Highlights from our annual Farm, Food & Wine Tour from 2017. Thanks everyone for joining us! We’re sold out for this year but save the date for Oct 23-25, 2020.
Tag Archives: Olive Oil
Memorial Day 2019
Summer is almost here! Not that you would know that by the weather we’re having. The rain is nice and it makes the garden grow but my other half is craving those warm summer days. Even though here in Southern California we grill all year long, Memorial Day is the official start of grilling season. Whether you grill on gas, charcoal or wood these recipes are easy do ahead recipes for cooking outdoors and picnics. So clean up that grill and set the table because dinner is served! Check out this simple cheese platter, get A Little Book of Cheese to learn all about cheese and how to make a platter!
Summer Pasta Salad
Make this light summer pasta salad recipe a day ahead of time so that it can soak up all the bright, tangy dressing.
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup olive oil, approximately
- Salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon fresh basil, torn
- 1/2 cup diced cucumber
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
- 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
- 1/4 cup sliced black olives
- 1/2 cup crumbled or diced cheese, mozzarella, chedderella, goat cheese or any you prefer
- 1 ½ cup cooked pasta, cooked and chilled*
For dressing, mix together vinegar, Dijon, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and whisk until it comes together. While continually whisking slowly add olive oil to taste. Set aside.
Mix together remaining ingredients and toss with dressing. Serve cold.
*Boil the pasta according to package directions, drain and rinse with cold water. When pasta has cooled down a bit, shake off excess water (dry with a towel, if necessary) and toss lightly with olive oil to keep from it sticking together. Refrigerate until ready to toss with dressing. Be sure to cool your pasta before adding the dressing otherwise the pasta will soak it all up.
BBQ Baby Back Ribs
This is quick and easy do ahead baby back ribs. By using your Instant Pot or pressure cooker your ribs will come out nice and tender. Finish off on the grill with your favorite BBQ sauce.
- 1 slab Baby Back Pork Ribs
- Sea salt and pepper
- 1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 1 celery stalk, large diced, roughly chopped
- 1 carrot, roughly chopped
- 1 cup beer (or water)
- 1 cup BBQ sauce or more
Cut the racks of ribs in to sections that will fit in the pressure cooker and rub with salt and pepper.
Place onion, celery, carrot and beer in the pressure cooking pot. If you’re going to make sauce from the juices in the pressure cooker you can place the ribs directly in the liquid or put the ribs on the rack if you’re going to finish the ribs on the grill or under the broiler with another sauce.
Close and lock the lid of the pressure cooker. Select High Pressure and set the timer for 12 minutes. Press start.
When beep sounds, turn off pressure cooker and use a natural pressure release for 10 minutes and then do a quick pressure release to release any remaining pressure. When valve drops carefully remove lid.
Remove the ribs and cool to room temperature. Once cool, refrigerate until ready to serve.
To finish the ribs:
Preheat the BBQ grill to a medium high heat. Coat one side of the ribs with BBQ sauce and grill 3 minutes. Coat the other side with BBQ sauce flip and grill an additional 3 minutes. Slather on additional BBQ sauce and grill each side for an additional 3 minutes.
You could do the same as above by broiling them until just how you like them.
Serve immediately.
Stuffed Baked Potatoes
The perfect BBQ side dish as they can be made in advance, wrapped in foil and heated on the grill before serving.
- 2 medium to large russet potatoes, rinsed, dried
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated
- 1/4 cup butter, (1/2 stick) room temperature
- 2 green onions or chives, chopped
- Sea salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 tablespoons cooked bacon, crumbled, optional
Preheat oven to 450°. Pierce potatoes with fork. Lightly oil potatoes and
place on oven rack. Bake until cooked through, about 1 hour. If potatoes
starts to crisp and brown up, turn the oven down to 400. Transfer to baking
sheet; cool 5 minutes. Cut potato in half lengthwise. Carefully scoop meat
from the shell and mix with remaining ingredients, mashing lightly as you go. Season and taste before scooping mixture into potato shell.
Can be prepared 1 day ahead, covered and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before the final cooking stage.
Preheat oven to 400°. Bake potatoes on baking sheet until heated through
and beginning to brown, about 25 minutes. For the grill, wrap each ½ in heavy duty foil, heat on the indirect side of the grill for about 20 minutes or until hot. Garnish with finely minced green onions, chives or crumbled bacon.
