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The Olive Oil Hunter News #6

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Grilled Skirt Steak with Salsa Verde Recipe, Spotlight on Indoor Herb Gardens, the Power of Protein-Rich Foods and Weight Training

Americans have had a love affair with the backyard grill for nearly 100 years, and you have carmaker Henry Ford to thank. Back in the day, wood was used in various components of the Model T, and the milling left quite a lot of scrap. Ford found a way to capitalize on the waste, using a formula developed by a chemist for combining it with tar and cornstarch and turning it into lumps. Ford marketed the new product as briquettes, and they were soon being sold in grilling kits at car dealerships, adding another facet to the adventurous American lifestyle he had pioneered. 

As grilling (and smoking) meat has been elevated to a culinary art, many chefs have turned to natural hardwoods, not just as a flavor enhancer but also as a full alternative to Ford’s invention. I prefer hardwood lump charcoal to briquettes because they don’t contain any additives. Above all, you want to stay away from briquettes labeled “fast-starting” because they contain lighter fluid—in fact, lighter fluid shouldn’t have any place in grilling. (The Healthy Kitchen Nugget below has more on how to use hardwood.)

Grilled Skirt Steak with Salsa Verde

  • The Olive Oil Hunter News #6 Grilled Skirt Steak with Salsa Verde

    If you love to grill like I do, you probably don’t limit yourself to summer BBQs. Here’s a perfect dish for a crisp fall evening.

    Ingredients

    For the salsa verde:
    • 1-1/2 cups packed flat-leaf parsley 
    • 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
    • 1/4 cup capers, drained
    • 1 to 2 anchovy fillets (optional) 
    • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
    • 2 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons) 
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice 
    • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest 
    • Kosher salt 
    • Freshly ground black pepper 

    For the steak: ​

    • One 2-pound skirt steak
    • Kosher salt
    • Freshly ground black pepper 

    Directions

    Step 1

    To make the salsa verde, roughly chop the parsley and place it, along with the olive oil, capers, anchovies (if using), vinegar, garlic and lemon juice and zest, in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse until the parsley is well chopped, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a gravy boat or a small bowl and set aside. 

    Step 2

    Set up your grill or grill pan for indirect grilling, and heat it to medium-high. Generously season both sides of the steak with salt and pepper. Grill for about 3 minutes per side, or until done to your liking. Let rest for 2 minutes before carving thinly against the grain. Serve with the salsa verde.

    Quick kitchen hack: Carving the right way is key with certain cuts of meat, like skirt or flank steak. Whether you see it described as “on the diagonal,” “on a bias” or “against the grain,” it means the same thing—slicing in the direction opposite the meat’s muscle fibers. So, if you’re looking at your steak and the fibers are running vertically from top to bottom, you want to slice horizontally or across from side to side. The reason is simple: This creates a more tender chew.

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Quick Croutons to garnish homemade meals

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Indoor Herb Gardens

If your outdoor herb garden is nearing its end or if you don’t have one at all, it’s time to start growing herbs indoors. Parsley for my salsa verde is a great first choice, and then consider basil, cilantro and rosemary for a versatile mix. 

All you need are a few steps to replicate the outdoor conditions that herbs like. Because even a sunny windowsill doesn’t get a full 14 or so hours of summer-style daylight once fall arrives, grow lights are a great help. You can get a simple floor or desk model to shine on your plants or go full board with a stacking modular shelf and light system that can support racks of plants (to see one example, check out gardeners.com).

Starting new plants from seeds will give them a healthy advantage if you think you’ll move them outdoors come spring. But it’s easier (and faster) to buy small transplants if you want a head start. According to University of Maryland Extension, a good rule of (green) thumb is to use two parts of soilless potting mixture and one part of perlite. If space allows, grow each herb in its own pot—that way, you can water each one with the right frequency. Make sure your containers have drainage holes and sit in a dish or tray to catch any excess water. Keep your plants away from drafts as well as heat vents. Mist them every day to create some humidity, especially if the air in your home is dry. Be patient before cutting in order to give your herbs time to take hold. And when you do clip some sprigs, resist taking more than a third of the plant at one time. Find out more here.

