The fruit of the olive tree has been a Mediterranean cooking staple, used in cooking, and even skin care, for the past 5,000 years. A prime protagonist of the heart-healthy, mono-unsaturated Mediterranean diet, olive oil ranks at first place as a versatile condiment for garnishing food. The best version of olive oil is the first, cold pressed, extra virgin variety, which reduces acidity to less than 1%.
Olive oil foremost acts as a rich cooking base, a healthy substitute to butter or vegetable oil. Olive oil is splendid for sauteeing vegetables, onions, and garlic, and also enhances the natural taste of vegetables, meats and fish, during cooking.
But olive oil tastes wonderful as a raw, flavorful, finishing tool and condiment as well. Here are some easy, uncomplicated ways to take advantage of the delicious Mediterranean simplicity of using olive oil as an aromatic flavor enhancer to any dish.
BREADS
Dipping warm bread and breadsticks into pure, extra virgin olive oil is the easiest way to savor olive oil's true taste. Breads absorb olive oil terrifically, and the pure, undiluted flavor of the oil enhances bread's bland taste. Try mixing a bit of oil with a few strands of dry oregano and crushed garlic in a bowl and pour it over your freshly baked bread. Another great way to enjoy olive oil is to make the famous bruschetta, a blend of finely minced tomato, fresh basil leaves, garlic and olive oil.
As an alternative to the classic bruschetta, before baking your bread, place a thin slice of mozzarella over your bread and toast in the oven. When you remove it, drizzle on a light coating of olive oil over your melted cheese.
Breadsticks are also popular alternatives to bread and taste fabulously when dipped into a bowl of olive oil and shredded rosemary.
MEATS
White meats cooked and sauteed in a bath of onion, garlic and white wine pair well with a light drizzle of olive oil. When cooking meat over the stove, sautee the meat with only very little oil, one or two tablespoons, to preserve the oil's flavor and cook with minimal fat. Olive oil is best added as a top coating after the meat is cooked, to preserve its purity.
For a healthy chicken recipe, try grilling fillets in a grill pan using mostly water and little oil. Before serving, blend a mixture of herbs, such as oregano, rosemary, thyme and basil in a bowl with a few tablespoons of oil. Pour it over the meat slowly, covering the chicken with the delicate melange of herbs and oil.
To cook veal cutlets, simply sautee your cutlets in a frypan with minimal oil, mostly water and minced garlic. After adding white wine to taste, drizzle on a blend of olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon, shredded parsley, and black pepper.
FISH
Most Mediterranean-inspired fish recipes are already prepared with olive oil, in some form or another. To give your fish an extra flavorful punch, serve it in a fresh mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, white vinegar, parsley and dried thyme.
PIZZA AND PASTA
Most pizzas are lightly garnished with olive oil prior to cooking, to allow the ingredients to set and infuse the crust, herbs and cheeses with an olivey taste.
Many pasta sauce recipes are already cooked with a hearty dose of olive oil. When cooking pasta sauces, experiment with flavored extra-virgin olive oil mixtures, like hot pepper infused oil. Once your pasta is cooked, to prevent stickiness in your pot, after draining your water from the stockpot, drizzle your pasta with a coat of olive oil. This will improve flavor, help your sauce and starch adhere to your pasta, and add a refined taste to your dish.
VEGETABLES
Grilled vegetables marinated in an oil vinaigrette are a fresh way to enjoy veggies. Great for eggplants, zucchini and cauliflower, simply grill your thinly sliced vegetables in a grill pan. When finished, let them cool in a container mixed with a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, white vinegar, shredded parsley, minced garlic, and oregano. Refrigerate for a few hours and let the mixture soak your vegetables, before eating.
SALADS
By far the most common condiment use, olive oil is an exceptional condiment for most kinds of salads, especially leafy, bean, vegetable, and caprese varieties. Prepare any leafy green salad with a tasty, low calorie vinaigrette, by tossing it in olive oil, balsamic AND red wine vinegar, along with a very light dash of ground black pepper.
When tossing a bean salad, use a bit of oregano, olive oil, red wine vinegar, basil leaves, and a healthy dose of fround black pepper.
Try a multi-purpose, spicy, oil-based vinaigrette on any salad by combining shredded garlic, a few bits of a finely sliced hot peppers, finely cut lime, and the juice of one lemon with a tiny pinch of sugar and one cup of olive oil. Let the mixture settle in the fridge for three hours, and before adding it to the salad, remove the hot peppers.
There are countless, simple, delicious ways to use olive oil as a condiment, without bothering with complicated salsas and hard to follow recipes. If you want to begin using this vitamin E, monounsaturated natural and delicious oil as your food- flavoring tool, simply add it to almost anything you make, and enjoy it raw, garnished over freshly cooked food.
Buon Appetito!