My Rave on Balsamic Vinager.

Oh my....

How, as as a boy who grew up helping Mom get dinner on the table for 9, cooked more than he dated in early adulthood, and cooks more often than his wife, had I never tried this elixir of the Gods???

Too cheap mostly. I had heard of, and about it. I had experimented with cheap vinegar, like different ones for different things. I like Malt as something to drizzle over things English style. I like red wine for salads, and usually cook or clean with plain white.

My 12 year-old daughter who has kind of been in a delightful daddy's girl mode for a while appreciating cars and cooking shows with me, has been asking that I make her a vinaigrette again. I haven't been because I cant replicate the man-made light dressings with out using oil cause I don't have a chemical factory.

We were shopping, I was out of red wine vinegar so I got some and a nice looking bottle caught my eye. I had a wrong idea about Balsamic as being some kind of flavor infused product. I read the ingredients and realized it is just good wine gone bad on purpose. I should interject here that I don't do alcohol even in cooking, (which is challenging) but obviously no alcohol in vinegar,which is why its call vinegar and not sour wine!

Anyway, I was putzing about in the kitchen, and the bottle caught my eye again. (my plan was to use it up, if I didn't like it I would re-use the bottle with plain cheap red wine vinegar..(I know HERESY!, slaps self)

I was curious, opened it tried some straight-up. Oh my. I grabbed a piece of French bread that was left-over from dinner I had toasted with a drizzle of olive oil and herbs for dinner. Scrumptious. I had three more slices! I had some Rotini that I had planned for a pasta salad. fixed a bowl with a drizzle of Olive oil and Balsamic, and Greek seasoning. Yummy. I decided I was getting carried away with Carbs for 2 in the morning. I had a little iceberg lettuce.

I woke up wanting to put some on my breakfast cereal. I resisted. I did however make:

1 Package Rotini Pasta(less one bowl) cooked, drained, chilled.
1/2 Sweet Red Bell Pepper diced fine.
1/2 Green Bell Pepper diced fine.
6 Green Onions, sliced fine/
Handful of Cilantro (Coriander Leaves), minced.
Balsamic Vinegar, generous splash.
Olive Oil, healthy drizzle.
Cracked Black Pepper, Seasoned Salt, to taste.
If I'd had them I would consider:
Black Olives, sliced
Pepperoncini's, sliced.
Dry Salami, chopped fine.
Feta Cheese, crumbled. (Maybe Roquefort?)
Cherry Tomatoes, halved.
Very Sweet Vidalia Onion, shaved thin.

The really remarkable thing is that I am just scratching the surface of the taste possibilities I am sure. This was a moderately priced Balsamic from Modena Italy and not even the most expensive that Walmart carries. I mean if Walmart stocks this, its not exactly the stuff gourmands and gluttons dream of now is it? It does say it is aged but is a bit vague about for how long. (A week? A month? A year? Several?) It has a 6 and 6 stars on the label. I postulated that it might be the number of years? Dee guessed acidity, which as it happens is 6%. Either way it is delicioso.