Most of these recipes were developed by John Spenger, the founder of Spenger Foods, during the time he was creating the Bistro Blends product line. During the first years of selling his oils and vinegars, he got plenty of feedback and ideas from customers - so he's incorporated many of these into his own recipes. Some are so simple that they only take a minute to make - others might become the centerpiece of a traditional dinner or party. We always love to hear from our customers about the ways that they enjoy using our products! Feel free to send us your best recipe!
The Bistro Blends oils are ALL good for dipping bread and veggies. Add sour cream and you have an amazing veggie platter dip. Add mayo to the Basil-Garlic and you have a new artichoke dip. They are all great for adding to pasta, to salads, for drizzling on sliced tomato's, or for marinating fish, meats or vegetables. You can shake and bake French fries with my blends or put them over a baked potato. Pizza is known to have been dressed with them, also. You get the idea...try whatever sounds good! Experiment!!! Have fun. Eating is an experience that is both fulfilling and eventful! Be good to yourself. Life is too short for bad food. Let's Eat !!!
Here is an easy recipe from an enthusiastic customer:
"I have to share with you that I just experienced food heaven! Here's the recipe: Baked garlic, hummus, with Bistro Blends Sun-dried Tomato Balsamic on warmed pita."
"I recently made blackened red snapper which I let cool down, broke into small pieces, and served over spring greens drenched in Bistro Oil. It was nothing short of amazing!"
Here are John Spenger's recipes - In his own words!
John's Pre-Saute’ Mix
Now, even though this recipe doesn't include any of Bistro Blends products, I wanted you all to be able to benefit since it is such a fun, useful recipe to use.
You can have this little mix ready to save time and still get the flavor of all your favorite herbs and roots. This mix is perfect and can keep in your fridge forever.
I love garlic and ginger and onions and spices and olive oil, so this one has them all! Put about 2 cups extra-virgin olive oil, 1/2 cup garlic cloves (or minced is fine), 1/2 cup onion, a couple tablespoons fresh ginger, a teaspoon of good salt, a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper and blend it all together. Now, all you have to do is scoop a little into your pan and you can start to cook those mushrooms or veggies or a steak or whatever you like.
John's Veal Stock Recipe
Another item that I use on a regular basis when cooking is stock. If you have a good pre-made stock that you have control of what goes in it, you can really have a great time putting together some restaurant-style dishes. One of my favorite to have ready is a delicious veal stock. Veal stock is one of those stocks that you would find being used when cooking meatballs, roast duck many mushroom dishes and the bases for many pastas, especially in French and Italian food. To me, there's nothing better than a veal stock/wine reduction with a delicious piece of veal, or beef or duck. OMG!
Now, if you are not into the meat thing, then just omit the meat and add more of your veggies of choice. I start with about 2 or 3 pounds of veal bones with meat still on it. I throw those into my stock pot. Then I add about 4 halved stocks of celery stalks, about 4 good-sized carrots, 2 quartered onions, a nice piece of ginger cut up into 1 inch pieces, about a cup of garlic, about 2 tablespoons of salt, and about 2 tablespoons of fresh pepper. I then add enough water to top all the ingredients and bring to a boil. I let it semi-hard boil for about 1 hour, keeping an eye on it so that it doesn't overflow. When you have some pretty soft veggies and tender meat, turn it of and strain all the goodies out of it. Let it cool to room temperature, about an hour, and set the remainder in a covered bowl and let stay in the fridge overnight. When you wake up, you will notice that the fat is set hard on the top of the bowl of stock. Go ahead and get a spoon and lift that whole layer of bad ol' fat and toss it in the garbage. You are then left with a delicious, creamy, rich homemade and very healthy veal stock. Now, this is the best part of the whole thing. I then grab about 5 ice-cube trays and put the stock in the ice cube trays and freeze it off for when I want to use it in the future. I just pull a tray out and pop a couple of cubes of stock and put it right in the sauté` pan and Whallah! I have a base for a delicious reduction of probably wine, balsamic and veal stock. I will usually add mushrooms for a balsamic-veal stock reduction that I will use for fillet mignon, duck breast or pork loin. It's also an amazing pasta sauce that will have veal meat or chicken in it. Just spoon over the entree, dress within a sprig of basil or parsley and dinner's served!
