Happily married
Posted on Wednesday, September 27, 2006
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Food/167950/
A growing collection of infused oils and vinegars is becoming the most versatile and exciting ingredients in the pantry.
And while we most often think of these two staples blended together for salad dressings, the best of the infused products can stand on their own, whether glazing a roast salmon or melting the caramelized pan juices for a chicken saute. They have an entirely different pedigree from that of the bottle of tarragon vinegar keeping a lonely vigil in the back of the fridge.
The method of production determines their quality and price. It explains why a chestnut honey vinegar, for example, costs $ 25 at a specialty store and a bottle of tarragon vinegar costs about $ 4 at the local market.
Less expensive vinegars are produced in steel tanks using a generator process that can make large quantities of vinegar in a matter of days.
Traditional vinegar makers, on the other hand, produce and age their vinegars in wooden barrels over a longer period of time, often years. It’s undeniably a more romantic and sensory endeavor, but the process also produces a more well-rounded product. All of the varied components of the vinegar — floral, herbal or oaky, smoky or sweet — are allowed to mature in the barrels, softening the acidity without diluting the flavor. And the longer the vinegars are aged, the more intensely flavored vinegars they become.
Some of the most intensely flavored infusions begin by slowly pressing fruits such as blood oranges, Meyer lemons, black currants and grapefruit while at their peak, to extract the fullest flavors from the oils and juices. Then the liquid is either fermented and acidified for vinegar, or married with fine oils.
Here are some of the infused products we’ve loved to cook with, and some ideas on how to use them. Blood Orange Olive Oil, $ 19. 99 for a 250-ml bottle (ooliveoil. com ): Dress a spinach or beet salad, or one that includes crumbles of gorgonzola; saute rosemary chicken.
Pacifica Culinaria Blood Orange Avocado Oil, $ 10. 99 for a 250-ml bottle (pacificaculinar ia. com ): This is wonderfully smooth with a surprisingly intense orange aroma and flavor. Drizzle over grilled or roasted salmon or halibut and Mexican vegetable salads. Port Vinegar, $ 12. 99 for a 200-ml bottle (ooliveoil. com ): Use to deglaze a pan in which chicken, pork or beef has been cooked. Drizzle over berries, gorgonzola or roasted vegetables.
L’Olivier Olive Oil infused with Porcini and Truffle, $ 14. 99 for a 250-ml can: Drizzle over risotto, pasta, potatoes or omelets.
Colavita Limonolio, $ 11. 90 for a 250-ml bottle (colavita. com ): Drizzle over broccoli, asparagus or carrots, or over rice or couscous; marinate chicken with a squeeze of fresh lemon, garlic and mint; saute sole with oregano.
Spicy Mango Salad Vinaigrette: Zest of 1 lime 3 to 4 tablespoons lime juice, divided use 1 teaspoon minced shallot 1 / 2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 / 4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 1 / 4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional 3 tablespoons blood orange or lime-flavored olive oil 1 1 / 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Salad: 2 cups leaf lettuce, cut into thin strips, OR other salad greens of choice 3 / 4 pound jicama, peeled and cut into 1 / 4-by-2-inch matchsticksize pieces 1 small jalapeno pepper, stemmed and chopped 1 / 4 cup very finely sliced red onion 2 mangoes, peeled, sliced and diced into 3 / 4-inch cubes 1 / 4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro 1 / 4 teaspoon salt
To make the vinaigrette: Whisk together lime zest, 3 tablespoons lime juice, shallot, salt, ground black pepper and crushed pepper flakes. Slowly pour in the oils, whisking until blended. Set aside.
To make the salad: Combine lettuce or other salad greens, jicama, jalapeno, red onion, mangos and cilantro in a bowl. Add about half the vinaigrette and toss well. Taste and adjust seasonings with a little more salt, vinaigrette and lime juice, if needed, and serve immediately. (If making ahead, combine all salad ingredients except lettuce, and add that to salad just before serving. )
Makes 4 to 6 servings. Recipe adapted from Dona Tomas: Discovering Authentic Mexican Cooking by Thomas Schnetz and Dona Savitsky with Mike Wille. Grilled Blood Orange and Ginger Pork
Tenderloins 1 / 2 teaspoon dried thyme 2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger root 1 / 2 cup dry sherry 4 tablespoons Blood Orange-Avocado Oil OR Blood Orange-Olive Oil 4 tablespoons soy sauce 2 pounds pork tenderloins
Combine thyme, ginger, sherry, oil and soy sauce. Put pork in a pan and pour oil mixture over top.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 3 to 6 hours, turning once.
Remove pork from refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Remove from marinade and pat lightly with paper towels.
Grill 15 minutes, brush with marinade and grill 15 minutes more. (Discard remaining marinade. )
Let tenderloins rest 10 minutes before slicing.
Makes 6 servings. Recipe from Pacifica Culinaria.