Recipes From January 2016 Newsletter

The Spicy Olive’s Tuscan Pot Roast
A delicious dinner for a cold January day:

4 Tbsp The Spicy Olive’s Tuscan Herb olive oil
1 4 lb. beef chuck or pot roast
1/2 cup red wine or beef broth
1/2 cup water
1 shallot, minced
4 potatoes, cubed
1 cup carrots, in chunks
1 1/2 cups portabella mushrooms
2 tsp. A 1 Sauce
1- 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 clove garlic, minced
sea salt & pepper to taste
Place the Tuscan Herb olive oil in a heavy dutch oven pan and heat over medium high heat. Place beef roast in pan and brown on all sides. Add shallots and garlic and allow to lightly brown, then add mushrooms and cook until tender. Add red wine or broth, water, A-1 sauce, tomatoes, potatoes and carrots to dutch oven. You can finish the roast three ways: Stove top over low heat for 3-4 hours, Crock pot on low for 8 hours or Oven set at 300 degrees for 2-3 hours. Roast will be very tender when done. Serve with red wine, a salad and a crusty loaf of bread with Tuscan Herb olive oil for dipping.

The Spicy Olive’s Asian Chicken and Rice
This recipes uses January’s Flavor of the month, Honey Ginger balsamic!

4 chicken thighs
2 Tbsp The Spicy Olive’s Garlic olive oil
1 onion, minced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups rice
3 1/4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup The Spicy Olive’s Honey Ginger white balsamic

Brown chicken thighs in a large, oven proof, straight sided skillet. Remove chicken and saute onion and garlic, add more Garlic olive oil if needed. Stir in 1 1/2 cups rice and coat with olive oil. Add 3 1/4 cups chicken broth and 1/4 cup Honey Ginger balsamic. Bring to a boil and return chicken to skillet. Cover and bake in a 375 degree oven until chicken is cooked through and liquid is absorbed about 25 minutes. Drizzle with a little Honey Ginger balsamic before serving.

The Spicy Olive’s Butter Cinnamon Rolls
uses the January oil of the Month : Butter Olive oil 

( a great family activity for a cold weekend day)

5 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 packages rapid rise yeast
2 cups warm water
¼ cup The Spicy Olive’s Butter Olive Oil
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons The Spicy Olive’s Butter Olive Oil
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
½ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup The Spicy Olive’s Butter Olive Oil
1/2 cup brown sugar

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. In a large bowl mix the water, sugar, butter olive oil, salt, and egg. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Knead dough on lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes. Place in well-greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

When doubled in size, punch down dough. Roll out on a floured surface into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle. Spread butter olive oil all over dough. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over “buttered” dough. Sprinkle with walnuts and or raisins, if desired. Beginning at the 15-inch side, role up dough and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 12 to 15 slices.

Preheat the oven to 350
Coat the bottom of baking pan with 1/3 cup butter olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2  cup brown sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan and let rise until dough is doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake for about 30 minutes or until nicely browned. 

Grilled Steaks Balsamico

1 c. The Spicy Olive Fig Balsamic Vinegar

4 (6 to 8 oz.) boneless beef steaks (sirloin)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
Marinate the steak in fig balsamic and salt and pepper for two hours or more. Grill for five minutes per side, or until desired doneness. Drizzle with additional fig balsamic before serving.

Balsamic-Pepper Flank Steak with Grilled Pears and Blue Cheese

For extra flavor, the marinade can be mixed with beef broth, boiled and reduced until thick – while the steak cooks – then drizzled over the finished dish.


1/4 c. The Spicy Olive’s Traditional Balsamic
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp. black peppercorns
Kosher salt
1.5 lbs. flank steak
2 pears, peeled, halved and cored
Crumbled blue cheese, for topping
In a blender, combine the vinegar, garlic, peppercorns and 1 tsp. of kosher salt. Blend for 20 seconds, then transfer to a wide shallow bowl. Add the steak to the marinade, turning to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, over night if possible.
When ready to cook, heat the broiler with a rack six inches from the heat. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil, then coat it lightly with any of The Spicy Olive’s single-varietal EVOO. Cut each pear half into four slices and arrange them on one half of the sheet. Remove the steak from the marinade and set it on the other half of the sheet. Broil everything for five minutes. Use tongs to flip the steak and pears. Broil for another five minutes for medium-rare.
Let the steaks rest for 10 minutes then cut into thin slices against the grain. Divide the slices between 4 serving plates, then top each with pear slices.
Top each serving with a little bit of crumbled blue cheese and serve.

Grilled Steak Salad with Walnut Dressing

1 small red onion, sliced

1/2 c. The Spicy Olive’s Single Varietal EVOO or Roasted Walnut Oil
1 c. coarsely chopped walnuts
1 garlic clove, minced
2 lb. flat iron, hanger or tri-tip steak
2 tbsp. The Spicy Olive’s Tuscan Herb Olive Oil
1 tbsp. of your favorite steak seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1/3 c. of The Spicy Olive’s Traditional Balsamic Vinegar
1 tbsp. dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
1 romaine heart, torn
2 oz. crumbled blue cheese

Preheat grill. Saute 1 thinly sliced red onion in 1/2 c. olive oil or the walnut oil in large skillet over medium high heat until golden and tender – about three or four minutes. Add walnuts and garlic, cook stirring occasionally, for three or four minutes, until walnuts start to brown. Remove from heat and cool.