John's Chocolate Dessert Sauce Recipe
A couple of weeks ago, I made a reduction using my 18-year old Fig Balsamic vinegar. I served this amazingly simple recipe over fresh strawberries but it would also go very well with a sponge cake or even ice cream. It was super easy to make and you can try different variations to suit your taste buds. I started with a 750 mL bottle of white zinfandel. Now, you can use any wine that you like, but, please remember, that any wine you are reducing will not get better if it was not decent to start with. An $8 bottle or so will do just fine. Then, I added a 375 mL bottle of my Fig Balsamic. Oh, and I'm using the same stock pot as I did for the Veal stock recipe. To the liquid, I added a 1/2 pound of semi-sweet chocolate, a 1/2 cup of sugar and a 1/4 cup of butter. That's it. I let it get to a boil and then I turned it down to about 6 on my burner. I watched it, to make sure it didn't boil over and in about 45 minutes, it was reduced by half. You'll know it's at half when you let it cool and funnel it into the wine bottle. You should end up with about 3/4 of the wine bottle filled up. It should also be about the consistency of maple syrup. The reaction from my tasters was so positive, I was being asked if we would ever sell it. Unfortunately, I had to let people know that when I do decide to bottle it, it will be quite pricey based on the ingredients. But, who knows.
John's Insalata Caprese Recipe
This is a great, simple, and classic recipe that I love to make. It's bright and beautiful and delicious all at the same time. For this dish to look like the picture I have displayed, is, about 9 heirloom or very good quality tomatoes. I like to use both red and orange or yellow tomatoes, so, if you are lucky enough o find them, use them. If not, all reds are fine. Next, you will need fresh mozzarella cheese. Mozzarella comes in different grades and price points and mozzarella de bufalo is the most expensive, costing about $10 a ball. I tend to use the expensive one as the creaminess and flavor is very high and the end result is the best. This salad will take about 4 balls. The last ingredient is the fresh basil. I use about 1 package, but will buy two just to make sure I have enough.
Slice your tomatoes to get about 5 slices to a tomato. Slice the cheese to get about the same. Arrange the plate starting on the outside and working your way in. Alternate the items, tomato, cheese, basil until you are all the way inside the plate. It comes out looking similar to what I have done for the picture.
To dress the salad I, of course, recommend one of my dressings. My Garlic-Balsamic Bistro Oil is one of the most classic to use for this salad. The Sun-Dried Tomato is nice as well being a little sweeter due to the tomatoes in the recipe. The tomato combination of fresh and dried is amazing together as well when using this dressing.
Serves about 8.
John's Seafood Pasta Recipe
I have been talking this recipe up for a few years now, ever since I made it for a great chef on his cooking show in San Francisco by the name of Joey Altman. It's a very simple recipe that includes fresh shellfish of your choice, about a pounds worth, pasta (elongated type), i.e., taglietelle or spaghetti and my Basil-Garlic Parmesan dressing.
This is how you put it together. In a pasta pot, begin boiling your pasta. Add some salt for flavor and a little oil so that the pasta doesn't stick. Hard boil pasta for about 8 minutes. Read the directions for appropriate serving portions. While the pasta is boiling, have your sauté pan nice and hot and add some extra-virgin olive oil. Add your shellfish gingerly to the hot oil. I use large scallops and shrimp for this recipe. Be careful not to overcook your scallops, only a couple minutes and they're usually ready. They crack when they are done. Drain the pasta and plate it, using tongs to spin it up like a mountain. Decorate it with the shellfish and take a sprig of basil and put it right on top of the mountain of food like a climber with his flag. Get your dressing and shake well, making sure to get all the Regiano Parmesan off the bottom. Go one time around the plate with the dressing and you are done! Dinner is served!
I could probably go through a dozen or so recipes like this, but what I would really like you to know, is that my products are multi-purpose. My four oil-based products are great for salads, bread-dipping and pastas. You can add sour-cream to them and now you have a super flavorful chip-dip or veggie-dip for parties. My vinegars really do stand on their own as well. The most popular use is for salads, but reductions also come to mind for me. They are so naturally sweet that I would consider any of them for a dessert reduction or, if for an entrée reduction, I would merely add a stock and you will be good to go, such as for my veal-stock recipe.
A recipe from Marilyn and Hal...
