When it comes to cooking fine Texas foods, the ingredients you choose play a large part in the quality of your dish. When a Texas recipe calls for a balsamic vinegar or olive oil, choosing “any” oil or vinegar won’t cut it. The quality of the ingredients are important, but variations of normal ingredients can add even more flavor to your Texas foods in a different way. For example, let’s cover balsamic vinegar.
Balsamic vinegar can go great with salads, pan sauces, braised meats, or compotes. It can be drizzled over poached fruits, or even ice cream for an elegant dessert. In short, it can add flavor to great roasted or grilled meats, dressings, and fruits. However, some Texas recipes call for a different type of balsamic vinegar. One flavor in particular is worth a try, and that is a pomegranate flavored balsamic vinegar. This adds an intense and sweet-tart flavor to several different Texas foods. It goes well with hearty meats such as duck, lamb, and other wild game. Just like regular balsamic vinegar, it can add a lot of flavor to your dressing or pan sauce, but the hint of pomegranate can add a rich taste to your dish. It goes great with the Texas recipe that will be listed at the bottom of this article.
In addition to balsamic vinegar, there are several different olive oils to look at before preparing high quality Texas food. The “regular” type is almost never as fresh and delicious as extra virgin olive oil. This is because extra virgin olive oil is produced from only one press, while regular olive oil is produced from several rounds of pressing. Additionally, the region in which the olives were grown plays a role in the quality of the oil. For example, Italian and Spanish olive oils generally have the highest quality. Just like Texas food enthusiast and Chef Jon Bonnell says, freshness is key. It’s best to have oils that are bottled within months, or weeks if possible, of production. As mentioned earlier, the quality of vinegars or oils are crucial, yet some dishes call for different variations of “normal” oils. For example, some Texas foods call for olive oils that are fused or infused with other flavors. The Texas recipe below will provide a great example by using garlic. Garlic olive oil gives off the pungent flavor of fresh garlic, and it goes together with several different dishes. It can be added to some Texas food including mashed potatoes, potato salad, steaks, and bread as well. With the two ingredients, let’s cover one great Texas recipe:
Pomegranate Balsamic Glazed and Grilled Rib-eye Steak
This Texas recipe brings a very bold and enjoyable flavor to your dinner table. It’s something different to try from the norm, as it uses a flavored vinegar and an infused olive oil. To cook this dish, you’ll need the following ingredients:
1/3 cup Pomegranate Balsamic
1/4 cup Organic Garlic Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon of Dijon Style Mustard
2 Teaspoons of Kosher or Sea Salt
To make this dish, first prepare your grill or broiler. In a bowl, whisk the mustard, olive oil, vinegar, and salt until it is blended thoroughly. This should create a very thick marinade for 4 or less steaks. Like many Texas foods, you’ll need to slowly marinade the steaks in a plastic bag for several hours. Just make sure to shift the steaks at least one time. After resting in this marinade, cook your steak as you normally would.