This recipe is adapted form one of our favorite food magazines, Clean Eating.  What we loved about this recipe is it was gluten-free and flavorful!  The Balsamic reduction adds sweetness to the meat and pairs with the sweet potato mash perfectly.

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Balsamic Sirloin with Sweet Potato Mash

Ingredients:
1/2 cup STAR Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 cup thinly sliced sweet onion
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp chile powder
1/2 tsp allspice
1 lb boneless sirloin steak, trimmed of fat
1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp STAR Grapeseed Oil
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Fresh thyme for garnish, optional

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Directions:
In a small bowl, combine STAR Balsamic Vinegar, onion, Worcestershire sauce, chile powder and allspice. In a large baking pan, add sirloin. Top with 2 tbsp of the vinegar mixture, turning several times to coat.  Marinate for 15 min, turning occasionally.

Meanwhile, fill a pot with 2 inches of water and set a steamer basket over top.  Please the potatoes in the basket and bring water to a boil. Cover. reduce heat to medium and steam until fork-tender, about 13min.  (If you do not have a steamer basket you can boil the potatoes)

After the potatoes are done, transfer them into a pot. Mash with a potato masher and mix in the milk, 1/4 tsp of salt.  Cover and set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the STAR Grapeseed Oil on medium-high. Remove sirloin from marinade and add to skillet. Discarding any leftover marinade. Cook the sirloin 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and sprinkle with 1/8 tsp salt and pepper.

Add the remaining vinegar mixture to the skillet and bring to a boil on medium-high. Cook, constantly scraping the bottom and sides with a wooden spoon, for 1 to 2 minutes until reduced to about half.  Remove from heat. With a sharp knife, thinly slice the sirloin against the grain into about 16 slices. Ont he serving plates spoon the potatoes, place the sirloin and top the sirloin with the vinegar reduction. Garnish with thyme, if desired.

STAR EVOO

We recently had a chance to sit down with Olivia, the face of our Extra Virgin Olive Oil, to ask her a few questions:

Q: Where are you from?
A: Toledo, Spain just south of Madrid, in the area know as Castille-La Mancha.

Q: Tell us about yourself:
A: I am very pleased that Star Fine Foods has used my image on their large tins of Extra Virgin Olive Oil packaging for the last few years and have decided to use my portrait in the bottles now.

Q: What are some of your interests?
A: Cooking, entertaining friends and relatives, going to the Opera, attending museums and flamenco dancing.

Q: Favorite things to do?
A: I love to have my friends over for Tapas on Friday nights. Tapas are a wide variety of appetizers, or snacks, in Spanish cuisine. The city I am from, Toldeo, is know for a special cheese called Manchego and I love to use it in my Tapas.

Q: What do you like to Cook?
A: Besides Tapas, I love Estofado de Pollo. It is a typical chicken stew eaten in the region of Castilla, where the winters are chilly and food warms you from the inside out. Served with home-fried potatoes, warm, crusty bread and a simple green salad for a filling, delicious meal. It would be my pleasure to share that recipe and others with you!

Thank you, Olivia!

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Estofado de Pollo

Estofado de Pollo
Ingredients:
8-10 pieces of chicken skinless
1/4 cup STAR Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 cups of white mushrooms, sliced
4-5 large cloves of garlic, unpeeled
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 medium sweet red pepper
1 cup Baby carrots cut in half
2 cups frozen green peas, drained
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
In a large, deep frying pan or skillet, heat STAR Extra Virgin Olive Oil and brown chicken for 5-7 minutes on medium high heat. Remove chicken and set aside. Add to the pan, mushrooms, garlic, onion, carrots and sweet red pepper to pan and sauté until mushrooms are softened and onion is translucent, approximately 5 minutes on medium heat. Add chicken and white wine to skillet and turn heat to high until broth boils, then reduce and simmer until chicken is cooked thoroughly and liquid is reduced a bit and thickens, 20-30 minutes. Check the pan while chicken is cooking and add more broth or water if necessary. 5 min before it is done, add green peas to pan and stir well. Serve with home-fried potatoes or rice.

Look at all the great vegetables in this recipe!

I serve this with a crusty fresh bread and love to soak up the sauce with the bread.

Enjoy!

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Ricotta and Olive Torte with Tomato Vinaigrette

Officially, Spring does not start for a couple more weeks but we here at STAR are ready for it now. This recipe is has the fresh flavors of Spring and is perfect for brunch

Ingredients:
1/4 cup STAR Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Tbs. plain bread crumbs
2 (15oz.) cartons ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
4 eggs
1 (5oz) jar STAR Spanish Olives, drained and sliced.
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes with Italian herbs
3 Tbs. STAR Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbs. drained STAR capers

Directions:
Coat 8-inch round cake pan with 1 Tbs. olive oil.  Coat with bread crumbs.  In a bowl, thoroughly mix cheeses and eggs.  Fold in olives.  Spread evenly in prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees, 1 hour 15 minutes.  Cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, remaining olive oil, vinegar and capers.  Turn baked torte out onto plate.  Cut into wedges, top with sauce, and serve at room temperature over greens if desired.

Serves: 6-8