THE NIBBLE BLOG: Products, Recipes & Trends In Specialty Foods


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Olive Salsa Recipe: Why Add Olives To Salsa?

Why add olives to salsa? Because June 1st is National Olive Day.

Olives add another layer of flavor—tangy and piquant—to the sweetness of the tomatoes, the bite of the raw onion, and the heat of the chile spice(s).

This recipe from DeLallo shows how easy it is.

There’s also an easy hack: Add sliced or quartered olives to store-bought salsa.

Note that since salsa means sauce in Spanish, olive salsa is also a sauce made from chopped olives. Here’s a recipe.
 
 
RECIPE: OLIVE SALSA

This recipe is for a red salsa, but you can also add olives to salsa verde.

You can also use the salsa as a sauce or a condiment with chicken, fish, lamb, pork and vegetables.

For this recipe, DeLallo used their Piccante Green Pitted Olives, which are blended with hot chile flakes.

If you prefer black olives to green olives, make the switch!
 
 
Ingredients

  • 2 cups seeded, diced Roma tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup green pitted olives, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar
  • Optional: red chile flakes as desired
  •  
    Plus

  • Tortilla chips
  •  
    Preparation

    1. COMBINE all ingredients in a large bowl; mix gently until thoroughly incorporated.

    2. TRANSFER to a serving bowl and serve with tortilla chips.
     
     
    > THE HISTORY OF SALSA
     
     
    > THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SALSA
     
     
     > 15 MORE USES FOR SALSA
     
     
    > TYPES OF OLIVES & OLIVE OIL

     


    [1] Olive salsa with tortilla chips (photos #1 and #2 and recipe © DeLallo).


    [2] DeLallo uses its Piccante Olives, with added red chile flakes. In English, piccante translates to spicy or hot.


    [3] If you don’t like green olives, use black olives. If you like both, how about a mix (photo © Food Match)?

     

      

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    Rougette Grilling Cheese: A Cheese That Doesn’t Melt


    [1] The Rougette Bon Fire brand has two varieties of cheeses for the grill (all photos © Champignon North America).


    [2] Serve the grilled patties with fruits, meats or vegetables.


    [3] Patties hold their shape as they cook with grill marks.


    [4] A favorite use of the grilled cheese patties? On a burger, of course.


    [5] The marinated cheese variety doesn’t hold its shape, but becomes soft, spreadable, dippable, and fondue-like.


    [6] Rougette Bon Fire marinated cheese.


    [7] Rougette Grilling Cheese patties.

     

    Not many Americans know halloumi, a cheese from Cyprus, Greece; or paneer, from northern India•.

    More people may know queso blanco, which originated in Spain and was brought to Mexico.

    Much less well-known in the U.S. are Lithuanian white cheese, and juustoleipä, also known in the U.S. as Finnish squeaky cheese and bread cheese.

    All of these cheeses fall into the category of grilling cheese, and have one important feature in common: They don’t melt on the grill (or with any other heat source).

    You can grill them or bake them, and serve the firm patty as an appetizer, in a salad, on a burger, as a dessert with fruit, etc. It can give new meaning to a grilled cheese sandwich.

    There are more uses below.

    There’s a new grilling cheese in town: Rougette Bon Fire Grilling Cheese, a brand from Bavaria, Germany.

    You can cook it on any grill (charcoal, electric, gas), as well as on the stove top and in the oven (just brush both sides of the slices with olive oil).

    Bonus: The cheeses is lactose free! We’ll tell you more about it in a moment, but first:
     
     
    WHY DON’T GRILLING CHEESES MELT?

    In the process of cheese making, the fresh curds for grilling cheeses are heated in their own whey, which has been heated to a high temperature. The curds are then shaped and placed in brine.

    That result is a rigid structure, creating cheese that remains intact under heat. Because of the high heat at which the curds were coagulated, they’ll never melt.

    The cheese can be made from cow’s, goat’s or sheep’s milk, or a blend.
     
