Imagine the ultimate soup of the season, stocked with vegetables, rich flavor, and our favorite, EVOO. Stay warm and cozy with this Soupe au Pistou recipe, perfect for the cooler evenings with your family!

Soupe au Pistou

Recipe and photography by Christopher Kimball's Milk Street

Ingredients

8 oz dried pinto beans

kosher salt and ground black pepper

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1 medium leek, white and light green parts only, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced

1 medium head of garlic, top 1/3 of head cut off and discarded, plus 5 medium garlic cloves smashed and peeled

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 oz fresh basil

1 oz parmesan, roughly chopped

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided (we'd recommend either our Arbosana or Hojiblanca extra virgin olive oil!)

2 tablespoons pine nuts

4 oz small pasta, such as elbows

1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

1 small zucchini, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces 

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the beans with 8 cups water and 1 tablespoon salt. Stir, then let soak at room temperature for at least 12 hours or up to 24 hours.

Drain the beans and add them to a large pot along with the tomatoes, leek, garlic head, bay, thyme and 9 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium-high, then reduce to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat to maintain a simmer, until the beans are tender, 45-55 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the basil, Parmesan, 2 tablespoons of oil, the garlic cloves, pine nuts and ½ teaspoon salt. Process until the mixture has a spreadable consistency, 30 to 60 seconds, scraping the bowl as needed. Transfer the pistou to a small bowl and set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium, head the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil until shimmering, Add the pasta and cook, stirring often, until toasted, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

To the beams, add the carrot, 4 teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are barely tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the toasted pasta and zucchini, then continue to cook until the pasta and zucchini are tender, 6 to 10 minutes.

Remove and discard the bay. Using tongs, remove the garlic head from the pot and squeeze the base of the head to release the cloves into the pot. Using the tongs, gently squeeze any tomatoes that are still whole so they burst. Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls. Swirl 1 tablespoon of pistou into each, serve with remaining pistou on the side.

Recipe and photography courtesy of Christopher Kimball's Milk Street

With our favorite holiday season right around the corner, we're preparing with this warm and cozy Apple Spiced Hot Toddy recipe! The combination of honey, cinnamon, brandy and our Mulled Cider Whole Fruit Vinegar creates the perfect fall evening.

Recipe courtesy of The Olive Oil & Vinegar Lover's Cookbook by Emily Lycopolus

Ingredients

Directions

Pour the honey, vinegar, and brandy in a large mug. Stir and combine ingredients. Top with almost boiling water and stir again to ensure the honey is melted. Add the cinnamon stick.

Giving this recipe a try? Enjoy a kickstart to cozy weather with 20% off all sizes of our Mulled Cider!

The 4^th of July is quickly approaching and we can’t wait to show you this Blueberry Tomato Caprese recipe courtesy of Freutcake. With the combination of red, white, and blue ingredients, as well as our robust extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, this makes a perfect, last-minute addition to your celebration this weekend.

Blueberry Tomato Caprese

Ingredients

Instructions

Last fall, we partnered with Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street. Culinary magazine, school, public television show, and podcast, Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street has altered the way individuals have tackled their culinary endeavors. Through their innovative expertise and approach to the culinary world, the Milk Street team is dedicated to bringing ease to intimidating recipes.

After visiting the Milk Street studio in Boston last month, we were exposed to that very ease Christopher Kimball uncovered a few years back.

The key is making cooking as simple as possible, as Rosemary Gill, Milk Street’s Director of Education, explained to us. This compliments our business’ mission completely. We provide you with quality olive oils and vinegars, and even the tools necessary in making the most delicious meals you’ve ever cooked up yourself, and in the simplest manner. In fact, we wanted to make it just that much easier for you by getting an inside scoop on how the pros do it.

Cook Like a Pro

Contrast is the cornerstone of Milk Street’s culinary art. Gill stressed to us nothing but contrast, and for good reason. By this term, she means throwing together different flavors and different textures.

“You get a lot of meals that are sort of one note, you know, they are overwhelmingly soft or chewy,” she explains. For example, she suggests that for mashed potatoes you could throw in some chopped chives. “You get more dimension…” she reveals. “We’re using contrast in order to elevate and draw more attention to the main ingredient.”

One of the most important lessons Gill teaches her students is knowing how to analyze what’s missing, and knowing when you’ve put too much of something in a dish.

Let’s Get Started!

We all know that cooking can seem dreadful after a long day at work, or if you simply just don’t know where to start. This is precisely what Milk Street hopes to help individuals with through the “Milk Street: Tuesday Nights” cookbook. The cookbook is there for you to create outstanding meals in a reasonable amount of time, just perfect for the middle of the week. Starting off with meals such as those listed in the cookbook are a great starting point. Then, just keep cooking!

“You’ve got to make it a habit,” Gill advises to those who want to get into cooking. She also suggests that if you are interested in global cuisines, to choose one at a time and cook just from that region for a month or two. “You’re going to start seeing some similarities and you’re going to start understanding how flavors are put together… you’re just going to be building your library,” she says.

Using One of Our Favorite Ingredients: Olive Oil

One recipe that Gill loves herself is the Cantonese Steamed Fish from “Milk Street: Tuesday Nights,” because of the technique it requires. Sometimes, she’ll make it with a Mediterranean flavor profile, which is when she’ll utilize olive oil.

Gill also tells us her favorite ingredients to add to olive oil:

1. Za’ atar
2. Lightly crushed fennel & coriander seeds
3. Cracked fennel seeds & thyme or oregano

 (Hint, hint: We sell some of these!)

We hope that our customers can utilize a variety of these tips to create new skills in the kitchen. Whether you cook up a new “Tuesday Night” dinner, or try one of our olive oils for the first time, leave your thoughts in the comments below.
We’d love to hear what you think!

Photos by Maggie Griffin

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Start the new year off well with a healthy resolution: eat your veggies!

Maple balsamic vinegar, mild extra-virgin olive oil, and Tuscan herb infused olive oil are the stars of these recipes, 2 ways to enjoy cabbage and Brussels sprouts.

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