"My husband and I are active members of Weight Watchers. We are constantly looking for ways to jazz up our meals. One recipe is using the WW size portions of scallops and pan broiling in 1-2 tablespoons in your Thai Sesame Ginger and just as all is nice and brown on both sides we add a hand full of bean sprouts, snow peas, mushrooms and onions. YUM!! and WW friendly. thank you for your wonderful oils."
Marilyn and Hal,
Cooper City, Florida
Here's a classic taste combination that the residents of Modena, Italy seem to have kept a secret until recently. You can use this recipe for any berries, and it also work quite well with mixed fruit salads.
- Balsamic Strawberries
- 4 cups (1 L) strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) sugar, or more to taste
- 2 tsp (10 ml) good quality balsamic vinegar, or more to taste
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- Toss the strawberries and sugar and allow to sit for 15 minutes.
- Add the vinegar and pepper and serve chilled or at room temperature.
- Serves 4 to 6.
Bread-Dip Ideas
The most common use of the oil is with a fresh-baked sweet baguette or Italian-style bread. The oil seems to be best presented on a flat plate so that you get an even ratio of oil to vinegar. A bowl might give you an uneven ratio of oil to vinegar. The oil is excellent in this fashion as an hors'd'eurve. I recommend a good soaking when dipping. Recommended wine with the oil is a spicy red like a Zin or Petite Syrah or Chianti.
Salad Dressings
This is one of the most common ways to use the oil. Just apply on the top of a freshly mixed salad and lightly toss. One of my favorite salads is an Italian classic, the Insalata Caprese. This salad consists of sliced tomatoes intermixed with sliced Buffalo Mozzarella cheese, surrounded by fresh Basil leaves, sprinkled with freshly cracked black pepper and then drizzled with the Bistro-Oil.YUMMMMMMM! I've also been told of folks using the oil to complete a Greek-type of salad cucumbers, tomatoes, etc. Just yesterday, I was told of a fabulous use by tossing a fresh fruit salad with the oil. I know it sounds different, but I tried it last night and was blown away! The fruit I used was sliced peaches, mandarin orange slices and then finished it with Feta cheese. Awesome! A bean salad is another great summer salad to make with the oil.
A Dressing Addition
If you enjoy Artichokes, then you will love learning that you can mix the oil with Mayo to make a fantastic dip for artichokes or other veggies. This recipe was courtesy of my friend Jim, who is enjoying the oil often and is responsible for several outstanding culinary ideas that I am considering putting into action. Thanks Jim!
Marinades
The oil has turned out to be a savior to the age old idea of marinating that good-old piece of chicken, fillet or tofu. Just fork your meat of choice, dress the item generously and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. The longer the better. Let the flavor of the garlic and vinegar soak well and you will not be let down. Vegetables also marinade well for grilling or for pan-roasting. Halved-artichokes that have been marinated grill in a wonderful manner.
Sauce Reduction for Meats, Polenta
One of my favorite recipes for Heirloom Balsamic Vinegar is to make a reduction for meats or pasta. You'll need three equal parts of the vinegar, veal or beef stock and your favorite red wine. Hard boil them together for about twenty minutes. When it's finished reducing you will have a rich, dark, sweet demi-glace that will be the envy of anyone that enjoys this in a meal. It is absolutely amazing and very simple to make.
Sauté Oil
This is a way to use the oil that I use the most myself in my own kitchen. I will sauté all my meats and veggies in my sauté pan. Mushrooms with scallions or onions work very well like this. Meats, especially steaks of all kinds are delicious when using the oil. Fresh fish steaks like Halibut, Orange Roughy, Salmon or Sole are excellent candidates for pan-roasting.
Grill
If you plan on grilling would recommend brushing your meats, fish or vegetables with the oil. Portabello mushrooms are also delicious when finished with the oil before and after cooking.
BBQ Sauce
I was just informed that if you combine one small can tomato sauce, 1/4 cup white wine, about two ounces Bistro-Oil, 1/3 cup brown sugar You will have one outstanding BBQ Sauce that will make you the envy of all your friends. Ssh, this will just be our little secret :) It's excellent on chicken, so the young lady said.
Pesto
Another loyal customer told me that if you mix the oil into Pesto you can use it on freshly prepared pasta or salads.
Pasta
That last idea reminded me of another idea. If you cook your favorite pasta, Bistro- Oil is excellent as a finishing dressing for pasta. One of my favorite styles is Angel Hair or Trenne.
