Balsamic Vinegar, what do I do with it?

[Rhiannon]

A friend of mine was horrified that I did not have any recently. Feeling a little inferior I didn't ask her what to do with it.

I've now bought some, so please girls what do I do now? I don't want it to be another bottle that sits in the cupboard for two years!

Mix with olive oil (more oil than vinegar) and use as a salad dressing or put in a bowl to dip crusty bread in.

For a very easy starter or salad. Grill some baby sweetcorn and thin asparagus until slightly charred (lightly coat with olive oil first). Mix some balsamic vinegar with a pinch of sugar until the sugar disolves, and then mix in a bit more olive oil. Remove the cooked veg, and dress with the vinegar/oil mix. Serve with some good crusty bread.

For a wonderful non-alcoholic drink for the summer. Put a small splash of balsamic vinegar in the bottom of a long glass. Put 5-6 ripe(and they must be good and juicy) strawberries in the glass, and top up with chilled cloudy lemonade. Wonderful and not too sickly sweet.

to expand soupdragon's salad dressing - if you add a couple of (whole) cloves of garlic and a little honey to balsamic vinegar and olive oil (perhaps with a touch of ordinary vinegar to give it some bite) you'll have the best salad dressing ever!

It's good in any sweetish mild sauce really - it's wasted in anything too strong tasting.

hmb - really not sure about that lemonade thing, but i'll have to try it now!

It is nice, but don't use too much BV!

Jamie oliver and Delia smith both extol its virtues with strawberries. I've never managed it but have had it were it did work.

just balsamic vinegar and olive oil on a salad - yummy. I put it into gravy and for caramelising onions, and when roasting veggies! Friend of mine would always ignore the balsamic vinegar on the table, asking me for malt (heathen) to put on his salad and tomatoes. Then he had it at his dads house, and now he acts like he invented the stuff...

Following on from Wills' comment; if you sprinkle a punnet of strawberries (hulled & washed) with 1 tbsp (or more if you like them very sweet) of sugar then add 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar then stir round and leave for a couple of hours, it will make a gorgeous syrup. I know it sounds mental but it really works.

Any time you're making a casserole, saute the onion in olive oil then add balsamic vinegar and a little water and a little brown sugar. Let cook for a few more minutes to caramelise the onion before continuing with adding the (already browned) meat, stock, etc. Adds a delicious base to the casserole.

A splash of balsamic vinegar in a saucepan with cherry tomatoes, heat gently until the tomato juices and vinegar turns syrupy. Serve and eat either as it is or as part of a larger salad - no other dressing needed.

Just about to use it for the first time, thanks girls.

Just seen a recipe today for strawberries with balsamic vinegar (the syrupy sort works best) and black pepper.

You odn't do anything extraordinary except dress the strawbs with the vinegar and grind a it of pepper over. Wait for about 30 mins and serve.

Spied this just as I was about to cook a casserole and incorporated your balsamicky onion idea CAM- thanks! It's slow cooking in the oven now and smells yum.

Dh has some on his chips!

marinate cheaper cuts of steak in it before cooking to tenderises it. add mustard powder to the salad dressing recipes below.

I dress vegetables with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. My stepkids wouldn't touch sprouts until they had mine dressed with balsamic vinegar.
It's a great way to get fussy kids to eat salad too as it's sweet.

It's lovely in a dressing for ripe tomatoes, with olive oil, garlic, torn basil, salt&pepper. You can also add slices of mozarella. Yummy!