Rub steak with the Tuscan Herb olive oil, steak seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Grill steak for five to seven minutes on each side until desired degree of doneness is reached (145-150 degrees for medium rare). Remove steak from grill and allow to rest 5 minutes. Slice thin.

Whisk together balsamic vinegar and dijon mustard. Gradually whisk in the walnut and oil mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Arrange lettuce on serving platter, drizzle with 1/4 c. of the salad dressing mixture. Top with steak slices. Sprinkle on blue cheese. Drizzle on the remaining salad dressing and serve.

Grilled Taco Burgers

1 pound Ground sirloin
1 pkg. taco seasoning
2 tbsp. The Spicy Olive’s Espresso Balsamic Vinegar
1 tbsp. tomato paste
.25 cup minced white onion
1 pkg. smoked gouda cheese
1 pkg. Brioche buns
1 large tomato
1 head leaf lettuce
Sour cream


Mix the first five ingredients together and form into .25 lb. patties. Grill until medium well or your preferred temperature. Assemble burgers with remaining ingredients.


If you’d like to add a little kick to your burger, substitute The Spicy Olive’s Jalapeño White Balsamic Vinegar

The Spicy Olive BBQ Marinade

1 cup of The Spicy Olive’s Cinnamon Pear Balsamic Vinegar

1 cup of The Spicy Olive’s Dark Chocolate or Espresso Balsamic Vinegar
1 cup chili sauce
1 tsp. chili powder
1 clove of garlic minced
1 tbsp. liquid smoke
2 bottles of beer (not light beer)
Mix together and use to marinade pork rib or beef rib slabs or a whole chicken – best to allow to marinade overnight for full flavor. Cook ribs in 250 degrees oven for 4+ hours to get really tender and then finish on the grill for the smoky taste. For the chicken, you can grill over a beer can until internal temperature reaches 170 degrees.

Asian Marinade

1 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup The Spicy Olive’s Organic Persian Lime Olive Oil
1/3 cup The Spicy Olive’s Honey Ginger White Balsamic Vinegar
2 tbsp. The Spicy Olive’s Roasted Sesame Oil
1 garlic clove, minced
Mix all ingredients. Marinade chicken, steaks or pork overnight and then grill or broil until proper internal temperature is reached. Allow meat to rest before slicing. Finish with a drizzle of roasted sesame oil.

The Spicy Olive’s Holiday Beef Tenderloin

The Spicy Olive’s Holiday Beef Tenderloin

1 whole beef tenderloin

1/3 cup The Spicy Olive’s Organic Garlic olive oil

2-3 tablespoons Steak Seasoning like McCormick’s Montreal Steak seasoning, Butt Rub sold at the Spicy Olive or The Spice and Tea Exchanges meat rubs sold at The Spicy Olive or use sea salt and pepper. 

  Keep the beef tenderloin whole. Rub the tenderloin with the garlic olive oil and seasonings of your choice until well coated. Place tenderloin on grill or in 400 degree oven and cook until internal temperature in thickest part is 140- 145 degrees. End will be more well done and the center will be rare so that all your guests should be able to find a piece to please.

The Spicy Olive’s Fig Sweet and Sour Meatballs

The Spicy Olive’s Fig Sweet and Sour Meatballs

2 Tbsp The Spicy Olive’s Harissa Olive Oil

1 clove garlic minced

1 ½ c tomato sauce

2 Tbsp tomato paste

½ c brown sugar

½ c The Spicy Olive’s Fig Balsamic Vinegar

¼ c The Spicy Olive’s Cinnamon Pear Vinegar

¼ tsp allspice

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp lemon juice

½ c Fig Balsamic Jam (available at The Spicy Olive)

1 pound lean ground beef

1 egg, beaten

1 large onion, grated

sea salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together the sauce ingredients and place in slow cooker. Add onion and garlic and set on low heat until the sauce is warm.

Combine ground beef, egg, onion and salt. Mix well and form into 1” balls. Add to sauce and simmer for 1½ – 2 hours.

The Spicy Olive Slow Cooker Beef, Barley & Squash Stew

The Spicy Olive’s Slow Cooker Beef, Barley and Squash Stew

3 tablespoons The Spicy Olive’s Organic Garlic olive oil, divided

1 lb. beef chuck roast, cut into 3 pieces

sea salt and pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

4 thyme sprigs

4 cups beef broth, divided

1/2 pound small potatoes, halved

2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed

1/2 cup pearl barley 

If your slow cooker has a stove top safe insert then heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat, otherwise do in a medium skillet and transfer to slow cooker later. Season beef with salt and pepper and brown pieces in olive oil until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes. Add remaining olive oil and garlic and saute until fragrant. Place insert into slow cooker or transfer to slow cooker and add thyme and 2 cups beef broth and scrap down sides and bottom of pan to release browned bits. Transfer this broth to slow cooker.  Add potatoes, squash and barley to slow cooker with 2 cups water and remaining 2 cups of beef broth. Cover and cook on high until meat is very tender and liquid mostly absorbed (about 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.) Using 2 forks shred beef. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 6.

 ** Would also be delicious with carrots or celery or other vegetables you might like to add.