Recipes

Rich and Velvety Gravy with Olive Oil Roux

Elevate your holiday meal with a rich, velvety gravy made using olive oil for the roux. Featuring caramelized mirepoix and pan drippings, this flavorful sauce is a lighter take on a classic brown s...

Butternut Squash Dumplings: A Playful Take on Gnocchi

Donald’s Butternut Squash Dumplings are a cozy twist on gnocchi and a standout  side dish for Thanksgiving. Featuring roasted butternut squash, Parmesan, and a hint of nutmeg, these golden dumpling...

A Complete Guide to Brining a Juicy Thanksgiving Turkey

While brining may take a little planning, it makes for an extremely tasty result! Not only does brining evenly and thoroughly season meat, it breaks down protein structures, making meat and seafood...

Heirloom Tomato Pesto Tart

Here's another idea for you tomato lovers. This Heirloom Tomato Pesto Tart makes a lovely appetizer or side dish for a light lunch or dinner.

Cooked Egg EVOO Mayonnaise

I'd like to think that, ever-practical, Julia Child would be a fan of cooked egg mayonnaise. As with most techniques, understanding the fundamentals are key to executing successful variations. Here...

Blueberry Olive Oil Cake

The recipe is simple, and the result is a moist dense cake with an abundance of fresh blueberries. This recipe is suitable for a 9" round, a standard loaf pan, or for particularly luxurious muffins.

Tangy, Sweet, Refreshing Strawberry Balsamic Shrub

We're headed toward another week of triple digit temperatures, so offer this refreshing beverage from our friend and colleague, Laura.

Tasty Trio of Paletas!

We're looking at forecast that indicates 20 days (or more) of triple digit temperatures up here, and I know we're not alone. It's 117º F today in Corning, and I just finished an Ascolano Cucumber M...

Apricots & Frangipane in Puff Pastry with Ascolano Mascarpone Cream

Abundant fresh apricots have us on our toes looking for ways to enjoy them, so this week created an simple yet artful dessert layering almond-rich frangipane, succulent baked apricots, and a peach-...

Angie Makes Home Cured Green Olives

This is a personal account from a first time olive briner using a special Corning home town recipe. See the special food safety note at the end.

Genovese Basil Pesto with Garlic Scapes

One of the flavors of a summer garden come from scapes harvested from hard necked garlic. Scapes bring a fresh, green, and slightly sweet taste with a hint of garlic's familiar warmth without the o...

Cherry Pecan Salad with Blue Cheese and Cherry Vinaigrette

Now that cherries are in season it's a terrific time to enjoy them in salads as well as desserts. As it happens, Ascolano is a terrific pairing, and our Amarena Cherry Balsamic Vinegar an excellent...

Smoky Balsamic Glazed Ribs

These ribs are fall off the bone tender with the heady aroma of smoke and the sweet tang of balsamic vinegar used in Donald's glaze recipe.  Caution: consider wearing a bib. Welcome, summer!

Raspberry & Ascolano Dressing

It's too hot to cook, so how about a simple salad that features fruit, flowers, and the magical combination of Ascolano EVOO and Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar?

Raspberry Coulis with Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar and Ice Cream

If you're in the mood to try something new, we put our Italian Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar to work this week as a topping for vanilla ice cream. This works well especially when paired with this rasp...

Balsamic Glazed Salmon With Charred Corn Salsa

Meals such as this herald summer to me. Quick and easy to make with fresh and bright flavors, this salsa makes an excellent foil for succulent grilled salmon.

Farinata Chickpea & Rosemary Pancake

Making this thin and crispy chickpea flour pancake scented with rosemary is ridiculously simple and the results immensely satisfying. All you need is water, chickpea flour, olive oil, and seasoning...

Torta Pasqualina alla California

This tasty savory ricotta custard is encased in phyllo sheets baked to a delightful crispiness with liberal brushes of olive oil. Chock full of greens and--if you choose--whole eggs--make this for ...

Irish Cottage Pie

This recipe is a simple and delicious belly-warming meal for the chilly days of early Spring. Known as "cottage pie" if beef is used and "shepherd's pie" if lamb is your meat of choice; did you gro...

Lucky Dragon Dumplings with Firecracker Sauce

Gung hay fat choy, we wish you prosperity this Dragon Year. Please enjoy reading and/or making this tasty dumpling recipe and find out why we make dumplings for the Spring Festival.

Chocolate Almond Olive Oil Torte

Here's a fun project if you like to bake. Happy Valentine's Day!

Beef, Beans, Butternut Squash, and Barley Soup

This hearty one pot meal relies on a good homemade beef stock and generous helpings of beans, barley, and other vegetables. We enjoyed it over the past few days, so the yield is 4 to 6 servings.

Tweak Your Tofu Technique

Learn how to transform firm tofu into a sauce-friendly and satisfying meaty-texture with something you already have at home.

Olive Oil Gougères with Mornay Duxelles Filling

Crunchy, cheesy, and immensely satisfying! Might warm olive oil gougères with a Mornay Duxelles filling make your short list for New Year's Eve hors d'oeuvres?

