Rosemary Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ tsp active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water, 110-115˚ F
• 2 tsp white sugar
• 2 tsp fine salt
• 3 Tb SOOC Rosemary Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 ½ cups bread flour
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• Extra EVOO for brushing on top and serving (I used SOOC garlic EVOO)
• Coarse sea salt and dried rosemary for sprinkling on top
• Serve with SOOC  Balsamic Vinegar

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast into 1 cup warm water. Mix in the sugar and salt. Let sit for about 10 minutes or until it foams. Add in Rosemary Olive Oil. Add flour and knead (by hand or mixer) for about 10 minutes. Add black pepper, and oregano. Knead another 5 minutes. Dough should come together well at this point; slightly sticky is fine. Place dough ball in well oiled bowl (I use Garlic EVOO) turning dough a few times so that dough surfaces are protected by oil. Tightly cover owl with cling wrap. Place in warm, draft-free area to rise until dough is doubled, approximately 1 hour, depending on room temp.
2. After dough is doubled, punch it down and shape into a rounded loaf. Using sharp knife, make a criss-cross design on top. Place rounded loaf on greased baking sheet. Cover up loaf with large mixing bowl inverted over it. Make sure bowl is large enough that it gives your loaf room to rise. Let rise until doubled again, approx. 1 hour.
3. After dough has doubled again, gently brush with olive oil, sprinkle with coarse sea salt and a bit of rosemary. Bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes. Bake until top is a nice golden brown, taking care not to over bake.
4. Serve bread fresh and warm, with your favorite SOOC olive oil, ground pepper and SOOC balsamic vinegar.

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Grilled Salmon with White Truffle Oil & Fig Balsamic

Ingredients: 4 (4oz) salmon filets

• 2 tbs SOOC Fig balsamic vinegar
• 4 tbs SOOC White Truffle oil
• 1/4 C lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 sprig rosemary, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Season salmon with salt and pepper and place into a shallow dish. Combine oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and rosemary in a small bowl. Pour mixture over the salmon filets, and coat well. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Pre-heat grill to a medium heat. Lightly brush grate with oil.

Remove salmon from marinade and place on grill. Cook until salmon is opaque and flakes with a fork, about 4-5 minutes per side. Drizzle fig balsamic over the salmon filets, if desired. Serve with your favorite roasted vegetables, salad greens, or brown rice!

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Tuna with Roasted Garlic, Cherry Tomatoes, Rosemary, and Black Olives

Tuna with Roasted Garlic and Cherry Tomatoes, Rosemary, and Black Olives

Serves 4 to 6

30 cherry tomatoes, halved
12 garlic cloves
olive oil, for cooking
salt and freshly ground black pepper
20 to 30 black olives, pitted
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (try our Traditional or Red Apple Balsamic)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (try our Garlic or Lemon EVOO)
1 fresh albacore tuna steak per person
arugula or mixed salad leaves, to serve

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Place the halved tomatoes and garlic in a roasting pan with a little olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Add the olives and rosemary and toss gently to coat everything with the oil. Roast for 25 minutes. When the tomatoes are cooked, remove the pan from the oven and leave to rest for 5 minutes–this will allow the juices to be released to make the sauce; add the balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil to the roasting pan to make a warm vinaigrette.

Heat some oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium to high heat. Season the tuna steaks with salt and black pepper. Do not overload the pan with cold fish, or the temperature will drop and the fish will boil rather than be seared; instead cook the fish in two or three batches. Sear the tuna in the frying pan for 1 minute, gently turn it over, and cook it for another minute for rare; if you prefer medium-rare, allow about another 20 seconds on each side, but no more. When removed from the pan, the fish will continue cooking from the residual heat and the salty, acidic marinade.

Remove the seared tuna from the pan and set aside. Scatter some arugula or mixed leaves over a large platter. Spoon half of the tomato mixture over the arugula and then arrange the seared tuna steaks on top. When you are ready to serve, spoon over the remaining tomato mixture with its warm juices. The tuna is meaty in taste and the tomatoes and garlic are rustic and robustly flavored, so I would suggest a light red wine such as a chilled Pinot Noir as an accompaniment.

This dish looks great served on a platter in the middle of the table, or if you prefer, you could plate the tuna individually. If you don’t have any rosemary, use sprigs of thyme or marjoram–all these herbs work well with the combined flavors of the tomatoes, garlic, and olives.

from Fish Tales by Bart van Olphen.

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