Picture yourself meandering through the narrow dirt roads of the Italian countryside, beautiful vineyards off to your left and that old picturesque country house to your right that you’ve dreamed about living in since you were nine….Well, I felt like I was there the moment I opened Carapelli’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil and drizzled it over my Summer Salad with Grilled Shrimp & Pineapple in a Champagne Vinaigrette.
Olive Oil is hands down the most versatile of all the oils and is always a staple in my kitchen. It’s perfect for salad dressings, entrees, and marinades. BUT, as much as I love Olive Oil, I’ve found that they come in an infinite variety and sometimes I have a hard time settling on the right one – some are too light for cooking while others are too heavy to drizzle over a salad. Carapelli’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the PERFECT combination. On my salad, it lightly coated the crisp lettuce and juicy pineapple to add a hint of flavor that pulled all the other ingredients together, while on a slightly altered version of the Mediterranean Shrimp Skillet, (recipe compliments of Iowa Girl Eats) it offered a robust and intense flavor that neither I nor my husband could stop talking about for the rest of the night.
The best news is that this awesome kitchen staple is as pure as can be, made solely with 100% Italian olive oils AND the FDA suggests that eating about 2 tablespoons of olive oil daily may even reduce the risk of coronary heart disease!
I highly recommend you try out some of the awesome recipes on Carapelli’s website, each of which offers a great opportunity to use Carapelli’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a unique and incredibly flavorful way. I suggest you start with the Summer Salad with Grilled Shrimp & Pineapple in a Champagne Vinaigrette! Seriously, it will transport you directly to the streets of Italy!
Summer Salad with Grilled Shrimp & Pineapple in Champagne Vinaigrette
Serves 4.Ingredients
¼ cup Carapelli Premium 100% Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar or sherry vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound peeled and deveined uncooked large shrimp
½ of a peeled and cored fresh pineapple, cut lengthwise into 4 slabs
8 cups packed mixed field greens or baby greens
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or tarragon leavesDirections
Heat a grill to medium-high heat or have a ridged grill pan ready. For vinaigrette, whisk together oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Transfer 3 tablespoons of the mixture to a pie plate or shallow plate. Stir pepper flakes and garlic into oil mixture on plate.
(Sneak a quick dip of artisan bread into the mixture – so good!)Add shrimp to plate; toss with oil mixture. Thread shrimp onto metal skewers or soaked bamboo skewers. Brush oil mixture from plate over skewers. Transfer skewers to grill; discard marinade on plate. Add pineapple to grill.
Grill shrimp and pineapple (or cook shrimp in a heated ridged grill pan over medium heat and grill pineapple in pan after shrimp is removed) 4 minutes. Turn skewers and pineapple over; continue grilling 4 to 5 minutes or until shrimp are opaque.
Meanwhile, toss mixed greens with remaining vinaigrette; arrange on four large serving plates. Carve pineapple crosswise into ½ inch thick slices; arrange over salads. Remove shrimp from skewers; arrange over salads. Top with basil.
Coupons, Coupons, Coupons! By visiting CarapelliUSA.com, you can download a $1 off coupon for any one Carapelli variety (17 oz or larger).
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