Persian Lime EVOO, Harissa EVOO, Bluberry Balsamic Vinegar
I was thrilled that Kate thought to send these beautiful little bottles of exotic oils and vinegar to me, but I admit I have been a bit intimidated by them and was hesitant to try them out... until just recently.The Captain and I went out for a 2 hour walk in the sunshine on Friday morning. We kept up a good brisk pace as we trekked along the waterfront pathway above the Strait of Juan de Fuca, then around the point into the Inner Harbour, where we stopped and had a bit of a snack... apples and cashews... then carried on through the Harbour to China Town and then completed the circle back at our front door.
We were both very hungry when we arrived home... The Captain's mouth was watering for some Chinese Food, so I prepared a big saucepan full of udon noodles, cut up onions, shredded cabbage and some slivers of leftover cooked pork roast, all in a nice broth.. then set to work on a big salad for me.
I have been daydreaming about a delicous spinach salad that I had at an Ikea store in Vancouver several months ago, and I had a hunch that I could come up with something similar using the Blueberry Balsamic vinegar. And I was right!
I mixed 1 tsp of EVOO with 2 tsp of the vinegar in a little bowl and then tasted it. It was sweet and thick and kinda syrupy and just wonderful!
So I put togther my salad... I started with a bed of spinach and black kale mixture, then slices of leftover baked chicken breast, some dried cranberries and a couple of tablespoons of almond slivers that I had quickly toasted in a non-stick pan on the stove while prepping the Captain's soup. Then I drizzled that EVOO/vinegar mixture over the top and sat down to thoroughly enjoy the best salad I have had in ages.
Every bite was absolutely delightful and I oohed and aahed all the way through lunch. The Captain even said he could smell the blueberries from the vinegar across the table!
Now I am so excited to try out the oils, too... these little bottles have opened my eyes to a whole new world of flavors.. thanks so much, Kate!
Have you tried Persian Lime EVOO or Harissa EVOO?
Do you use flavored oils and vinegars in your cooking? What's your favorite?
i'm intrigued by these too. i saw a balsamic pomegrante vinegar the other day that sounded delish but i was afraid to buy it!
ReplyDeleteooooh no.
ReplyDeleteI never have.
which is most likely an indication I should :-)
Yum! I haven't tried those but they sound really good. I have some Harissa, I wonder if I could mange to make my own... Hmmm that salad also looks very yum.
ReplyDeleteoh my gosh that sounds great, you have gotten so good with your cooking to stay on track! I love it!
ReplyDeleteI am happy you liked them!
ReplyDeleteI have been using the blueberry balsamic with the lemon infused EVOO on salads.
I like to drizzle the persian lime oil over my vegetables, like spinach...adds a nice flavour and seems to enhance the flavour of the vegetable.
The harissa evoo is spicy and I like it drizzled on tomatoes, or on a taco salad.
There's a chocolate flavoured balsamic that is good with watermelon and mint.
I love using lots of spices and vinegars/oils when I cook because it adds so much flavor without the sodium! I've never tried blueberry vinegar so that is on my next grocery list. I love cooking with red wine vinaigrette, balsamic and also a little brandy sometimes. Kern used brandy to fix up some really tasty caramelized apples with dinner on Sunday night, yum! The more you experiment the more you open up your senses!
ReplyDeleteYour salad looks wonderful - and The Captain's soup sounds good too! :) I have never tried flavored oils or vinegars, but it sounds like something I would like to cook with. I recently purchased some coconut oil for the first time because I had been hearing good things and love coconut, but I am not quite sure what to do with it yet. I noticed it has a very strong (and pleasant) scent, but am not sure if that translates into taste a well. Suddenly I find that I don't know what to put coconut with. I also have squash and plan to make your curry soup so I was thinking of putting a bit of the coconut oil in that. Great post - thank you for the ideas!
ReplyDeleteYour salad looks wonderful - and The Captain's soup sounds good too! :) I have never tried flavored oils or vinegars, but it sounds like something I would like to cook with. I recently purchased some coconut oil for the first time because I had been hearing good things and love coconut, but I am not quite sure what to do with it yet. I noticed it has a very strong (and pleasant) scent, but am not sure if that translates into taste a well. Suddenly I find that I don't know what to put coconut with. I also have squash and plan to make your curry soup so I was thinking of putting a bit of the coconut oil in that. Great post - thank you for the ideas!
ReplyDelete