Croutons
Yet another outstanding use is to create garlic-balsamic flavored croutons for you salad. Start out with a bowl of cubed, fresh bread. Generously apply the oil to the bread in the bowl. Toss. Lay the dressed croutons out on a cookie sheet and oven roast for about 10 to 12 minutes at about 375 degrees. Keep an eye on them so as to not overcook.
POM & Balsamic-Glazed Chicken
Ingredients:
- Juice from 2-3 large POM Wonderful
Pomegranates,* or 3/4 cup POM Wonderful
100% Pomegranate Juice
- 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or 8 to
12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 cup packaged peeled baby carrots
- 3 sliced green onions
- 2-3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon crushed dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Hot cooked penne pasta (optional)
- Garnish (optional):
- 1/3 cup arils from 1 large POM Wonderful
Pomegranate
Directions:
- 1. Prepare garnish - Score 1 fresh pomegranate and place in a bowl of water. Break open the pomegranate underwater to free the arils (seed sacs). The arils will sink to the bottom of the bowl and the membrane will float to the top. Sieve and put the arils in a separate bowl. Reserve 1/3 cup of arils from fruit and set aside. (Refrigerate or freeze remaining arils for another use.)
- 2. Prepare fresh pomegranate juice.*
- 3. Place oil in a large skillet; brown chicken pieces in batches with carrots and onions for 5-6 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Remove chicken pieces. Keep carrots and onions warm.
- 4. Place broth in a pan and add back chicken pieces; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked. Reserve 1/3 cup of chicken cooking liquid.
- 5. Transfer chicken and vegetables to platter; cover and keep warm.
- 6. Put reserved 1/3 cup of chicken cooking liquid in skillet. Stir in pomegranate juice, vinegar, cornstarch, brown sugar and seasonings. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer 2 minutes.
- 7. Drizzle some of the sauce over chicken and vegetables; garnish with reserved arils. Serve with pasta if desired, and pass remaining sauce.
- For 1 cup of juice, cut 2-3 large POM Wonderful Pomegranates in half and juice them with a citrus reamer or juicer. Pour mixture through a cheesecloth-lined strainer or sieve. Set the juice aside.
Steak Sandwiches
Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds, cracked
3 (12 to 14-ounce) rib-eye steaks
4 ounces Gorgonzola, crumbled
1/2 cup sour cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 baguette (about 2 feet long), split lengthwise
2 cups lightly packed arugula
Combine the vinegar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard seeds in a large resealable plastic bag. Add the steaks and seal the bag. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours, turning the steaks occasionally.
Prepare the barbecue for medium-high heat or preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Drain the marinade from the steaks. Grill the steaks to desired doneness, about 6 minutes per side for medium-rare. Let the steaks rest for 10 minutes. Cut the steaks crosswise into thin slices.
Meanwhile, stir the cheese and sour cream in a small bowl to form a thick spread. Season the cheese mixture, to taste, with salt and pepper. Remove some of the bread from the center of the baguette halves. Spread the cheese mixture over the baguette halves. Arrange the arugula then the warm steak slices over the baguette bottom. Sprinkle the steak slices with salt and pepper. Cover with the baguette top. Cut the sandwich crosswise into 6 equal pieces and serve.
Beet Salad with Mint
2 1/2 Pounds beets
2 Tablespoons Spengers Balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 Tablespoons Olive oil
1/4 Cup Fresh Mint Leaves -- Chopped
The REAL directions for the beets are below, but you can cheat. I just cube the beets and boil them or steam them until done. But here is the real McCoy
Wrap the beets together tightly in foil in 2 batches and roast them in the middle of a preheated 350°Foven for 1 1/2 hours, or until they are tender. The beets may be roasted 2 days in advance and kept covered and chilled.
Unwrap the beets carefully and let them cool until they can be handled. Slip the skins off the beets, cut off the stems, and cut the beets into 1/4-inch pieces. In a large bowl whisk together the vinegar, the sugar, and salt to taste, add the oil in a stream, whisking, until it is emulsified.
Add the beets to the bowl with two thirds of the mint and toss the salad until it is combined well.
Line 4 plates with the lettuce leaves, divide the beet mixture among them, and sprinkle each salad with some of the remaining mint. Description:
"Looks like a strange recipe, but trust me, it's delicious."
