The Virtuous Olive

Fine Artesian Foods

Preserving San Marzano Tomatoes

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San Marzano Italian Plum tomatoes are taking over my garden. This bumper crop has inspired me to find creative ways to make them last. After perusing ideas from fellow food lovers and mostly following my gut instinct, the creative juices started to flow. I sorted through the tomatoes and set aside the larger ones for sauce and the smaller ones I designated to dry as in sun dried tomatoes.

Olive oiled, salt kissed and ready for the oven.
Olive oiled, salt kissed and ready for the oven.

This recipe is easy and the rewards great. The small bite size tidbits are perfect as an appetizer, a salad addition, in pasta or sprinkled over grilled chicken. Warning. After you pull them out of the oven and set them on the stove to cool, you and your family will be tempted to pop them in your mouth as you pass by. This is how my first batch evaporated when my niece first tasted them!

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise. Arrange on a parchment lined sheet tray.

Drizzle generously with Basil or Bel Tocco Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and place in the oven for about 2 hours. They will shrink to about half their size. Just to spice things up, after the 2 hours, I sprinkled them with finely chopped garlic, optional, and returned them to the oven for another 1/2 hour. If you add the garlic in the beginning, it will get too brown and a bitter taste will result. Cool and store in a tightly sealed container.

The finished product.
The finished product.

I made these last week to take to a paella party as an appetizer and they were a big hit.

Healthy party snacks!
Healthy party snacks!

New Arrivals! New Flavors! New EVOO’s!

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Thank you to all of you olive oil lovers! The Virtuous Olive is off to a great start. Welcome to the new Blog that accompanies this website. I’ll pass along information on new arrivals, specials, coupons and ideas for using the extra virgin olive oils.

Just in is the Affiorato Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Why is this so special? It is the top 2-3% of the freshly ground olive paste oil that rises to the top and is skimmed and bottled before undergoing the cold press process. This is a delicate oil, produced in limited quantities, that enhances with subtle flavor. Use it on mild fish, soft, creamy soups, polenta, leafy greens or as a dipping oil.

Rosemary is one of the new flavored extra virgin olive oils. Because it surprised me with its subtleness, this has quickly become my favorite oil. It has a mild rosemary flavor, and is fabulous drizzled on focaccia, farro, artichokes, potatoes, even on an omelet. Try it and let me know how you use it.

Last year’s harvest was greatly reduced because of Xylella fastidiosa disease, a bacteria carried by the spittlebug that harmed more than one million olive oil trees. For this reason, prices are slightly higher than last but the quality still remains outstanding.

Visit the site to see the new additions, gift pack and even olives!

Grazie!

Mary

 

 

 

 

Minty Green Bean Salad with Walnuts and Feta

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IMG_4398

My good friend Eva devised this delicious salad using the Mint Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  It’s delicious!

Minty Green Bean Salad with Walnuts and Feta

Ingredients

2 lbs. green beans, stemmed

3/4 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped

2/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled

2/3 cup red onion, chopped

Minty Vinaigrette 

3/4 cup Galantino Olia di Oliva e Menta

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic, coarse chopped

¼ cup fresh mint leaves

¾ t. kosher salt or to taste

¼ t. fresh ground pepper

Instructions

To prepare the mint vinaigrette: 

  • Add the salad dressing ingredients to a food processor and blend. (Keep sealed in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.)

To prepare the Salad: 

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the green beans. Cook for 3 to 3 minutes, al dente
  • Plunge beans into an ice water bath to halt the cooking and when cool drain and pat dry.  Wrap in paper/dish towel, then into plastic bag if preparing in advance.  Can be prepared early in the day for use later.
  • To serve, lay green beans on a platter, scatter with the cheese, the onion, and the walnuts.  Drizzle with the vinaigrette and keep the bottle of Olio de Oli a e Menta for drizzling.
  • Great summer side dish to any grilled meats or fish.

