Maine Lobster Roll recipe

Lobster is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of foods from Maine.  Though not as abundant as it used to be, the tasty crustacean is still ubiquitous to coastal towns.  Nothing is more reminiscent of a summer weekend in Maine than a lobster roll served in a cardboard carrier with a side of chips and slaw!!!

Lobster rolls are great when prepared with freshly cooked lobster, but equally wonderful with leftovers from a lobster bake.  I actually like to switch out the mayo for Lucini Basil Infused Olive Oil, as it binds together the lobster ‘salad’ well without overpowering the wonderful lobster flavor that is the star of the roll.   Some people add cayenne or lemon, but I recommend serving the rolls with lemon wedges (and hot sauce) on the side.  There is a lot of debate about adding celery to lobster rolls, but I will add some if i’m in the mood.  So simple and a tasty treat!

Lobster is a great source of selenium, potassium and vitamin B12.

Cotton candy, sweetie go, lemme see the Lobster Roll

Ingredients:

• 1 LB     Lobster (meat from a 3 LB lobster, chopped or torn in large chunks)
• 1/4 C   Lucini Basil Infused Olive Oil (or the traditional mayo)
• 1/4 C  Celery (chopped fine; optional)
• 4           Hot Dog Buns (preferably the rectangular “New-England style”)
• 1 TB     Butter

Preparation:

Mix the ingredients, except the butter and buns and refrigerate.  Remove the lobster from the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving.  Melt butter on a griddle or in a skillet over medium heat.  Cook each side of buns until just golden.  Fill the buns with the lobster mix and serve with lemon wedges, hot sauce, chips and slaw!!

Fig Balsamic Vinaigrette – salad dressing, marinade, sauce & more

This simple recipe creates an adaptable vinaigrette that tastes great on salads, steamed vegetables, grains and even steak or chicken breast!

Ingredients:

1/3 C      Lucini Fig Infused Balsamic

1 tsp       fresh Garlic, minced

1 tsp       Salt

1/4 tsp  Black pepper

1/2 tsp  Lemon Peel, grated fine

1/2 C     Lucini Basil – Infused Extra Virgin

Preparation:

In a bowl, whisk together fig balsamic, garlic, salt and black pepper.  Add garlic and lemon peel and stir.

Slowly drizzle in the olive oil (VERY slowly at first) while whisking constantly to emulsifiy.  If  you have time, refrigerate until serving; this seems to make the flavor more consistent throughout the vinaigrette.

Simple Sardine & Bean Salad

Sardines, beans, turmeric and flax seeds are four tasty sources of nutrients.  I like to use fresh beans, but sometimes they can be hard to find.  This recipe packs a protein punch, and anchors a quick lunch or dinner when paired with a green salad or some dark, leafy greens.  Lucini Cherry Balsamic Vinaigrette adds a perfect, bright splash to counter the potential heaviness of the beans and fat of the fish.  And while sardines, beans and flax seeds may sound like the building blocks of a bland, “health over flavor” meal, this dish cedes no points in the taste department.

Ingredients:

• 1      can   Olive Oil packed Sardines (drained)
• 1      can   Organic Beans (Red or White Kidney, Black, Fava, Cannelini or Adzuki – use 1.5 C fresh, if possible)
• 1/4 cup   Sun-dried Tomatoes (sliced crosswise)
• 1                Scallion (green and white parts chopped)
• 1/3 cup   Lucini Cherry Balsamic & Rosemary Vinaigrette
• 1/4 tsp    Salt
• 1/4 tsp    ground Paprika (preferably smoked)
• 1/8 tsp    ground Black pepper
• 1/2 tsp    ground Turmeric
• 1      Tb     Flax seeds, ground (optional)
• 1      Tb     Lucini Basil-infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Preparation:

Combine the first eight ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Add more salt, pepper or paprika to taste.  Cover bowl and rest in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.  Remove and mix in flax seeds and olive oil before serving.

This dish was inspired, in part, by Dr. Andrew Weil’s Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid.

Top Recommended Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Cook’s Illustrated rated Lucini Premium Select Extra Virgin Olive Oil® as the “top recommended” grocery extra virgin olive oil. Now, on PBS’s America’s Test Kitchen, the same review aired and is available online (you might have to signup for free to review). What is great about this piece is that it is done by independent taste testers reviewing products available in most good grocery stores and not just the specialty food boutiques.

Previously, they tested balsamic vinegars….and the winner was Lucini 10-Year Gran Riserva came out on top!

Worried about your health? Use olive oil!

Extra-virgin olive oil has been receiving lots of press for awhile now. According to the Mayo Clinic and others, the monounsaturated fat it contains has the ability to reduce the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol – the ‘bad’ cholesterol. This fact and the associated health benefits are the most talked about and have received the most press. As little as two tablespoons a day can do the trick as incredible as it seems. And that’s only the start!

In 2005, Dr. Gary Beauchamp and his team identified an extraordinary compound in extra-virgin olive oil  – oleocanthal. Oleocanthal is similar to the anti-inflammatory substance found in ibuprofen. It helps prevent cardiovascular disease in much the same way as low dose aspirin and ibuprofen. Take a sip of Lucini extra-virgin olive oil and you’ll recognize the strong, stinging sensation at the back of your throat – almost like an aspirin, but better tasting, right? It’s this unique tongue-tingling sensation that led researchers to the discovery of oleocanthal.  It’s also what olive oil experts and graders look for when evaluating oil; the stronger the stinging, the better the oil.

In these stress-filled times, the risk of serious health problems increases exponentially. Eating right goes a long way in preventing problems such as heart disease and LDL cholesterol elevation. Follow the example of the longevity prototypes – the Sardinians from the Italian island of Sardinia – eat Med!