Healthy Kitchen Tip: Chimney Starter

Healthy Kitchen Nugget

Grilling Tip: Chimney Starter

My friend Steven Raichlen, the ultimate grill master, has an amazing website called barbecuebible.com, where he details the best ways to get your grill fire going. The secret is a chimney starter, a metal cylinder or box with two sections, one for the charcoal and the other for a wad of newspaper. Place the loaded chimney starter on the bottom grate of your grill, light the newspaper and, in 15 to 20 minutes, the charcoal will be ready to go.

For Your Best Health: Protein-Rich Foods

For Your Best Health

Protein-Rich Foods

Protein-rich foods don’t just taste great, but they’re also the body’s building blocks, keeping muscles strong and helping us stay vital and independent. But did you know that our protein needs increase as we get older and that eating more of it has many benefits? 

One study, published in the journal Nutrients, found that people who eat between 20% and 50% more than the standard suggested daily amount (that’s technically .36 grams for every pound you weigh) have greater lower-body strength and a faster walking speed. 

Another study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, compared protein intake among its participants and found that those who ate the most protein had less risk of developing Alzheimer’s than those who ate the least. The researchers pegged an ideal amount at about 120 grams of protein a day. 

The top highest protein-rich foods are lean beef, pork, lamb, turkey, chicken, fish and shellfish, with about 7 grams per ounce; eggs, with 6 grams each; edamame, lentils and beans, with 8-9 grams per half cup; milk and yogurt, with about 8 grams per 8 ounces; and nuts, with 4-6 grams per ounce, according to Hopkins Medicine.

Fitness Flash: Weight Training

Fitness Flash

Weight Training

Diet is only one part of the health equation. Exercise is the other. While cardio workouts are vital, you might not be getting the weight training that you need for optimal strength. If the idea of working out with weights doesn’t appeal to you, research published in Sage Open Medicine points out that resistance bands can be just as effective. And a research review in the journal Sports Medicine found that we can get great gains, particularly in arms and legs, from these stretchy pieces of elastic, even later in life. The bands come in a variety of tensions, so you can easily increase the difficulty as you gain strength to keep those gains coming.

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The Olive Oil Hunter News #5

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Cauliflower Steaks with Dukkah Recipe, Spotlight on Cauliflower, Benefits of Plant-based Eating and Mind-Body Exercise

I’m intrigued by all the latest meat alternatives, but concerned about what’s really in them. That’s why, when you want to go meatless, I’m a much bigger fan of using vegetables, like cauliflower, that have a chewy mouthfeel. Served on a light brioche bun and topped with your favorite condiments, a Portobello mushroom “burger” can be oh-so-satisfying. And there’s no reason to stop there. This issue of The Olive Oil Hunter Newsletter has one of my favorite beef substitutes of all time, so let’s get cooking…

A New Twist on a Classic:
Cauliflower “Steaks” With Dukkah

These days, cauliflower is on menus all over the globe, prepared a myriad of ways because it makes such a great canvas for spices, but I’ll never forget the meal I had at the legendary Charlie Trotter’s restaurant back in the late ’90s. That dinner was the first time I ever had cauliflower steak and it was completely innovative. Trotter was already a legend for elevating vegetables to the starring role at the table, and for me, as a young culinary student, the dish was an eye-opener—how cooking techniques and interesting ingredients could transform simple produce in ways most people, even other chefs of the era, couldn’t imagine.