Olive Oil Brioche with Candied Fruit

This is variation on brioche and panettone substitutes olive oil for butter. The soft luxurious texture, flavor, and aroma remain intact without the butter, lowering the cholesterol a bit, although...

Making and Enjoying Candied Citrus Peel

Here are the technique notes for candying citrus peels and five ways to use them.

Pork Tenderloin with Spiced Fig Balsamic Butter Sauce

Here is a variation of our most downloaded recipe of 2023, Balsamic Butter Chicken. In a brilliant turn, Donald also thought to marinate the pork with a dry rub of homemade garam masala. Read on to...

Warm Herbed Olives for Easy Entertaining

These warmed herbed olives are both fast and simple, yet transform a jar of grocery store olives into something truly memorable. Here is one of my favorite serving suggestions for easy entertaining.

Not Your Mother's Tsimmes

There is an unmistakeable voluptuousness about tsimmes glistening on one's plate on a cold winter night, especially by candlelight. Make this succulent stew ahead of time to enjoy during the dark d...

We all love potato latkes

It's time to light the menorah, eat delicious fried food, and think about miracles. Read more to learn how Donald makes latkes, and perhaps you'd like to let us know--if you're a latke-eater--how y...

Fired Dried Walnuts & Pecans

"These nuts have a beguiling texture and an irresistible gloss of caramelized salt and sugar that make them almost universal favorites. These are not the heavily candied walnuts one finds in Hunane...

Smashed Potatoes

A crispy and chewy alternative to butter and cream laden mashed potatoes, these "smashed" potatoes rely heavily on your technique and extra virgin olive oil for a satisfying texture and taste.

Sweet Italian Sausage Pizza with Artichoke Hearts and Mushrooms

The thin crispy crust, acidic tomato sauce base, and bright tangy marinated artichoke hearts provide a good balance to the unctuous umami of the sweet Italian sausage, chewy umami of the crimin...

Fig and Gorgonzola Pizza with Balsamic Caramelized Onions and Prosciutto

The combination of juicy figs, unctuous gorgonzola, chewy-salty prosciutto, and sweet-tart balsamic vinegar caramelized onions makes a fairly complete meal in itself. This pizza and a simple salad ...

Bianco Vinaigrette Cabbage, Sauerkraut's Fresh Cousin

Here's yet another way to enjoy a simple Bianco Balsamic vinaigrette by softening and acidifying fresh cabbage for an instant version of a fermented favorite. Featuring Coratina EVOO.

Golden Goodness Dog Biscuit Recipe

The ingredients are healthy, and "golden" with EVOO "liquid gold", and fresh turmeric  the "golden spice". Human grade ingredients make our dog jump and spin in anticipation, and we find ourselves ...

Olive Oil Apple Honey Cake with Honey & Rosemary Syrup

This moist dense cake is really a quick bread, easy to make and enjoy. Best served warm with the accompanying syrup.

Warm Figs with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Vinegar

Fresh figs are in stores through early fall, so keep this delicious recipe in mind as you plan

Fried Green Tomatoes

Today we're writing about which tomatoes are the best for this southern classic, share a traditional recipe, and mention some variations. Let's get cookin'!

Balsamic Caramelized Mushrooms

This recipe for Balsamic Caramelized Mushrooms is an umami-bomb of "meaty", vegan wonder. How can 3 ingredients taste so amazing? Find out here!

Salmorejo, Classic Andalusian Tomato Soup

Salmorejo is an iconic cold soup from Córdoba, and although it features fresh fragrant tomatoes and a lot of olive oil, offers a wholly different culinary experience from Gazpacho. Find out more a...

Smoky Brined Pork Chops with Peaches

Make these smoky, salty, and succulent pork chops with grilled peaches and  crisp fennel and grilled corn salad. 

Chilled Cucumber Melon Soup

This quick and easy summer recipe is light and refreshing. Be sure to plan ahead in order to have it fully chilled before serving.

Asian Fusion Beef Bonus Recipe!

This bonus is an addendum to the Cold Asian Noodle Salad published today. We had not planned to use beef in our salad, however, having some on hand after the photoshoot created this happy accident.

Cold Asian Noodle Salad

There are many variations of traditional and non-traditional Asian noodle salads. This one is a Japanese-California fusion using three Japanese specialty ingredients (soba, soy sauce, and sesame se...

Sweet & Smoky Grilled Asparagus

Tangy, sweet, savory, and salty elements come together in this simple marinade to enhance asparagus on the grill.

Sweet & Smoky Roasted Red Pepper Relish

Simply roasting red peppers, even on the stovetop, imbues them with the requisite smokiness we've come to love, however, the addition of smoked salt and smoked sugar in this recipe adds another lay...

Balsamic Glazed Portobello Mushroom Burger

Here is another umami-rich mushroom recipe, this time using meaty Portobello mushrooms as the featured ingredient. Do you make a point of making meatless meals from time to time? This one is satisf...

Balsamic Caramelized Onions

Get ready for summer-time entertaining with this make-ahead condiment. Serve as a tasty relish on hamburgers or other sandwiches.

Ascolano Olive Oil Orange Sauce

Here is another quick and easy (a la minute) sauce. The fruity aroma of the Ascolano and the bright citrus flavor of the orange are a delightful pairing for this delicate sauce.