Balsamic Vinegar
 

I just recently started eating food that has been marinated or has this in it.I find it to be very good.Is there anyone else who likes it and if so any good recipes....

My brother in law just made a pork loin yesterday with it and some some honey and dijon mustard and rosemary... it was great...

Balsamic is great. I find it a bit expensive to use on a large scale or even for daily use.

There's other vinegars that you can experiment with to get some neat flavors as well. Try Apple Cider, Palm, Rice Wine, Red Wine, vinegars.

I'll dig up some of my balsamic recipes and post them.

One thing about balsamic vinegar...go ahead and pay more for the good stuff. The flavour is much better and is so concentrated you don't need to use much. You can always cut the expensive balsamic with another type of vinegar, such as the ones Cynthetiq suggested.

I love balsamic! My favorite thing is to pour a puddle of olive oil on a plate then top it with a little balsamic (according to your own tastes - I like it nice & strong)....swirl the plate gently to mix the two and dip warm Focacchia bread in it. Nummy!

Pork Medallions with Balsamic-Honey Glaze

Recipe Summary
Prep Time: 8 minutes Cook Time: 12 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

For the balsamic-honey glaze:
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus rosemary branches for garnish
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the pork:
1 3/4 to 2 pounds pork tenderloin
Canola oil, for searing

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Make the glaze: Put garlic and rosemary in a small bowl. Add the vinegar, honey, olive oil, mustard, and salt and pepper, to taste, and stir to combine.

For the pork: Slice the tenderloin into 1-inch thick medallions (rounds). Cover the bottom of a medium skillet with a light film of canola oil and heat over medium-high heat until hot. Add the pork slices in 1 layer, season with salt and pepper, and sear for 1 minute. Turn and sear for 1 more minute, until lightly browned. Transfer the slices in 1 layer to a shallow baking dish.

Pour the glaze over the slices and turn them to coat.

Roast for 8 to 10 minutes, until a thermometer inserted reaches 140 degrees F for medium. Remove from the oven and keep warm, loosely covered until ready to serve.

To serve place pork medallions on a platter and spoon the balsamic-honey glaze over them. Garnish the platter with the rosemary sprigs.

I loves the balsamic. One of my cooking teachers told me that really old (like 40 year old) balsamic vinegar is drank like a shot. I'd like to try it sometime, but it doesn't come cheap.
Here's a recipe I threw together awhile ago, I don't have exact amounts because I never measure anything.

Balsamic Chicken

- 2 Boneless Chicken Breasts, cut into strips
- 1 Tomato, diced
- 1 Medium sized Red Onion, diced
- About 3/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
- Rosemary, Thyme, Garlic, Salt, Pepper, Olive Oil

- Cut the chicken into strips and let it sit in the balsamic for about 20-30 minutes.
- Heat the olive oil in a pan, and saute the garlic for a minute or two, then add the chicken.
- When the chicken is about halfway cooked, add the balsamic, tomato, onion, and spices.
- Cook until the balsamic has reduced by about half, serve over rice.

Whenever I BBQ Steak, I always throw some red onion and green pepper onto a sheet of foil on the grill with some oil and balsamic and let them cook for a few minutes, then toss them on the steak, great stuff.

Real balsamic nuts (raises hand) are serious about the stuff. It's like talking to a bunch of wine nuts. ;-)

The advice above is very good. There is a world of difference between the expensive and the less expensive. One day, for a real treat, get yourself a small bottle and pay as much as you can afford. Real balsamic fans drink it straight, on a silver spoon. The silver won't impart a metalic taste like other metals can.

Mmmmm! This sounds great! I'm going to try it out tomorrow on the bbq...(ummm that is, if I'm not building an ark due to the rain we've had lately!)

Good compliment to Fresh Oysters.

Finely chop some shallots and put them in a little dish with some of the balsamic and leave to settle for a half hour. Then put a little bit (too much and you lose the oyster) on the half shell then slurrrrppp... mmm.

I like it with lemon and a little bit of olive oil on salads.

Sorry, wish I had some proper recipes, but I really don't cook like that, I just splash things together and if it don't work, I don't do it again :).

it's not the real stuff if you don't pay at least 100$ for a really small bottle.

i got real tired of the balsamic a while ago. it's in "every" italian restaurant. instead i use lemon juice infused with italian type herbs and then mixed with olive oil.

2 things you might want to try with the normal balsamic. first, put it in the hollowed out pit hole in an avocado with some pepper. 2. saute anytype of meat with a ton of vinegar and some garlic... it's great.

mmmm everything you guys have said sounds wonderful.... I also like white wine vinegar....

My mom will use balsamic vinegar poured over onions and tomatoes...I have seen people beg her to make it for BBQs...

love balsmaic vinegar....use it in my italian salad dressing....

man, i love balsamic vinegar also. Try some of the expensive aged stuff. I was in France for a couple of months, and had some really good aged balsamic vinegar over there. The best part is how concentrated it is, and you don't need much, but it is soo good!

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Rich

I just got back from Sicily a few weeks ago. Stocked up on some good balsamic.

If you truly love this stuff, try this.....

Take fresh strawberries, wash, and cut in halves......sprinkle with a little sugar, coat in GOOD balsamic vinegar and then hit them with fresh cracked pepper.....

May sound odd, but I'll never eat strawberries any other way.

SyVy

Balsamic Vinegar is like wine, some is aged for years in oaken casks and can cost thousands per litre...most is actually mixed with less expensive vinegars and sold at popular prices...Any acidic(vinegar, citrus, wine) used in a marinade starts the tenderizing and cooking process and helps to infuse the other flavors(herbs, mushrooms etc)...Just remember the more delicate the meat(fish, chicken, veggies) the less time in the marinade.

a lot of restaurants "age" balsamic vinegar by reducing it. Buy a cheap bottle and cook it on low until it is reduced by half, then put it in a pretty jar. it sweetens up very nicely, so much so that a few drops on fresh strawberries topped with creme fraiche become a very nice desert.

spoon? you cant finish the bottle in a sitting? just tip it back and drink

maybe this is why i have acid reflux...

I always enjoy a balsamic avocado vinaigrette.

Healthy too...

1 lb Fresh buffalo mozzarella, sliced
2 large plum tomatos, sliced
1 large basil leaf per slice tomato
Good, fruity olive oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Cracked black pepper to taste

Fan out tomato, cheese, and leaf in a single layer on a plate.
Drizzle oil over plate using a spoon in vertical motions, creating a zig-zag. Do the same with the balsamic, using horizontal motions. Top with pepper and any remaining basil.

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on another note:
tomatos?? --or-- tomatoes??

I love balsamic vinegar, its flavor is just so distinct, and you definately have to go for the good stuff, especially if you're using it as a marinade or for a dressing. At a resturant kinda close to me they have this pasta dish with a reduced balsamic vinegar sauce, chicken, sausage and roasted red peppers, it rocks my socks off, if anyone has a recipie that is similar to this i would love to get it