Garden vegetable linguine with cheese

One medium head cauliflower
one bunch broccoli, broken into florets
one tablespoon salt
eight large mushrooms, sliced
three quarters cup olive oil
six cloves garlic, peeled and pressed through a garlic press
one quarter cup fresh basil
1 cup cottage cheese
two tablespoons salt
one half teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 pound linguine

Boil cauliflower and broccoli in enough water to cover with one tablespoon salt until tender. This should take about five minutes. Drain well; reserve the cooking water. In a skillet, use medium heat and lightly brown mushrooms in olive oil. Add garlic, basil, cottage cheese, salt, red pepper, cauliflower and broccoli. Stir and heat through. Boil linguine in water using reserved cooking water from the cauliflower and broccoli. Once in linguine noodles are cooked, drain and pour vegetable mixture over the pasta. Should make four servings.

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For a superb crostini use roasted juicy sweet cherry tomatoes combined with a dash of white balsamic vinegar and serve on slices of toasted French baguette.This recipe will take up to forty minutes to prepare and about forty-five minutes in the oven. However, if you wish, you can be prepare this dish a day in advance. Ensure that the tomato mixture is stored in an appropriate airtight container and refrigerated. This mixture should be removed from the refrigerator at least two hours prior to serving. The toasted baguette should also be kept in an airtight container but kept at room temperature.

For eight servings you will need the following:
1 lb of halved fresh cherry tomatoes
One large French baguette (The baguette should then be sliced into diagonals)
Olive oil drizzle
One garlic clove that has been put through a press and crushed
One and a half teaspoons of white balsamic vinegar

1. Before preparing your ingredients ensure that your oven is preheated to a temperature of 180 degrees centigrade.
2. Whilst the oven is preheating, line two large baking trays with grease proof paper to prevent your tomatoes from sticking to the tray.
3. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and place on the baking tray with the flat side of the tomato facing up.
4. Before baking the tomatoes, use a little salt and pepper to season.
5. Remove tomatoes from the oven after three quarters of an hour or when the tomatoes appear to be softened and have a golden tinge.
6. Whilst the tomatoes have been set aside to cool, prepare the French baguette slices by placing on two baking sheets. Ensure that each slice does not overlap another. Spray the entire single layer of bread slices with olive oil.
7. After eight minutes turn over all the bread slices and mist with olive oil. Return to the oven and bake until each slice is golden brown and crisp.
8. While you have set aside the toasted bread to cool, place the tomatoes, garlic and vinegar in a large bowl and mix together. You are now ready to either top the sliced toasted baguette with the tomato mixture or serve in a bowl separately.

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Bread dipping kit, a gourmet Italian gift

The bread dipping kit is a popular Italian gift for all occasions. A bread dipping appetizer brings the estate Tuscan cuisine to any table. This gourmet food gift includes imported Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Italy, fine quality stoneware dipping dishes and a premium blend of bread dipping seasoning. All that is required with the bread dipping kit, is a fresh baked loaf of bread which you can pick up at a local supermarket or bake shop. A French baguette or Italian bread loaf works well when sliced and served with extra virgin dipping oil drizzled over the Italian blend of bread dipping herbs and spices.

Each bread dipping kit comes with a bread dipping oil recipe. The Cruets Gourmet dipping herbs and spices is a blend of oregano, onion, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, parsley, and fragrant basil. In just a few minutes you can hydrate the dipping herbs with water, drain, then drizzle oil over until covered. Stir mixture and add additional olive oil and serve with fresh bread.

Cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil is the best quality olive oil you can buy. Italian Masserie Olive Oil, which was selected for this bread dipping gift set, has a wonderful light flavor that is excellent for making dipping sauces and dipping oils where you do not want the olive oil taste to dominate the herbs and spices flavors.

A bread dipping appetizer using quality extra virgin olive oil, is a tasteful and healthy addition to any meal. The health benefits ascribed to the Mediterranean Diet is a plus to the gourmet cuisine that is so popular.