Special Event
Get a preview of Chef Debbi’s upcoming NEW book!
A Little Book of Cheese
Cooking Demo at Temecula Olive Oil Co. Seal Beach
Thur. Jan 31, 6:30 – 8:30, approximately
Small Cheese Tasting
Smoked Gouda and Red Pepper Grilled Cheese Sandwich Bites
Fried Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives
Italian Stuffed Shells with Broccoli and Pine Nuts
Brie Puff Pastry Pockets
$45.00
By Reservation Only
(562) 296-5421
Temecula Olive Oil Co.
148 Main Street
Seal Beach, CA 90740
Feb. Cooking Demo
Feb. Cooking Demo
Thurs. Feb 7th
Tues. Feb 19th
6:30 – 8:30, approximately
Menu
Caesar Dip with Crudités
Shrimp Lettuce Wraps
Glazed Steak Tips with Mushrooms & Blue Cheese
Dijon Roasted Potatoes with Parmesan & Chives
Red Velvet Cheesecake Cupcakes
By Reservation Only
(562) 296-5421
Temecula Olive Oil Co.
148 Main Street
Seal Beach, CA 90740
Events Sponsored by
Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
- 1 # ground chicken
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons Italian flat leafed parsley, chopped
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon fresh ground Italian spices
- Sea salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 1 ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Combine ground chicken, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, parsley, egg and season with ground Italian spices and salt and pepper. Heat a large sauté pan, add enough oil to coast the bottom of the pan and brown meatballs on all sides. Remove meatballs and whip out the pan with a towel. Add the crushed tomatoes to the pan and bring to a simmer. Add the meatballs and mozzarella cheese and cook until the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Cover with a lid if you like to melt the cheese faster, the meatballs are already cooked.
Serve immediately over pasta.
Meatballs and sauce can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Adapted from Delish
Lettuce Varieties
Are you hankering for some romaine lettuce? Well, there are tons of alternatives here in So. Cal for you. From the CDC website here’s what they are saying about the current outbreak of e coli on romaine lettuce.
‘Based on new information, CDC is narrowing its warning to consumers. CDC is advising that U.S. consumers not eat and retailers and restaurants not serve or sell any romaine lettuce harvested from the Central Coastal growing regions of northern and central California. If you do not know where the romaine is from, do not eat it.’
Here’s the link for more information, CDC.
Personally, I like a mix of lettuce mostly, a little crunch, a little color and a tangy dressing. My favorite is a good old Italian dressing made with a very good red wine vinegar. I love a little cheese as well, blue, parmesan or goat goes well with a tangy Italian dressing.
Just mix a little Dijon mustard, like Maille, with your red wine vinegar, add a little minced shallot, some fresh ground Italian spices and whisk in a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper and you’re done.
Local lettuce varieties are usually more plentiful during the winter as most lettuce prefers to grow in the cooler weather. Here are some varieties that will offer no only color but flavor to your salad bowl.
Choose lettuce that is bright with no brown edges or spots. Try and get them not too wet, if they are wet, they have a tendency to go bad faster. Pick whole heads of lettuce rather than bagged lettuce. The more lettuce is handled from field to bag the greater chance it can pick up any bacteria. Bagged lettuce can also be washed with chlorinated water and tends to be older than a non-bagged lettuce. Are you tempted to buy the bag that says triple washed and leave it at that? That lettuce may be contaminated with more than just chlorinated water and if it’s wet at all it will likely rot within a couple of days in that bag. Buy un-bagged lettuce, wash and dry well before storing. You might notice that if you purchase your lettuce at a farmers market that it lasts longer than a store bought lettuce, it’s because your farmers market lettuce was probably picked within a couple of days. I’ve had lettuce last up to 2 weeks from my farmers markets. So here are just some of the lettuce types you should be able to pick up anywhere.
Arugula (Rocket)-spicy and peppery, the larger the leaves the more bite it will have
Batavia is a loose-leaf lettuce similar to red or green leaf lettuce with a mild flavor
Belgian Endive-these can be a tad bitter, but they will add crunch to any salad mix
Butter-a very mild lettuce with big cupped leaves, great for serving topped with a crab salad
Frisee (Curly Endive)-Sometimes called chicory, the leaves are thin and curly with a little bit of a bite, aka peppery.
