Mandarano balsamic glaze Archives

Grilled Potato and Asparagus Napoleon

May 6, 2013 by Marie 15 Comments

I’m so happy grilling season is back in full force! This is one of the things I made recently, Grilled Potato and Asparagus Napoleon, it’s the perfect side dish for all your summer grilling events.

Grilled asparagus, grilled red pepper slices, creamy and slightly tangy goat cheese layered between grilled potato slices topped off with nicoise olives and a rich balsamic glaze to swipe it all in. I spoke about Mandarano Balsamic Glaze before, it’s a staple in my kitchen, I use it all the time and many times on this blog. I adore it and highly recommend it!

Once you get a bottle you’ll never want to be without, it’s that good! Good news, all my readers will get a discount at checkout using the code, PIC.
I did three stacks of potato slices here but two stacks would work as well especially if your serving a bunch of other side dishes. It looks impressive, the flavors are amazing, it’s a win, win!

Grilled Potato and Asparagus Napoleon

Ingredients

Amounts will vary depending on how many you will be making and whether you have a 2 or 3 high stack. This will be a guideline.
I used large baking potatoes which need to be precooked until tender but not mushy. You could either steam, boil or bake After they are cooked cut off the ends and make 1/2 inch slices. Brush slices with olive oil then finish cooking on grill for a few minutes. Be sure to get some nice grill marks!
Asparagus, pre grilled and cut into 1 inch pieces
Goat cheese log, cut into rounds
Red pepper slices, pre grilled
Nicoise olives and balsamic glaze for finish
Light vinaigrette or fresh lemon olive oil dressing

Instructions

Have everything ready for assembly,
Potato* goat cheese round* red pepper slice* asparagus pieces* a few olives.
Drizzle layer with either a light vinaigrette or fresh lemon and olive oil dressing.
Repeat!
When napoleon is made, garnish with more dressing, olives, asparagus pieces and a healthy swirl of luscious balsamic glaze around the plate.
better served either slightly warm or room temperature.

http://www.prouditaliancook.com/2013/05/grilled-potato-and-asparagus-napoleon.html

15 Comments Filed Under: Party Foods, Side Dishes, Vegetables Tagged: goat cheese, grilled asparagus, grilled potatoes, Mandarano balsamic glaze, vegetable napoleon

Stuffed Eggplant with Ricotta, Spinach and Artichoke

January 16, 2013 by Marie 28 Comments

stuffed eggplant (7)

Have you ever been inspired by Pinterest? I have, many times. I needed to cook up three eggplants before they went bad so I checked out Pinterest for a little inspiration, as I was wandering from page to page I saw an eggplant that was stuffed with spinach, ricotta and artichoke, that was it, that was my inspiration! The original recipe that was pinned had honey in it, I didn’t want to use honey but was inspired to make mine more Italian style, so that’s exactly what I did.

stuffed eggplant (9)

I started out by cutting my eggplant lengthwise then carefully scooping out the middle leaving a small border all the way around the eggplant half. Drizzled the inside with olive oil, salt and pepper, did the same with the scooped out eggplant, placed them all on a baking sheet in a preheated 400 degree oven until tender and cooked through.

When the eggplant was finished cooking I removed it from the oven to cool down. On another baking sheet I placed one 12oz bag of frozen artichoke hearts, courtesy of Trader Joe’s (which I have in my freezer at all times) a shallot and 3 minced garlic cloves, drizzled everything with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roasted in the 400 degree oven until artichokes defrosted and became tender.

I then placed everything into a big bowl, the artichoke mixture, the scooped out cooked eggplant, 1 heaping cup of ricotta cheese, 1 chopped roasted red pepper, 1 cup of fresh chopped baby spinach, a heaping 1/2 cup of grated romano cheese, chopped parsley and basil.

Pile high the mixture into the scooped out portion of the eggplant and place back into the 400 oven until ricotta is heated through, about 15 minutes.

For a finishing touch I drizzled a rich balsamic glaze all over the stuffed eggplant which just intensified all the flavors even more so!

We had this as our main course served with soup and salad, but it would also be great as a side. Enjoy!

28 Comments Filed Under: Side Dishes, Vegetables Tagged: Mandarano balsamic glaze

Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf

October 31, 2012 by Marie 9 Comments

I have to admit it was the name of this dish that first intrigued me! Sure I like chicken parmesan, so why wouldn’t I like it in a meatloaf form? I was convinced to try this after my sister-in-law from Florida gave it rave reviews recently while we were talking on Facebook.
What’s not to like, it’s tender, moist and loaded with so much flavor! You could definitely pin this under,
comfort food!

I served it with roasted veggies tossed in my favorite balsamic glaze, a delicious weekday meal it was!

What makes this meatloaf taste so good is a healthy scoop of marinara sauce mixed right into the meat, then when it’s about 3/4 done, you spoon more marinara over the top and layer on fresh mozzarella, it’s a beautiful thing!

The husband loved it so much he wanted to eat the leftovers the very next day!

Ingredients

recipe adapted from Joelen

I used ground turkey and it was a little over a pound but you can also replace with ground chicken

2 finely chopped garlic cloves

1/2 chopped onion

2 eggs

panko crumbs, enough to just soak up the moisture

1/2 cup marinara sauce, homemade preferred, additional for top and to serve with.

3/4 cup of small cubed asiago cheese

a handful of grated romano cheese

fresh chopped basil and parsley

s&p, of course

Mix everything together and form into a loaf on a sprayed baking sheet. Bake at 375 for around 1 hour. Last 20 minutes spoon marinara over top and place fresh mozzarella slices over it. Garnish with fresh basil.