balsamic vinegar? | Imamother

octopus

Wed, May 09 2012, 10:19 am

am I missing the spice of life if I have never cooked with this or tasted it?

Mrs Bissli

Wed, May 09 2012, 6:09 pm

It's quite versatile, if you get a bottle it'll last for a long time. Things I use balsamic vinegar is,
- salad dressing
- splash on grilled vegetable, grilled chicken
- marinade for brisket, lamb chop, steak, chicken (I think it tenderises the meat as well)

I know it may sound werid but you can do strawberry salad with a very small amount of balsamic vinegar and ground black pepper.

The important thing is to get the real balsamic vinegar, it should come from Modena in Italy. US-produced ones were just plain wine vinegar with caramel colour and some flavouring.

ra_mom

Wed, May 09 2012, 6:46 pm

It's delicious but an acquired taste. A little goes a long way.
Best way to try it is by making a simple balsamic vinaigrette to drizzle over a salad of romaine lettuce and grape tomatoes. You'll love it. Then you can slowly add the taste to other foods.
If you do buy it, ONLY buy the Bartenua. The Kedem is gross and nothing like balsamic at all.