Shaved Brussles Sprouts with Melgarejo Arbequina, Lemon Agrumato Olive Oil & Parmesan Cheese

My husband hated Brussles sprouts until...

Ingredients
1 pound Brussles sprouts, stem end trimmed off
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
1/4 cup shave Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Melgarejo Arbequina
1 tablespoon Lemon Agrumato (fused) olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
sea salt to taste
fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions
Shave or slice the Brussles sprouts as thinly as possible.  This can be done on a mandolin, using the slicing disk of a food processor, or simply by using a very sharp knife coupled with decent knife skill.

In a large saute pan, heat the arbequina olive over medium-high heat.  Begin by sauteing the shallots until they just begin to caramelize on the edges.   Add the shaved brussles sprouts and saute, stirring frequently until they are just barely softened, and begin to caramelize on the edges a bit.

Add the lemon juice and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste, and toss well to combine.  Serve drizzled with the fused lemon olive oil and shaved Parmesan cheese.

Serves 6 as a side

Shrimp & Andouille Over Baklouti Chili Agrumato Olive Oil-White Cheddar Grits


Shrimp & Sausage
1 1/2 pounds 21-25 wild shrimp
1/2 pound Andouille sausage, cut in 1/2" dice
1 large shallot, minced
2 medium cloves garlic, minced 
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Baklouti Fused Olive Oil
 
Shrimp Stock (optional) 
chicken broth or stock will work here
3 cups water
shrimp shells
2 teaspoons sea salt 
 
Grits 
2 1/2 cups shrimp stock 
1/2 cup heavy cream 
3/4 cup quick grits
sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup) 
Salt and freshly ground pepper 
3 tablespoons Fused Baklouti Chili Olive Oil 

Sauce 
1 tablespoon 
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup shrimp stock 
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon Fused Baklouti Olive Oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme


(Skip this step if using chicken broth or stock)
Peel the shrimp and reserve the shells.  Heat 3 cups of water with shrimp shells in a stock pot and bring to a boil.  Boil for 2 minutes, and then set aside to steep for 5 minutes.  Strain the stock and reserve.
Mix together the garlic powder, salt, smoked paprika, thyme, black pepper and then toss the shrimp in the spice mixture to coat.  
Heat the Baklouti olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add the cut up Andouille sausage and saute until just barely golden brown.  Add the shallots and cook for another minute.  Finally add the garlic and shrimp.  Saute until the shrimp is just barely cooked though, another minute or two.  Do not overcook!!!  Remove the shrimp and sausage mixture and reserve.

In a medium saucepan, bring 2 1/2 cups of shrimp stock and heavy cream to a boil. Whisk in the grits and cook over moderately high heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and the grains are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the cheese, Baklouti Olive Oil, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, and whisk just until the cheese is melted. Cover and remove from the heat.

In the same pan that the shrimp and sausage was cooked in, add a tablespoon of Baklouti Olive Oil, over medium high heat add the flour to the olive oil and whisk until the roux becomes a medium-tan color, scraping up all the caramelized bits from the bottom of the pan.  Add the tomato paste and stir in to the roux, cooking for another minute.  Add the shrimp stock and cream to the pan, and whisk until the mixture is thickened, another minute or two.  Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.  Add the reserved shrimp and sausage mixture to the sauce and stir heating until warmed though.  Do not overcook the shrimp!

Serve the shrimp and sauce over the hot grits with more Baklouti drizzled over the top, if desired.

Serves 6

Dark Chocolate and Mandarin Agrumato Olive Oil Madeleines


These are absolutely mind blowing.  Here's a perfect example of using olive oil not simply because it's amazingly good for the human body, but also because if the right olive oil is used in the proper context, it can dramatically elevate even the most humble of culinary applications. 

The bright, citrus notes of the Mandarin Agrumato (fused) Olive Oil play beautifully with the deep, earthy, rich dark chocolate. The exterior edges are just ever so barely caramelized, while the middles are ethereal and moist.

Ingredients
 1 cup flour + 1/4 cup for pan
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup Mandarin Agrumato (fused) Olive Oil + 1 tablespoon for greasing pan

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375.

Grease a 12 portion madeleine pan with with mandarin olive oil and then dust with flour.

Combine the eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat for 2 minutes until light and thick.  Add the olive oil and beat for another minute.  Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa in another bowl and fold in to the wet ingredients making sure to not leave any dry spots.  

Spoon in the to the prepared madeleine mold(s) and bake in the upper portion of the oven for 10-12 minutes, or just until the tops spring back when lightly touched and the edges begin to darken slightly.

Immediately un-mold the cookies on to a rack to cool.  If you only have one madeleine pan, clean it and repeat the process above a second time as this recipe makes 2 dozen cookies.  

Allow to cool and enjoy.  These are best fresh, the day they're made. 

Makes 2 dozen