     
    ROUGETTE GRILLING CHEESES

    Rougette Bon Fire grilling cheeses from Käserei Champignon are available in two versions. One melts, one doesn’t.

  • Both varieties are lactose-free, due to the natural maturation process during their production.
  • They are naturally gluten-free and vegetarian-friendly, using microbial rennet.
  • The pasteurized cheeses are made with rBST-free milk, from cows that graze on the green grasses and alpine flowers in Bavaria. The result: more flavorful milk.
  •  
    Non-Melting Grilling Patties

    These yummy patties can be heated directly on the grill. They completely hold their form and acquire grill marks. They won’t stick or melt: no mess (photos #1, #2, #3 and #4)!

    The rind becomes crisp when heated: a crispy golden outside and a warm, creamy inside. Thus, they ooze a bit after you bite into them. Delightful!

    Vegetarian Bonus

    While this cheese will be loved by any cheese eater, it’s a option for vegetarians beyond vegetable- and grain-based burgrers.

    Serve the patty on a bun with lettuce, tomato, raw or grilled onion, and a side of pickles. Should you add a veggie or grain burger, too? Sure!

    Carnivores can enjoy the grilled patty this way, too; or can place the cheese patty atop any meat or poultry burger.

    We’d love to see a version with chili flakes mixed in!

    Marinated Grilling Cheese

    Rougette Bon Fire has a second type of “grilling cheese”: cheese rectangles that are marinated in oil and herbs (photos #5 and #6).

    It does indeed melt, and serves as a hot cheese dip, spread or sauce.

    It’s packaged in an aluminum pan that goes right onto the grill, and can be brought to the table.

    Is It Halloumi?

    The cheese is similar to halloumi, but is slightly different—a bit softer and less salty (both of which we think are benefits).

    In the U.S., halloumi is a protected name, following the EU’s register of protected designations of origin. This means that only halloumi made in Cyprus can carry the name halloumi.
     
     
    WAYS TO USE ROUGETTE GRILLING CHEESES

    Breakfast

  • Bagel. Add a grilled slice to a toasted bagel.
  • Eggs Benedict. Make Rougette Eggs Benedict, with or without the Canadian bacon. Or, have a simpler breakfast ham and cheese on an English muffin.
  • Fried Eggs. Serve fried slices with eggs or in a breakfast burrito.
  • Scrambled Eggs. Add grilled diced cubes to a scrambled egg mixture.
  •  
    Lunch

  • Burger. Add a patty to your burger. Easy peasy.
  • Chili. Substitute a grilled patty for the cheddar (or top a grilled patty with the chili).
  • Salad. Top a green salad with a grilled patty.
  • Sandwich. Have a grilled patty on your favorite bread. Add sliced tomatoes, roasted red peppers, olive condiment (you can chop your own and mix with fresh parsley), and spread with a salsa/mayo mixture. For a grilled cheese sandwich, place the patty between two slices of toast or grilled bread.
  •  
    Dinner

  • Antipasto. Serve a patty (halved or quartered) with antipasto or with Middle Eastern mezze.
  • “Caprese” Salad. Substitute grilled patties for the mozzarella slices with sliced tomatoes and a chiffonade of basil (we like a balsamic vinaigrette).
  • Meats. Serve half a patty with grilled or roasted meat and poultry.
  •  
    Dessert

  • Dessert Cheese Plate. Serve quarters of the grilled patty on a cheese plate.
  • Fruits. Pair the grilled cheese with a variety of fresh or grilled fruits.
  • Sweet Cheese. Drizzled the grilled patty with honey. Add an optional garnish of pistachio nuts or candied walnuts, berries or other fruits and sweet spices (cinnamon or nutmeg, for example).
  • Melon. Pair the cheese with your melon of choice.
  •  
     
    > THE HISTORY OF CHEESE

    > THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHEESE

     
     
    CHEESE TRIVIA

    Cheese has always been an important source of protein for people who couldn’t afford meat.

