You read that right! There’s nothing more enticing than a well-presented AND tasty dish and this is one of the easiest ways to get just that. Reducing balsamic vinegar is pretty common: you hear it on cooking shows, you see it in restaurants, or maybe you use it yourself all the time. However, for a few of you (and me until a month ago), I’m sure you’ve never actually tried using it. It’s time for that to change!
Click “more” for the recipe.
Now actually, this isn’t a traditional recipe. That’s because the technique of reducing balsamic vinegar can be applied to so many different things! You can use it on any of the meats (chicken, pork, beef, fish) or any vegetables! A personal favorite is to pour it over an oven-baked chicken lying on a bed of bok choy (see picture above) or on the side of some italian squash (see picture below.)
Time: 5 minutes
Price: basically $0
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- Add balsamic vinegar to a small saucepan on high heat.
- When the vinegar begins to simmer, lower heat to medium or low.
- Continue heating until more than half the volume of vinegar is gone. Visualize where this mark will be in the saucepan.
This process will transform the distinct balsamic vinegar taste into a sweet syrup. You can adjust the viscosity of the final product by simmering it longer or shorter. For example, I decided to simmer it less for the picture below, so it is more of a liquid sauce than a syrup.
Also, you can add assorted herbs, garlic, mushrooms, chili peppers, or just about anything else to the saucepan while it simmers, to give it an extra kick of flavor (though I prefer mine simple.) Go out there and give it a try! Let me know your positive & negative thoughts on this!