Iceberg-A dense head of lettuce with lots of crunch but little flavor
Leaf Lettuce, Red or Green-Another loose leaf lettuce with mild flavor but both add a lot of color to a salad bowl, great on sandwiches as well.
Little Gem-This lettuce looks like a mini version of romaine but it’s not as crunchy, mild flavor
Oakleaf-Another beautiful bi-colored loose-leaf lettuce that has a mild taste
Radicchio-There are numerous colors of radicchio, most have a little bitterness but a great addition to any salad.
Spring Mix-Usually a variety of small lettuces, some are mild, and some mixes can be spicy.
Watercress – Although probably a little difficult to find it makes a nice addition to a mixed salad or added to a rustic piece of bread slathered with some soft cheese. It has a peppery bit, much like Arugula. Use smaller leaves for less intense flavor.
January 2019 Cooking Demo
Join us in Seal Beach
NEW DATES/DAYS
Thur. Jan 10th
Tue Jan 22
6:30 – 8:30, approximately
Menu
Pink Grapefruit, Avocado & Watercress Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Spaghettini with Vodka Cream Sauce
Winter Roasted Vegetables with Basil Vinaigrette
Lemon Curd Cream Puffs
$45.00
Taking reservations now, call:
Temecula Olive Oil, 148 Main St. Seal Beach
(562) 296-5421
Sponsored by our friends at
December Cooking Demo
Join us in Seal Beach
Thursday,
Dec. 6th Only!
6:30 – 8:30, approximately
Camembert & Cranberry Pastries
Mini Spanakopita
Cabernet Braised Short Rib Bites
Warm Potato Salad with Bacon
Chocolate Peppermint Cake
$45.00
For reservations call
Temecula Olive Oil, 148 Main St. Seal Beach
(562) 296-5421
Sponsored by
What’s coming up in 2019?
We will continue to host 2 cooking demo’s a month but we will host them on Thursdays and Tuesdays. Here are the dates for Jan – Mar. Menu’s tbd
Jan
Thur. 10th & Tues. 22nd
Feb.
Thur 7th & Tues 19th
Mar.
Thur 7th & Tues 19th
Happy Holidays!
2018 Fall Farm, Food & Wine Tour
Nov. Cooking Demo
Join us in Seal Beach
Thursday,
Nov. 8th & 15th
6:30 – 8:30, approximately
Menu
Citrus & Pomegranate Hamachi with avocado & Pistachio
Duck a ’la apricot
Cranberry & Chestnut Dressing
Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Parmesan
Sea Salt Chocolate Mousse
$45.00
For reservations call
Temecula Olive Oil, 148 Main St. Seal Beach
(562) 296-5421
Sponsored by
Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake
Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 cup olive oil*
- 3 eggs
- 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin (or 2 cups freshly roasted sugar pumpkin)
- Powdered sugar
- 1 package cream cheese, room temperature
Preheat oven to 350°.
In a medium-sized bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cloves.
Combine sugar and oil in a large bowl with a rubber spatula until blended.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add flour mixture to egg mixture alternately with pumpkin in three batches, beating
well after each addition.
Transfer to a greased Bundt cake pan.
Bake 60-65 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Cool for approximately 10-15 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack.
Remove pan carefully from cake and cool completely.
Easy Cream Cheese Frosting
Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, and beat at low speed until sugar is incorporated.
Increase speed to medium high and beat until frosting is light and whipped, about 3 to 4 minutes. Use to top cookies, cupcakes, or cakes
I like to use an orange flavored olive oil for this cake.
Oct. Cooking Demo
Join us in Seal Beach
Thursday,
Oct. 11th & 18th
6:30 – 8:30, approximately
Fall Harvest Celebration Menu
Gazpacho Shooters
Fall Salad with Oranges and Pomegranate Arils
Santa Maria Style Tri Tip
Ranchero Beans
With Tortillas
Mini Tangerine Olive Oil Cakes
$45.00
For reservations call
Temecula Olive Oil, 148 Main St. Seal Beach
(562) 296-5421
Sponsored by
Photo: Food and Wine Magazine