Balsamic-Glazed Salmon Fillets
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes Ready In: 30 Minutes
Yields: 6 servings
"A glaze featuring balsamic vinegar, garlic, honey, white wine and Dijon mustard makes baked salmon fillets extraordinary."
INGREDIENTS:
- 6 (5 ounce) salmon fillets
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon white wine
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Coat a small saucepan with non-stick cooking spray. Over medium heat, cook and stir garlic until soft, about 3 minutes. Mix in white wine, honey, balsamic vinegar, mustard, and salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, for about 3 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
3. Arrange salmon fillets on foil-lined baking sheet. Brush fillets with balsamic glaze, and sprinkle with oregano.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 14 minutes, or until flesh flakes easily with a fork. Brush fillets with remaining glaze, and season with salt and pepper. Use a spatula to transfer fillets to serving platter, leaving the skin behind on the foil.
Balsamic Glazed Vegetables
Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
1 1/2 to 2 pounds of your choice of the following, or any combination of: "baby" packaged fresh carrots, brussel sprouts, yellow squash (you can also use broccoli, cauliflower and zucchini)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped parsley leaves, for garnish
Place veggies in a pan with water and vinegar. Bring to a boil and cover. Reduce heat to medium and cook 10 minutes. Remove lid and raise heat back up. Allow the water to boil away and the vinegar to reduce and glaze the veggies, about 5 to 7 minutes. When the vegetables are glazed, to a sweet, rich brown color add butter to the pan. Turn veggies to coat lightly with butter. Season with salt, pepper and serve. Garnish with parsley.
For an optional glaze for the vegetables, substitute 1/4 melted butter and 1/4 cup honey for 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar. Follow method as listed.
Pasta with Scallops, Zucchini, and Tomatoes
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Ready In: 30 Minutes
Yields: 4 servings
"Bay scallops, chopped tomatoes and fresh basil are added to a saute of garlic and zucchini, then poured over fettuccini for an elegant seafood dish. Serve as an entree or appetizer."
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound dry fettuccine pasta
1/4 Basil-Garlic Parmesan Pasta Dressing
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 zucchinis, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup chopped fresh basil
4 roma (plum) tomatoes,
chopped
1 pound bay scallops
2 tablespoons grated
Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large pot with boiling salted water cook pasta until al dente. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet heat oil, add garlic and cook until tender. Add the zucchini, salt, red pepper flakes, dried basil (if using) and saute for 10 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes, bay scallops, and fresh basil (if using) and simmer for 5 minutes, or until scallops are opaque.
3. Pour sauce over cooked pasta and serve with grated Parmesan cheese.
Sun-Dried Tomato Minestrone
Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
User Rating:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Bistro Blends Sundried-Tomato Dressing
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound Swiss chard, stems trimmed, leaves coarsely chopped
1 russet potato, peeled, cubed
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 fresh rosemary sprig
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained, rinsed
2 (14-ounce) cans low-sodium beef broth
1 ounce piece Parmesan cheese rind
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
Salt and pepper
Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, pancetta, and garlic. Saute until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the Swiss chard and potato; saute for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and rosemary sprig. Simmer until the chard is wilted and the tomatoes break down, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, blend 3/4 cup of the beans with 1/4 cup of the broth in a processor until almost smooth. Add the pureed bean mixture, remaining broth, and Parmesan cheese rind to the vegetable mixture. Simmer until the potato pieces are tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Stir in the whole beans and parsley. Simmer until the beans are heated through and the soup is thick, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Discard Parmesan rind and rosemary sprig (the leaves will have fallen off of the stem.)
Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.
Awesome Ham Pasta Salad
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 12 Minutes Ready In: 27 Minutes
Yields: 6 servings
"This ham and ziti pasta salad is perked up by the addition of peppers, red onion, sweet pickles and cherry tomatoes with a sweet, tangy dressing."
INGREDIENTS:
8 ounces ziti pasta
1 pound cooked ham, cubed
1 large red bell pepper, cut into
1 inch pieces
1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large red onion, coarsely chopped
15 small sweet pickles, chopped, juice reserved 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
2 1/2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
DIRECTIONS:
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the drained pasta, ham, peppers, onion, pickles and tomatoes.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, beef bouillon granules, vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic and 1/2 cup of reserved pickle juice. Fold into the salad and toss gently until evenly coated. Chill overnight to allow the flavors to blend. Serve near room temperature.