First ever essential oil infused extra virgin

Recent review by Progressive Grocer magazine

Home chefs can now give complex dishes the perfect finishing touch with Lucini Italia Co.’s line of superpremium infused oils. Handcrafted in Tuscany using a 20-day artisan process, the line of “liquid spices” consists of Robust Garlic, Delicate Lemon, Fiery Chili, and Tuscan Basil varieties, each carefully made using Lucini’s Premium Select Extra Virgin Olive Oil and fresh essnetial oil extracted from fresh ingredients. The suggested retail price for a 8.5-ounce bottle is $15.99.

We did find it online for less.

If Obama was a salad dressing what would he be?

Just as our new president was taking the oath of office, the Fancy Food Show was wrapping up in San Francisco this week (…always a great place to window shop for new products and food trends). One of the hits of the show was a set of new vinaigrettes by Lucini, which they were sampling from a hotdog-styled “salad” cart.
And so as I munched and listened to webcasts of the inauguration, I wondered which of the six flavors represented the new Obama-nation. Is it the classic yet centrist “Tuscan Balsamic” ? Or the charming and tartly sweet “Dark Cherry & Rosemary“? In the end my pick was the “Roasted Hazelnut & Extra Virgin” because of its cerebral and elegant composure, balanced only by wholesome earthy-ness. Don’t you agree? And like Michelle’s dress all are reasonably priced.

Pistachio Cake with Olive Oil Sorbet and Lemon Curd

As a huge fan of extra virgin olive oil (and, yes, Lucini in particular), I am always on the lookout for new presentations of this wonderful food.  Over the past year or so I noticed olive oil sorbet and gelato on a few menus (I am also a huge fan of window shopping menus) and have been waiting for the motivation (excuse?) to track down a recipe and give it a shot.  This blog turned out to be just the impetus I needed to get started.

The olive oil sorbet recipe makes use of the full profile of flavors found in a great extra virgin olive oil.  I prefer Lucini Extra Virgin Olive Oil here, because it complements and stands up to the other exciting tastes in the dish, particularly the fruit and lemon curd.  The three components are based on recipes by Gale Gand, Sam Mason and Thomas Keller.

The finished product.

Components:

1. Olive Oil Sorbet
2. Pistachio Cake
3. Lemon Curd
4. Strawberries (or Cherries, Blackberries, Blueberries, etc.)
5. Fresh Mint

1. Olive Oil Sorbet:
1 C      Water
3 TB   Granulated Sugar
4 TB   Honey
¼ tsp Salt
2 tsp   Lemon Zest
2 TB    Lemon Juice
1 ½ C  Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1           Egg White

In a saucepan, combine Water, Sugar, Honey and Salt.  Bring to boil while whisking constantly.   Remove from heat, stirring in Lemon Zest and Juice. Add Olive Oil and emulsify with an immersion blender.  Add the egg white and stir.  Process in an ice cream maker according to instructions.  If you do not have an ice cream maker, freeze mixture in an airtight container, then remove and allow Sorbet to soften.

Emulsification!

2. Pistachio Cake:

½ C      Unsalted, Shelled Pistachios (If you can only find salted pistachios, lightly rinse and dry thoroughly)
½ C       Flour
1 tsp      Baking Powder
½ tsp   Five Spice Powder (or Cinnamon, etc.)
1/8 tsp Salt
¼ C       Heavy Cream
¼ C       Unsalted Butter
½ C       Granulated Sugar
1             Egg
1             Egg White
1 TB       Orange Zest

Preheat oven to 350. Grease two ramekins with olive oil.

Pulse Pistachios in a food processor until finely ground, being careful not to make a paste. Add Flour, Baking Powder, Five Spice Powder and Salt. Pulse twice to mix.

Cream Butter and Sugar in mixer until pale. Add Egg and mix until incorporated. Add Egg White and mix until incorporated. Add one third of Pistachio mixture and mix. Add one half Cream and mix. Repeat until all of Pistachio mixture and Cream is added and just incorporated. Stir in Orange Zest.

Distribute mixture equally to the two ramekins. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife on outside of Cake to loosen from ramekin and remove.
Makes two cakes of two servings each.

3. Lemon Curd: (A great prepared Lemon Curd works well, too.)

¼ C   Unsalted Butter
2 TB   Creme Fraiche
1         Eggs
2         Egg Yolks
6 TB   Lemon Juice
6 TB  Granulated Sugar
1 tsp  Lemon Zest

Melt the Butter and the Creme Fraiche over a double boiler, stirring constantly. (If you don’t have a double boiler, simmer water in a saucepan and place a stainless steel bowl over the saucepan, making sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the simmering water.) Remove top pan from heat and set aside.

In a bowl over a double boiler, whisk the Egg and the Egg Yolks just long enough to warm them.  Remove from heat and add the Butter mixture, stir to combine, then add the Lemon Juice and stir again.  Strain the mixture through a sieve into a new bowl and place over the simmering water.  Add the Sugar and Lemon Zest and whisk until warm to touch, about 4 minutes.

Assembly:
Place Cake (2) in the middle of the plate.  Add Curd (3) to the top of the cake and drizzle over the plate (about 2 TB total). Place a large quenelle of Sorbet (1) on one side of the cake and sliced Strawberries (4) on the other.  Garnish with Mint leaves (5).

You will have Curd and Sorbet left over for further use.

Hello world!

Hello World and Welcome!

Our experiment is just getting started. Can we create an online forum for all the folks who love food, love to cook and are fans of Lucini Italia products? Let’s see…

Editors.

Lucini in pictures

From the archives, a beautiful television commercial filmed on location in Tuscany, near Florence and in Bolgheri (where those fabulous Super Tuscan wines come frome.)

Compliments of YouTube: