as roasting the Brussels sprouts.
Drain bacon of fat and slice the bacon into small bites.

How to Toast Pecans
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add pecans in one layer.
Toast the pecans for about 5 minutes (maybe a bit longer) in the preheated oven at 350 F until they get darker in color.

Prepare Dried Cranberries
For best results, briefly soak the dried cranberries in hot water. Bring a small pot of water to boil.
Add dried cranberries to a medium bowl. Pour hot water over the cranberries and soak them for about 10 minutes. Drain.

Assembly
In a large bowl, combine roasted Brussels sprouts, warm chopped cooked bacon, toasted pecans, and soaked dried cranberries. Toss everything together. The olive oil from Brussels sprouts and fats from bacon should be enough to coat the ingredients. If desired, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to mix with the salad (optional).
Drizzle with the Balsamic Vinegar
Serves 4, enjoy.

LOADED OLIVE OIL DIPPING SAUCE

INGREDIENTS:
3 sun-dried tomato halves (about tbsp. reconstituted and chopped) or sun-dried tomatoes packed oil, available at The Olive Cellar
2 artichoke hearts
12 medium black olives
1 garlic clove
1 cup olive oil, divided
2 anchovy fillets, optional, available at The Olive Cellar
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 rounded tsp. chopped fresh basil
1/4 rounded cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS
Soak sun-dried tomato in boiling water for about 5 minutes (skip this step if using tomato packed in olive oil). Pat dry and finely chop. Finely chop artichoke hearts and olives. Mince garlic.
Preheat a small skillet or saucepan on medium low head and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add anchovies and red pepper flakes. Cook for minute or so, stirring to dissolve anchovies. Add garlic, artichoke, olives, black pepper, and cook for a couple minutes. Be careful not to let the garlic get too brown. Add the remaining oil. Remove from heat. Gently stir in basil and cheese when oil is no longer hot. Allow to rest at room for about 20 minutes or so for the flavors to meld. Serve with crusty bread. Serves 4 to 6.

TOASTED BAGUETTE WITH RICOTTA CHEESE AND FRESH HERBS

Ingredients
¾ cup fresh ricotta cheese
1 ½ T chopped cilantro
1 ½ T chopped basil
2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Maldon sea salt or other coarse finishing salt, available at The Olive Cellar
Baguette sliced into 1/4 inch slices
Garlic Olive Oil, for brushing the baguette slices
Chopped pistachios,

In a small bowl, mix the ricotta and herbs together just to combine. Place the herbed ricotta in a serving dish and finish with the olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt. Serve with toasted baguette slices brushed with Garlic Olive Oil and top with chopped pistachios.
Enjoy.

Tuscan Herb Veggie Soup

INGREDIENTS:
3 Tablespoons The Olive Cellar's Tuscan Herb Infused Olive Oil
1 large onion
2 large green bell peppers
4 cloves of garlic
1 medium head of cauliflower
2 cups green beans (fresh)
2 14.5 oz canes of diced tomatoes
8 cups of your favorite vegetable broth
1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 dried bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
A few teaspoons of The Olive Cellar's Neapolitan Herb Balsamic Vinegar (for drizzling on top of the soup)

DIRECTIONS
Wash and prep all your veggies, dice the onions and bell peppers into small pieces, mince the garlic, cut the cauliflower into 1” florets and finally trim the green beans and cut into 1” pieces.
In a large pot or dutch oven heat the Tuscan Herb Infused Olive Oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onions and bell pepper. Sauté for 7-10 minutes until the onions are translucent and browned.
Then, add in the minced garlic and stir, sautéing for about a minute until the garlic becomes fragrant.
Add the cauliflower, green beans and diced tomatoes to the mix, stirring to combine all the veggies. Next, add in the vegetable broth, Italian Seasoning, and bay leaves.
Bring the soup to a boil, mixing a few times along the way. Once the soup is boiling, cover and reduce the heat to low and cook for about 15 – 20 minutes until the veggies are soft.
Once all the veggies are soft, remove the bay leaves and add in salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a hearty crust bread and a drizzle of Neapolitan Herb Balsamic Vinegar on top.
SWITCH IT UP: Don't see your favorite veggies in the ingredient list? Simply add them in or substitute them for one that is listed. Can't leave with out some cheese in your day? Try adding some melty Parmesan.
Enjoy.

Apple Crisp
Cut out the real butter and substitute The Olive Cellar's Butter flavored olive oil in this beauty!

Ingredients:
4C Baking apples, such as Cortland or Honeycrisp, thinly sliced
1/2C Brown sugar, packed
2T Lemon juice
2T The Olive Cellar's Cinnamon Pear Balsamic Vinegar
1C All-purpose flour
3/4C Granulated sugar
1t Baking powder
1/2t Salt
1 Egg, slightly beaten
1/4C The Olive Cellar's Butter flavored Olive Oil
1/2t Cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, mix apples, brown sugar, lemon juice and balsamic vinegar together. Arrange in a shallow rectangular baking dish. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Add egg and mix until crumbly. Sprinkle the mixture over the apples in the baking dish. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake for 35 minutes. Serve warm and Enjoy!
Serves 6-8

ITALIAN APPLE OLIVE OIL CAKE

INGREDIENTS
2 large Gala apples, peeled and chopped as finely as possible
Orange juice to soak apples in
3 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 large eggs
⅔ cup gold raisins, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes and then drained well
Confectioner's sugar for dusting

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the chopped apples in a bowl and add orange juice; just enough juice to toss and coat apples so as to prevent browning.
In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside for now
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, add sugar and extra virgin olive oil. Mix on low for 2 minutes until well-combined
While mixer is on, add the eggs, one at a time, and continue to mix another 2 minutes until mixture increases in volume (it should be thicker but still runny)
In the large bowl with the dry ingredients, make a well in the middle of the flour mixture. Add the wet mixture (the sugar and olive oil mixture) into the well. Using a wooden spoon, stir until just blended; it will be a thick batter (do not add anything to loosen it).
Drain raisins (which have been soaking in water) completely; and rid apples of excess juice. Add both raisins and apples to the batter and mix with spoon until well-combined. Again, batter will be fairly thick.
Line a 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper. Spoon thick batter into the pan, and level the top with the back of your wooden spoon.
Bake in 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or until an inserted tooth pick or wooden skewer comes out clean.
Cool completely in pan. When ready, simply lift parchment up to transfer cake into a serving dish. Dust with confectioner's sugar.
Enjoy.

Hummus Crostini Appetizer

INGREDIENTS
12 slices baguette
1 (10 ounce) container garlic hummus use as needed
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley or to taste
Balsamic glaze to taste, available at The Olive Cellar
Salt & pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS
Note: For this recipe the measurements are merely guidelines, and you can easily make more or fewer than 12 pieces.
Slice the baguette and prep the other ingredients.
Spread the hummus onto each slice, then sprinkle with the parsley (add a fairly generous amount... more than you would just for a garnish, for example). Season with some salt & pepper, then drizzle with the balsamic glaze. Serve immediately.
NOTES
Technically, crostini is toasted. For this version, it is not, however. You can toast the baguette slices if you prefer. Brush them with oil and throw them on the grill or toast them in the oven (375F for 5-7 minutes) or even in a skillet.
Enjoy.