Creamy Lemon Pasta

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Lemon Pasta 3

Lemon’s complex flavor is like no other. I crave anything citrus so came up with this simple creamy lemon pasta dish. You can substitute rice, farro or other grain for the pasta or just toss the sauce with steamed veggies. I embellished this dish with sautéed greens from my garden and seared scallops and shrimp. My favorite part is that it’s a one dish meal and looks gorgeous too! Note: EVOO is Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Juice of 3 lemons (I use Meyer lemons because they are a bit sweeter) or about 1/2 cup fresh squeezed juice

1/2 Cup cream or creme fraiche

dash of salt

dash of white pepper (I use white pepper to keep the pretty color of the sauce)

Lemon EVOO to finish

Pour lemon juice into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer about 15 minutes to concentrate the flavor. Add the salt, pepper and cream. Heat again just to simmering until ready to use. Meanwhile…

Boil 8 ounces of paparadelle pasta, or any kind of pasta you prefer, until al dente. Do not overcook!

Drain pasta, pour back in pan and immediately toss with lemon sauce. Optional: a handful of grated parmesan cheese! Drizzle with Lemon EVOO.

Enjoy or make it a meal like I did. I simply sauteed shallots and greens (kale, beet greens, swiss chard) with Lemon EVOO. This was my base for the pasta. Next, I seared a few large sea scallops and shrimp in EVOO mixed with a spoonful of butter. For the grande finale and sprinkling on top, I caramelized thinly sliced shallots that I cooked slowly for about 15 minutes in EVOO. I put this in a bowl, added two teaspoons of lemon zest (I make the long, thin strands), and two tablespoons of chopped, fresh parsley. This delicious mixture is sprinkled over the finished dish and adds so much flavor and color.

This recipe, if made like the photo, sounds like many steps but is really very easy!

Torta Caprese

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 Torta Caprese 4

Torta Caprese

This traditional Italian chocolate dessert is gluten-free, rich and dense with chocolate and almonds and moisturized with olive oil. A decadent finale! Excellent served with espresso. Buon appetito!

Line a 9″ springform pan with parchment  paper. Lightly oil the bottom.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

6 oz. good quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped and melted

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbls. extra virgin olive oil – I use Galantino Mandarin extra virgin olive oil* (see notes below)

1 Tbls. grated orange rind

4 large eggs, separated

1 cup sugar (I use superfine)

7 oz. almond flour or finely ground whole almonds

whipped cream to decorate or if you prefer, powdered sugar dust

Gently melt the chocolate and stir in the olive oil. Set aside.

Beat the sugar and 4 egg yolks until light and creamy.

Stir the ground almonds or almond flour into the sugar and egg mixture.

Gently stir in the melted chocolate and olive oil.

Beat the 4 egg whites with a pinch of cream of tartar until stiff peaks form.

Gradually fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. The mixture will not be light and airy but still rather dense.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes. I usually start checking the cake at 40 minutes by inserting a toothpick in the center to see if the inside is still damp or beginning to form moist crumbs. This cake does have a fudgy inside so do not over bake it.

Let cool for half an hour and run a spatula around the edges to loosen the sides. Undo the sides of the pan and let cool. Cake can be kept for up to 5 days, wrapped in saran wrap in the refrigerator. It actually improves with flavor!

*I have made this cake using the full amount of mandarin oil and have also made it with half mandarin and half extra virgin olive oil. Feel free to improvise by using only extra virgin olive oil, eliminating the orange peel and perhaps stirring in a tsp. of coffee power for a chocolate coffee flavor. Or, use extra virgin olive oil and stir in a tsp. of almond extract. Use your imagination!

