How to Make Easy Chimichurri Sauce « one of my favorite marinades and finishing touches. I have some in my fridge right now. How to Make Authentic Pico de Gallo « everyone needs a killer pico recipe.
Okay well maybe “alone” is a stretch. Technically the baby is here with me. And Eric is working in the other room. I know it won’t last long. All the kids are either outside biking or backyard-ing. If they are fighting, I can’t hear them, and that’s all I care about. How’s quarantining going for you? Have you lost your mind yet? The most exciting thing to happen lately was last night when the 3-year-old locked us all out of the bathroom right at bedtime, and we didn’t have the proper screwdriver to unlock it. It was complete pandemonium: you parents know all too well that eerie nighttime phenomenon when all children turn into wild animals. The climax of the evening happened when we broke quarantine to borrow the correct screwdriver from our neighbors. Then we locked them all in their bedroom for the rest of the night. The kids, not the neighbors. And I’m only kidding. But we were this close. I’m going to tell them to lock themselves in the bathroom next time, at least then I will get some peace and quiet. Above, you can see the level of simmering we’re going for. Just lightly bubbling, no more than that. You can see here how it will coat the back of a spoon when it’s ready.
Savory ideas
Fresh sliced tomatoes. I’m not even a tomato person and I love it plain like this. Caprese salad. Margherita pizza. Or any cheese pizza. Top a green salad. I like it plain, you could also add a drizzle of olive oil. Green vegetables: asparagus, green beans, broccoli, zucchini, sky’s the limit here. More veggie ideas: Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, sautéed spinach, sautéed mushrooms, fresh cucumbers or sweet peppers, etc. It’s really good on root vegetables. Think roasted potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, carrots, etc. Drizzle over any kind of grilled meat or vegetable. It would be good on these Sausage and Broccoli Kebabs. More meat ideas: Drizzle over pork tenderloin. Grilled or pan seared salmon, or any white fish. Top a juicy steak. Drizzle over avocado toast. (Ask me the story some time about when my brother had my parents over for brunch one day and served them avocado toast. My mom was so confused. Millennials, amiright? or is it actually #okboomer? haha! ) Serve as a compliment to a charcuterie board
It’s especially delicious with parmesan cheese Or Swiss cheese. Or Gruyere. Or Brie. Basically you can’t go wrong in the cheese department. Drizzle over spaghetti. Drizzle over a fancy grilled cheese sandwich (think brie + peaches, or white cheddar + pear). Drizzle over Crostini or Bruschetta.
Dip strawberries in it, or drizzle on top and serve with whipped cream. Drizzle over vanilla ice cream. Drizzle over grilled or fresh peaches. Top a cheesecake, with fresh strawberries. Mix a little bit into your jam or jelly and spread on toast.
sugar brown sugar honey maple syrup
A simple balsamic reduction made just from the vinegar is still pretty sweet, but adding a bit of sugar is a good idea for some recipes, especially if you’re adding it to a dessert. You can really add as much sweetener as you like, but a good rule of thumb is to use about 6 tablespoons of sweetener (honey, sugar, etc.) per 1 cup of balsamic vinegar that you are reducing. (Update: here they are, Caprese Salad Skewers Appetizer!) I don’t recommend freezing it (not like you really need to when it lasts so long in the fridge). The acid levels can change in frozen vinegar, and you don’t want to mess up the taste.
