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!

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.