 

 

Porcini Soup

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Porcini soup 2

 

Porcini Soup

This is porcini season in Italy. Restaurants eagerly feature this earthy mushroom delicacy in pastas, risottos, soups and more. I have hunted for them to no avail. If you are lucky enough to find or have a friend gift you these treasures, put them to good use in this recipe. Because I did not have fresh porcinis, I cleaned out my cupboard and used all the dried porcini I had collected over the years (probably saving them for some exotic recipe!) in this recipe.  Dried porcinis can be found in most larger supermarkets and gourmet shops. My Porcini Soup is bold and rich, although it contains no cream. Feel free to add vegetable broth to dilute it if the flavor is too intense for you. I created this soup as a “primi” or starter to a meal because it is so light and delicate.

2+ ounces of dried porcini mushrooms

5 cups of hot water

3 Tbls. Frantoio Monet Olive Oil

2 shallots, finely diced

1 garlic clove, finely diced

splash of Marsala wine – I used about 2 Tbls.

½ tsp. salt +

Frantoio Monet Olive Oil to drizzle on top

fresh rosemary sprinkles to garnish

Place porcinis in a large bowl. Pour 5 Cups of hot water over the porcinis. Let rest for one hour or more. I soaked mine overnight but this is not necessary.

Heat olive oil in sauté pan and add the shallots. Cook under medium heat until soft and slightly caramelized.

Add the strained and slightly chopped porcinis.

Add the garlic and continue to cook slowly as to pull out the flavors of the aromatics. When the garlic is soft, pour the Marsala into the hot pan and cook for a minute.

Transfer the mixture into a saucepan. Strain the porcini liquid (to remove any dirt) into the sautéed mixture. Season with salt and white pepper. Do not under salt! Salt brings out the flavors of the mushrooms.

Pour into bowls and sprinkle with rosemary leaves. Feel free to improvise. Grate pecorino, parmesano, whatever sounds complimentary, over the top. I had some cooked faro so put it in the bottom of the bowl and poured the soup over it. Delicious and hearty! Drizzle with Frantoio Monet Olive Oil. Serve with a loaf of crusty bread.

Drink in the depth!

 

 

 

Shiitake Mushroom Appetizer or Fungi Nfornati

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This always gets rave reviews from my friends.

IMG_0747Drizzle the bottom of a baking dish with olive oil. Place about 12 medium shitake mushrooms (for four people) on the dish, stems straight up. Drizzle more olive oil on top, sprinkle with a generous amount of finely chopped garlic and parsley, a few spoonfuls of white wine and sprinkle with salt and top with breadcrumbs. A final drizzle of oil on top, then into a 400-degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Eat hot right out of the oven when preparing the other courses.

Summer Arugula Salad

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  • 2-3 Cupfuls of Arugula
  • 1 Tbsp. Galantino Lemon infused olive oil
  • Fleur del Sel or salt of your choice
  • A few grinds of fresh pepper
  • Either Prosciutto or Bresaola (Italian air-dried, salted beef, thinly sliced, about ¼ lb.
  • Halved cherry tomatoes
  1. Toss the arugula with the lemon oil and salt and pepper to taste.
  2. Layer the Prosciutto or Bresaola on top
  3. Sprinkle with cherry tomatoes
  4. Drizzle with more lemon oil.

Serves 3-4 as an appetizer or 2 as a main salad.

Late Summer Salad from the Sea

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Salad shrimp1A simple salad to prepare using your favorite seafood.

  • 6 cupfuls of assorted lettuces – I use a mixture of arugula, baby greens and microgreens
  • ¼ lb. thin green beans, blanched and sliced horizontally
  • a handful of beautiful, ripe cherry tomatoes
  • ½ cucumber, thinly sliced and cut in half moons
  • 1 yellow, red or chocolate bell pepper, sliced, then cubed into 1″ pieces
  • a few radishes, sliced into rounds
  • ½ lb. shrimp, either grilled or boiled with spices, then cooled. If you prefer, use tuna, scallops or your choice of seafood.

Toss all ingredients together except shrimp. Arrange shrimp on top. Dress with Lemon Olive Oil, a sprinkle of salt (I prefer Fleur de Sel) and a dash of balsamic vinegar.