Especially in summer when fresh local produce is so bountiful, I love finding ways to showcase those flavors with as little work as possible. My friend Tamra, who owns the VOM FASS store at MOA, showed me some spectacularly wonderful olive oils and vinegars to do just that. Some of the uses are expected–a quick and easy salad dressing or drizzled for bread–but it’s also possible to use these flavored oils and vinegars as sauces. She even suggested adding the bright, citrusy Calamansi balsamic to bubbly water….yum!
I wanted to highlight the Chili Fig Balsamic Vinegar this week with grilled pork chops. First, I marinated boneless chops in 1/2c orange juice+1tsbp salt+1tsbp sugar+chopped rosemary for about an hour. Matt grilled them alongside some bell peppers, and zucchini/yellow squash from our CSA share. Goat cheese polenta served as the starch. The kicker to this meal was the orange olive oil I drizzled over the vegs to complement the pork, which got finished off with the chili fig balsamic. This is a restaurant-quality, weeknight-friendly meal!
I love these products because they help us make eating healthy easy, check out VOM FASS online for tasting events and more recipes. Thank you Tamra! 🙂
The Hungry Boys 