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A vinaigrette dressing for fresh salads is just one of the many ways that olive oil and balsamic vinegar can be used and enjoyed. For example, to enhance pasta combine olive oil with some garlic and finish with some grated parmesan cheese for perfect results. A put anesca can be made by mixing olive oil with olives, tomatoes (fresh and sundried) and anchovies. For a quick and delicious evening meal sauté chicken with garlic and olive oil and finish by combining with pasta. Such a simple concept that results in a light and pleasurable meal. Olive oil is also ideal for creating marinades for meat and poultry. A delightful dish of lemon chicken can be created by baking the poultry with lemon after it has been previously marinated in olive oil.

By combining extra virgin olive oil with herbs and spices of your choice a flavored oil worthy of gourmet status can be achieved. The advantages are that you can adjust the flavours added to the oil to suit your personal taste. Gourmet olive oil recipes can make a huge difference to the overall flavour of the dish you are preparing and meat, poultry or fish will take on some of the subtle, complementary and interesting flavours of the herbs and spices that you have used. Creating a recipe for your own gourmet oil is a satisfying and personal endeavour and you may find that though many good restaurants create their own flavoured oils, and delicious as they may be, they will not be exactly the same as the ones that you have prepared yourself which will be entirely unique and suit your personal taste perfectly.

There is a certain spiritual significance attached to the act of giving olive oil as a gift or to welcome someone to a new home. It has been said that olive oil is a gift that inspires the gods to bestow blessing of wealth and wellbeing to a home. It also brings with it connotations of summer days and a happy atmosphere. So, by offering gifts of olive oil to friends and acquaintances, especially as a housewarming gift you are offering them your good wishes for a life filled with happiness in their new home.

For a perfect, gourmet housewarming gift it is worth considering presenting a picnic hamper or basket filled with an array of delicious Mediterranean food items including extra virgin olive oil, aged balsamic vinegar, fresh rustic bread, some fresh salad vegetables, pasta, parmesan cheese, maybe some fresh baguette sandwiches and an olive oil decanter., you may even like to include your own special vinaigrette dressing recipe! You now have all the ingredients for a wonderful Mediterranean lunch or dinner that can be enjoyed without too much preparation, and is for a family moving into a new home nothing could be more welcome.

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A Mediterranean diet includes natural foods, including olive oil, nuts and tomatoes. When it was revealed through scientific studies that people in the Mediterranean were less susceptible to coronary illness than other parts of the world many of us sat up and took notice to the facts. And though many people may not understand why the Mediterranean diet promoted so many health benefits they welcomed the use of olive oil as an almost integral part of their diet and it is now a commonplace food item in most homes.

Olive oil can be used in a variety of ways. To make a superb salad dressing olive oil can be mixed with excellent balsamic vinegar. The resulting dressing is not only an ideal accompaniment for salads but can be used for bread dipping. Delicious rustic Italian breads and an olive oil and balsamic combination make a wonderful appetizer and are frequently offered in most good Italian restaurants.

Oil and vinegar have always been immensely popular as part of a Mediterranean diet but is now enjoyed globally not only for its taste but for the fact that it is actually good for you and has surprising benefits to health. It is not surprising that a delicious extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing would be preferable to other low calorie substitutes that may help reduce cholesterol but lack flavour. Irrespective of health benefits olive oil and vinegar are widely enjoyed by everyone in many different ways.

Only extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar are used to make good quality vinaigrette. It is very important to use only the best extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar as it will certainly reflect in the taste, texture and overall flavour of the dressing. In Italy it would be unheard of to use any oil and vinegar that were not of the best standard. Most chefs will choose only extra virgin olive oil for its unadulterated flavour. The best vinegar for a good vinaigrette recipe is aged balsamic vinegar of Modena. Extra virgin olive oil has a unique and pure flavour that cannot be compromised especially when creating dishes where olive oil is not combined with any other ingredient and the full flavour of the oil must be appreciated.

To preserve the shelf life of olive oil and extra virgin olive oil it is important to store them correctly. If olive oil is bought in a large container it can be decanted into smaller containers for storage purposes. Olive oil should be stored in a cool dark area of your kitchen or pantry. Before use olive oil should be transferred to a decanter.

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