In my house, we love to be creative in the kitchen. There isn't a week that goes by, where I'm not itching to try something new, yet keep it simple. My family (meaning my husband and son), is pretty picky when it comes to what they will and won't eat. Many of the things that I loved to eat, when I was growing up, I don't really get to have anymore, because the two main men in my life don't care for those things. One thing we all love, however, is bread, as well as pasta. We try not to have too much of it, too often, but when we do have it, we like to make a special dish!

A couple of weeks ago, I was introduced to Hongar Farms, which brings delicious infused oils and vinegars to the family table, or any cook's kitchen. Based in Austria, Hongar farms gourmet foods have been around for over 450 years, in the Saltzburg area. The original Hongar Farm, which was nestled in the Alps, originally catered to the wealthier folks of the region- royalty, land owners, and wealthy traders. Hongar Farms products are 100% natural, and contain no artificial flavors, coloring, sodium, preservatives, and have no cholesterol.

As an Italian gal who loves to cook, I couldn't wait to try an infused oil from this Austria-based company. I was sent a full size bottle of Hongar Farms Benissimo Mediterranean Garlic Oil.

My Hongar Farms oil arrived nicely packaged, and was marked 'fragile,' so it would be handled with great care.

Upon opening the box, I found the bottle of oil, bubble wrapped for extra protection, and a note from Hongar Farms.

After I removed the bubble wrap, I was able to fully see the beautiful bottle of Hongar Farms Mediterranean Garlic Oil before me.

I was impressed right away, just by the presentation of the garlic oil. The bottle was lovely, the label was handsome, and not overbearing, and didn't seem to take away from the beauty of the actual product in the bottle- the garlic oil.

Just look at all of those herbs in the bottle!

I couldn't help but swirls the bottle around a few times, and watch the herbs just sort of float around, and around. My mouth was already watering, as I thought about what I would possibly make with this delicious oil! Hongar Farms has so many excellent recipes and suggestions for use of their yummy oils, on their website. Before I headed to the kitchen, I popped over to their site, and read this, of the Mediterranean Garlic Oil:

Our Mediterranean Garlic is an excellent marinade for chicken and fish. The Mediterranean flavor has spices to add a light, new taste to an everyday seafood or chicken dish and amaze your family or dinner guests. Also a great addition to steamed broccoli as a healthy, flavor filled seasoning.

I wanted to make a simple, yet elegant meal for my family, the night before we took off for our vacation, last week. I needed something that would be quick, and easy, and would require little clean up. I grabbed the gorgeous bottle of Benissimo Mediterranean Garlic Oil by Hongar Farms, and headed into the kitchen with an idea or two up my sleeve.

Mediterranean Garlic Oil Toast

You Will Need...

Sliced artisan bread

Hongar Farms Mediterranean Garlic Oil

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

Lay the sliced bread on a baking sheet, and drizzle your desired amount of the oil over the bread.

Bake until the bread is toasted, or golden in color.

Serve as a appetizer, or along with salad or pasta.

Mediterranean Garlic Oil Pasta with Broccoli

You Will Need

1/2 Pound Cooked Pasta of Choice (I used Angel Hair for this dish)

1 Crown of freshly steamed broccoli, cut into florets

Hongar Farms Mediterranean Garlic Oil

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Step 1- Place the cooked pasta in a pasta bowl.

Step 2- Drizzle Hongar Farms Mediterranean Garlic Oil over the pasta, and toss.

Step 3- Add steamed broccoli.

Step 4- Sprinkle with grated Parmesan Cheese.

Step 5- Add Garlic Oil Toast.

Doesn't this dish look delicious!?

I wasn't sure which I wanted to try first- the toast, or the pasta!

As my family sat down to dinner, the scent of the garlic oil filled our home. Both the toast and the pasta looked beautiful, coated in golden oil, and with beautiful flecks of herbs scattered about. We could definitely smell the garlic, and since we're garlic lovers, we were very excited to give this a try!

Delizioso!

As we began twirling our forks and eating our pasta, all three of us were suddenly gobbling this dish up! I was so excited to see that this delicious, fragrant oil really accompanied the pasta and broccoli quite well. It created both a simple and complex flavor, bringing the plain old pasta and broccoli to life. The oil coated the pasta and broccoli, instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl, which I was glad for. Nothing is worse than oil that just sits in the bottom of the bowl, which you don't discover until the end of your meal. Adding the grated Parmesan cheese helped to bind the pasta and broccoli with the oil.

So often, when we make Italian dished at home, we go for sauces- either red, or white, and sometimes pesto. Using the Hongar Farms Mediterranean Garlic Oil as an alternative to a sauce, made this dish light, and healthy. Using fresh veggies, instead of meats made this a nice, light summertime pasta dish that didn't leave us feeling like we were going to be rolling around, instead of walking on two feet for the next day or two.

Check out this beautiful line-up of delicious Benissimo Oils from Hongar Farms!

These flavor-infused oils can generally be substituted for traditional oil in recipes containing similar flavors. Drizzle the flavored oils on pastas and soups, brush them on garlic toast, blend them into salad dressings and sauces, and use them to marinate and season roasted meats and vegetables. Hongar Farms products are great for adding layers of flavor while preparing and cooking a dish, and many customers also love using the flavored oils to finish a dish, (for example, drizzled on pasta), which allows the flavor infusion to really stand out. Bread dippers provide a wonderful way to get a full taste of the oils. 

I can't wait to cook with the Mediterranean Garlic Oil again. I am thinking about using it as a marinade for chicken this week. We also just brough home some delicious fresh Mozzarella Cheese from New Jersey, and I can't wait to have a slice of it, with a little bit of the oil drizzled over it, with a bite of bread, tomato, and perhaps a leaf of fresh basil. Yum!

Want It? Buy It!

Head on over to Hongar Farms, to browse their entire line of products. You'll also find lots of delicious recipes to try at home, right on their website! Hongar Farms is social, and would love to connect with you through Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!

Want It? Win It!

One lucky MBP reader will win their very own full size bottle of Benissimo Mediterranean Garlic Oil from our friends at Hongar Farms. Giveaway is open to US residents, 18 and older. Just use the Rafflecopter entry form below to enter for your chance to win! How will you use this oil if you win?

Good luck!