Olivo NZ

Extra Virgin Olive Oil Recipes

 OLIVO OLIVE OIL ICECREAM

Adapted from David Lebovitz and Diana Henry

1 ½ cups milk

½ cup sugar

Pinch sea salt

4 egg yolks at room temperature

1 cup cream

½ cup fruity olive oil – our Olivo Tuscan Estate extra virgin is ideal

 

Whisk together the egg yolks in a small bowl. Put the cream in a large bowl with a sieve on top.

Place the milk, sugar and salt in a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add a bit of the warm milk into the egg yolks in a thin stream, stirring to combine. Then pour the egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan. Cook the mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Do not boil or the eggs will curdle. A good test is to run your finger along the back of the spoon and it should leave a clear channel.

Pour the custard through the sieve into the cream. Stir to combine, then whisk in the olive oil. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled – about 3 hours.

Put the chilled custard into the food processor and whisk again until fully combined. Shallow freeze in a container in your freezer. I don’t have an ice cream machine so the best way to make a smooth ice cream is to blitz it again in the food processor after about 3 hours in the freezer when it is starting to set more firmly. Freeze overnight.

Serve with a scattering of sea salt and a drizzle of olive oil and/or shavings of dark chocolate.  

Bruschetta
Brush slices of ciabatta or baguette with extra virgin olive oil, cut a clove of garlic in half and rub over the slices, grill or bake in the oven until golden brown, press cut tomatoes onto the bread, sprinkle with sea salt and pour over our extra virgin olive oil. Delicious, quick and especially useful if you have a glut of tomatoes in the garden.

 

Salmorejo de Cordoba

An easy, spectacular Spanish gazpacho
 
Serves 6 and you can stretch it to 8
 
3 eggs
1 kg ripe tomatoes – red and soft
6 cloves garlic
300g white bread
3/4 cup Olivo extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons sherry vinegar (balsamic works as well)
150g smoked ham/proscuitto or jamon
Sea salt
 
Boil eggs for 10 minutes, then plunge in to cold water and peel. Wash and dry tomatoes, cut out stalks and cut into quarters. Peel garlic, crush with a pinch of sea salt in a mortar and pestle. Put garlic into a blender, add tomatoes and process.
Chop the bread roughly. Moisten with water and crush with a fork. Put bread into the blender with the tomatoes. The mixture should be a smooth pink puree. Add oil and vinegar and season to taste. Garnish with quartered eggs and strips of ham

 

Olivo extra virgin olive oil
Caroline sent in this recipe:
 
Appetiser
Mainland special reserve feta, crumbled or cubed in a small dish
Green peppercorns (in brine) sprinkled over
Olivo extra virgin poured over.
 
Eat with a tiny spoon, Caroline said that they started with toothpicks but you don’t get enough oil.
 
And of course, serve with a glass of wine!

 

Ajo Blanco – Almond Gazpacho
At its best with the consistency of thick cream and made a day ahead
 
200g blanched raw almonds
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon sea salt
200g white bread, soaked in water
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons sherry vinegar
800ml – 1 litre cold water
50ml extra virgin olive oil to garnish
1 honeydew or rock melon
 
Place the almonds, garlic, and salt into a food processor and process until finely ground. Drain the bread, add to the almonds and mix until you have a thin paste. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the consistency is like mayonnaise. Add the vinegar and begin to thin the gazpacho with cold water until it is like thick cream.
 
Refrigerate for several hours until it is nicely chilled, preferably overnight.
 
Cut the melon in half and scoop out the seeds. Use a melon baler to scoop out the flesh to make little melon balls. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill.
 
To serve, place a melon ball in the bottom of a shot glass, pour over the gazpacho and drizzle with a few drops of extra virgin olive oil on top to garnish. Serve immediately.
 
Makes approximately 1.5 litres

Olive Oil Chocolate Brownies

These are just gorgeous made with extra virgin olive oil and no butter. The sea salt gives a salted chocolate taste as an added bonus

4 ozs (100g) good quality dark chocolate

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

2 eggs at room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with paper and put a dash of olive oil on to stop the brownies sticking.

Melt the chocolate over a low heat or carefully microwave. Whisk in the olive oil until well blended and leave to cool.

Combine the flour and salt in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until pale and thickened. Fold in the cooled chocolate mixture and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Pour into your baking tray.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. The brownies will be done when the top is dry and cracking - you can see from my picture that I took the top off! The middle should be moist - test with a toothpick. Cool completely before slicing.