    In feudal† Europe, it was also known as “white meat” [source].
     
     
    RELATED ARTICLES

  • Halloumi Cheese
  • Grilled Cheese Sandwich With Halloumi
  • Yanni Grilling Cheese
  •  

    ________________

    *Before India, paneer was made in the Middle East. Scholars believe that Afghan and Persian rulers introduced it to northern India in the 16th century. The word paneer comes from the peynir, which generically means “cheese” in the Turkish and Persian languages [source].

    †Feudalism in medieval Europe flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries. It was an oppressive system that structuring society around the ownership of land, or fiefdom (fief for short). The land was worked by peasant farmers (serfs), who were tied to individual plots of land and forbidden to move or change occupations without the permission of their lord. Like the serfs in Russia, the peasants lived in poverty and had minimal legal rights [source].

      

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    Runamok Maple Syrup Aged In WhistlePig Rye Barrels.

    Runamok Maple Syrup x WhistlePig Rye Whiskey: a fusion of handcrafted, artisan brands. The result: a unison of two of Vermont’s most celebrated producers and an delicious addition to Runamok Maple’s growing collection of barrel-aged, infused and smoked maple syrups.

    The new bottling is Runamok Maple’s pure Vermont maple syrup that has been aged in the same Vermont oak barrels that WhistlePig uses for its award-winning rye whiskey.

    In addition to lush maple flavor, the bottle aging in barrels delivers notes of toffee and rye spice—so good you can eat it from the spoon.
     
     
    OTHER RUNAMOK MAPLE SYRUPS

    Barrel Aged Maple Syrups: In addition to the new WhistlePig syrup, there are Apple Brandy Barrel Aged, Bourbon Barrel Aged, Rum Barrel Aged, Whiskey Barrel Aged Maple Syrups.

    Infused Maple Syrups: Cardamom Infused, Cinnamon + Vanilla Infused, Cocoa Bean Infused, Coffee Infused, Elderberry Infused, Ginger Root Infused, Hibiscus Infused, Jasmine Tea Infused, Makrut Lime Infused, Smoked Chili Pepper Infused and Strawberry Rose Infused.

    More: There’s the Sugarmaker’s Cut Traditional Maple Syrup, Smoked With Pecan Wood Maple Syrup, plus limited editions and seasonal flavors, such as Holiday Spice Infused and Festivus Infused (in honor of the Costanza family).

    Runamok is one of our favorites lines of maple syrup. They different varieties are as delightful in cocktails and on pancakes as they are as sauces and glazes.

    Check out 18 ways to use maple syrup beyond French toast, pancakes and waffles.

    Check them out here.
     
     
    ALSO NEW: MAPLE COCKTAIL MIXERS & COCKTAIL BITTERS

    The WhistlePig collaboration also includes Barrel-Aged Maple Bitters, made with a base of WhistlePig’s 15-year-aged Estate Oak Rye and Runamok Maple’s organic maple syrup.

    A special blend of herbs and spices is added to the base to create a beautiful version of bitters. Just a few drops will elevate a wide variety of cocktails.
     
    New Cocktail Syrups

  • Ginger Mule Cocktail Syrup
  • Maple Tonic
  • Maple Old Fashioned
  • Smoked Old Fashioned
  •  
    New Cocktail Bitters

  • Aromatic Maple Bitters
  • Floral Maple Bitters
  • Orange Maple Bitters
  •  
     
    These products are great for gifting and for treating yourself.
     
     
    GET YOURS AT RUNAMOKMAPLE.COM.

    THE DIFFERENT GRADES OF MAPLE SYRUP

     


    [1] A bottle of the new Runamok maple syrup aged in WhistlePig rye barrels (all photos © Runamok Maple).


    [2] One of the many ways you can use it: Top ice cream and other desserts.


    [3] New for cocktails: Runamok Maple Bitters & Maple Cocktail Syrup are one of four varieties.


    [4] Sparkle Syrup enlivens a Pimm’s Cup (a classic summer drink).

     

      

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