August Recipe Ideas
Final Weeks of Summer
Carmelized Pork Chops
Sweet and Savory
Ingredients
¼ cup SLO Olive neutral olive oil (Arbequina, Koroneiki)
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar, or Big Sur honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon black pepper
4 bone-in pork chops, at least 1-inch thick is best*
Directions
In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, garlic and pepper. Whisk to mix.
Place pork chops in a large zip-top bag or baking dish and pour marinade over the pork chops. Put in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 1 hour, and up to 8 hours.
Cook the pork chops according to your preferred cooking method, such as grilled pork chops:
Preheat grill to 400° F (medium-high heat).
Remove pork chops from marinade and discard excess marinade. Sear pork chops on the grill, about 2 minutes per side. Then reduce heat to medium.
Grill pork chops an additional 4-7 minutes per side to an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. Use an instant read thermometer to measure the internal temperature of the thickest portion of the pork chop without touching the bone. Pork chops thicker than 1 inch may take longer to cook through.
Let pork chops rest for 5 minutes and then serve.
Notes
You can also use boneless pork chops. Boneless chops may require a few less minutes to cook.
Summer Salad with Burrata & Prosciutto
Fresh and Delicious
Ingredients
6 ounces burrata or fresh mozzarella cheese
2 ounces prosciutto
1½ cups diced cantaloupe
2 medium white peaches, pitted and sliced
1 cup halved figs
1 teaspoon SLO Olive extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly cracked black pepper as needed
Optional: drizzle with SLO Olive Reserve Aged or Fig Balsamic
Directions
Arrange the burrata, prosciutto, melon, peaches, and figs in a large shallow bowl or on a large platter.
Drizzle the burrata with olive oil and black pepper. Serve at room temperature.
Authentic Gazpacho
Cool, Refreshing and Tasty
Ingredients
2 pounds ripe Roma tomatoes, halved and cored
1 small (1/2 lb) cucumber, peeled and seeded
1 medium green bell pepper, cored
1/2 small red onion, peeled
2 small garlic cloves (or 1 large clove), peeled
3 tablespoons SLO Olive olive oil
2 tablespoons sherry or SLO Olive red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 thick slice of white bread, soaked, crusts removed
optional garnishes: homemade croutons, chopped fresh herbs, a drizzle of olive oil, or any leftover chopped gazpacho ingredients
Instructions
Combine all ingredients together in a blender or food processor. Puree for 1 minute, or until the soup reaches your desired consistency.
Taste and season with extra salt, pepper and/or cumin if needed.
Refrigerate in a sealed container for 3 to 4 hours, or until completely chilled.
Serve cold, topped with your desired garnishes.
