balsamic vinegar

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Eat well, my friends!

Well, it’s the Super Bowl again, and while my team is not playing, and we’re not having a party, it’s not a bad day to plan a quality meal.  We had some beef tenderloin in the deep freezer, some Jones Farm bacon and thought a crock pot meal might be the way to go as an alternate to grilling in the cold and snow.  (Thankfully, it’s stopped snowing.)  I came across a recipe for a crock pot beef tenderloin via A Spicy Perspective:

(Check out the recipe card for the directions and ingredients.)

Recipe card: https://www.aspicyperspective.com/beef-tenderloin-recipe-balsamic-glaze/2/ 

Process: https://www.aspicyperspective.com/beef-tenderloin-recipe-balsamic-glaze/

While mine didn’t end up looking the same, it still smells heavenly!  (Final pictures to follow once it’s done!)

I seared mine in a cast iron pan- cast iron is starting to grow on me, and it’s not hard to clean.

beef tenderloin w bacon in a cast iron skillet

A pile of onions and garlic ready to go in after the crock-potting of the tenderloin:

onions and garlic next to a crock pot

The tenderloin getting ready to begin its slow cooking- with the bacon juices marinating from the top!

We have a rosemary plant indoors that’s liking the window well enough, so thankfully, we had fresh rosemary.

roast with onions, garlic, bacon, and rosemary

After cooking a while, I added the remaining ingredients, but realized I was almost out of balsamic vinegar… But, no worries- you can make a substitute with red wine vinegar (which, thankfully, we have- no emergency trip to the store this time!)  I used the last of the balsamic I had and filled in the rest with my substitute.  It smells great so far- we should be eating during the game.  (Finished product photo to follow!)  Eat well, my friends!  (Verdict: delicious!)

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Grilling…

grill with fire

Lit grill (from Wikipedia commons)

There’s nothing quite like grilling out, and one recipe that has turned asparagus-haters into asparagus-lovers in my family is grilled balsamic asparagus.  There are quite a few tasty yet simple variations available online.  Mine is as follows; amounts are determined by the amount of the veggie you are making.  The coriander provides a citrus-y zing that goes well with the balsamic.

This recipe is easy to make in a skillet/wok, though flame grilling provides a better flavor, IMHO.

To prepare the spears, it’s not required to trim them with a knife or peel them.  You can snap the spear in two towards the bottom (the more fibrous part will separate from the more tender part naturally).

 

Grilled Balsamic Asparagus

Bunch(es) of fresh asparagus spears

Olive or vegetable oil

Balsamic vinegar

Salt

Pepper

Coriander (crush the seeds with a mortar and pestle or use powdered coriander)

 

Rinse and prepare asparagus (as noted above).  Put all ingredients into a sealable plastic bag and set in a baking pan (in case the bag leaks).  Refrigerate and marinate for at least 1 hour, mixing at least once or twice, so all spears sit in the mixture/are coated well.  Grill until the spears are cooked to desired doneness, rotating as needed.  (I prefer to cook them until darker green, but not so much that they are mushy.)  Serve hot.

Enjoy!

(And watch for grill flare-ups due to the oil; make sure to grill safe!)