 Pork in Milk

This is a spectacular dinner party dish which needs a 'gusty' extra virgin olive oil to make it shine. I discovered this recipe in Spain. Superb with our 2015 EV.

1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

1 kg boned rolled pork loin, skin off

2 tablespoons gutsy extra virgin olive oil

500 ml milk (2 cups)

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Salt and ground pepper

2 tablespoons fresh breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 200C. Push the garlic into each rolled end of the pork.

In a heavy based flameproof casserole dish, heat the olive oil, add the pork and brown evenly on each side. Add the milk and cinnamon and season with salt and pepper. Bring close to the boil, then place in oven uncovered. Reduce the oven temperature to 150C and cook for 1 1/2 hours, basting if you remember.

Remove the pork from the casserole, cover with foil topped with a tea towel to rest and set aside. Place the casserole on the hob over high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes or until half the liquid remains. The sauce will look curdled as you can see in the photo. Stir in the breadcrumbs which will bind and thicken the sauce.

Slice the pork and pour the hot sauce over. Season to taste.

Serve with a green vegetable or salad and boiled potatoes to smash into the sauce.

Serves 4 - 6.

Piedmontese Peppers

Autumn is such a good time for relaxed late summer produce and this delicious dish makes superb use of peppers, tomatoes and olive oil. It's a great lunch with crusty bread and rose or as a side dish with fillet steak.

8 - 12 ripe plum tomatoes

4 red peppers, cut in half lengthways and seeds removed

4 garlic cloves sliced

5 - 6 tablespoons Olivo extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 large tinned anchovies cut in half lengthways

Small handful of fresh basil

Preheat the oven to 190C. Pour boiling water over the tomatoes, leave for 10 seconds, carefully remove from the hot water and refresh in a bowl of cold water. Peel off the tomato skins.

Place the halved peppers in an ovenproof dish, cut side up. Place the garlic inside the peppers and then fit the tomatoes inside too, pushing them gently into the space. Add a small pinch of sea salt and a grind of pepper. Spoon over the olive oil and place in the oven.

Bake for about 45 minutes to one hour , turning the heat down a little if you notice any scorching of the peppers. Once they are nicely softened and have collapsed slightly, remove from the oven. Criss-cross each pepper half with an anchovy, baste with the oily juices and allow to cool to room temperature. Top with basil leaves and serve.

This would also work with the smoked paprika and smoked chilli infused oils.

Quail egg canapes

This simple dish fits into my category of 'quick, easy and spectacular'. If you can't get hold of quail eggs, cut hens eggs into quarters.

Drizzle a robust extra virgin olive oil (our 2015 EV is perfect) over just hard boiled hen or quail eggs that have been sprinkled with sea salt, chopped raw garlic and black pepper. Serve with good crusty bread to mop up the oil.

 Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic

This is another of my 'quick, easy and spectacular' recipes. We showcased it in Moments of 'Bliss' - the Wellington on a Plate event that I did with Mary Biggs from The Country Cooking School

Serves 6

Do not be frightened by the amount of garlic in this easy and delicious chicken dish – the flavour of garlic softens as it is roasted in its skin and turns into a creamy, fragrant accompaniment.

INGREDIENTS

6 chicken thighs and 6 chicken legs

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 large, firm garlic cloves per person, unpeeled

2 bay leaves

Small bunch of thyme

125ml of Olivo extra virgin olive oil

Large bouquet garni

Season the chicken pieces to taste and put them in the roasting dish with the garlic, the herbs and the olive oil.  Using your hands, mix everything together well.  Cover and leave to marinate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 150°C.  Cover the roasting dish tightly with foil and bake in the oven for 1 ½ hours or until the chicken is tender.  Rest for ten minutes and then serve.

The garlic cloves are an integral part of the dish, so be sure to serve these too!

Roasted red pepper and feta dip

 This is a very simple, quick recipe.

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic chopped

2 cups crumbled feta cheese

3 or 4 bottled roasted red peppers, drained and cut into pieces

Dash of Tabasco or hot chilli sauce

Olivo smoked chilli infused oil to serve (optional)

In a small pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook until translucent. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.

Place the garlic mixture, including the olive oil, in a food processor and add the feta and peppers. Process until smooth. Add a dash of chilli sauce.

Transfer to a bowl, cover and store in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. I usually put a dash of our smoked chilli infused oil over the top to serve. Eat with crackers, carrot sticks, celery or anything you fancy.

I have used it as a sauce over roasted chicken.