  • The Olive Oil Hunter News #5 Cauliflower “Steaks” With Dukkah

    My twist on this now-classic dish is to serve it with dukkah, a little-known nut-and-spice blend that’s Egyptian in origin but has been wildly popularized half a world away in Australia. Dukkah is wonderful on vegetables, but you can use it to make compound butter or as a sandwich spread, to add zest to a basic pesto, or simply instead of salt and pepper—I like to think of it as five layers of flavor in one little sprinkle. At Aussie restaurants, you’ll often find it added to the dish of olive oil that is served with bread.

    Ingredients

    • 2 large heads of cauliflower
    • Extra virgin olive oil
    • Coarse kosher or sea salt
    • 2 lemons, each cut into 4 wedges, separated
    • Fresh chopped curly parsley

    For the dukkah:

    • 1 cup hazelnuts, cashews or almonds 
    • 1/2 cup sesame seeds
    • 1/4 cup coriander seeds
    • 2 tablespoons cumin seeds
    • 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon coarse salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

    Directions

    Step 1

    To make the dukkah, start by toasting the nuts. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for about 10 minutes at 350°F until lightly browned. Set aside to cool (it’s not necessary to remove their skins), reserving the baking sheet for the cauliflower. Dry-toast the sesame, coriander and cumin seeds in a small frying pan on the stovetop, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Keep your eye on them because they can burn easily. Transfer the nuts and seeds to a food processor and add the salt, pepper and cayenne. Pulse just until crumbly. Don’t overprocess, or the dukkah will turn into a paste. Alternatively you can use a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. (This can be made in advance. Refrigerate if not using immediately.)

    Step 2

    Next, turn the oven up to 400°F and prep the cauliflower. Remove the green outer leaves from each head and carefully trim back the stem. Stand the cauliflower upright on a cutting board and cut 2 “steaks,” each about ¾” thick, from the center of each head. Reserve the remaining cauliflower florets for another dish. 

    Step 3

    Arrange the steaks on the rimmed baking sheet (you may need an additional sheet if the heads are very large). For each slice, brush both sides with olive oil and squeeze on the juice from one lemon wedge. Season with salt and pepper. Roast, turning once with a spatula, until the cauliflower is tender and both sides are nicely browned, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a platter and liberally dust each piece with the dukkah. Drizzle with more olive oil, sprinkle with parsley, and serve with the rest of the lemon wedges. 

    Yields 4 servings. ​

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Cauliflower

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Cauliflower

Cauliflower is just one of the superfood vegetables in the cruciferous family, which also includes broccoli, Brussels sprouts, bok choy and cabbage as well as watercress, kale, mustard greens and even horseradish. What sets them apart from other veggies are compounds called glucosinolates, which during digestion are thought to prompt an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant response in the body, according to the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. This response may be why cruciferous veggies have been linked to helping fight off illnesses from heart disease to certain types of cancer.

Healthy Kitchen Tip: Substitute Rice with Cauliflower Rice

Healthy Kitchen Nugget

Cauliflower Rice: The Healthy Substitute

If you took chemistry in high school, you probably remember the stink of sulfur in experiments. The reason that cruciferous veggies like cauliflower can emit a similar smell is because of the very same glucosinolates that give them their health benefits…these compounds contain sulfur. The key to minimizing the aroma is in the cooking—coat lightly with olive oil and roast at high heat or sauté rather than boil. These methods also preserve more of the nutrients.

Quick kitchen hack: Cauliflower “rice” is a great substitute for regular rice, both to save on carbs and get in lots of nutrients. It also cooks up much faster. And if you’re like my grandmother, who’s in her 80s and managing diabetes, it’s a great way to enjoy favorite dishes like curries without a carb overload. While you can now buy cauliflower rice frozen year-round, it takes just seconds to make your own at home when it’s in season. Cut florets into even chunks and pulse a few times in a food processor until they turn into rice-like pieces.

For Your Best Health: Flexible Vegetarian Eating with Cauliflower

For Your Best Health

Benefits of Flexible Vegetarian Eating

If you’re still searching for a forever diet or getting a little bored with the eating plan you’re on, being a flexitarian might be perfect for you. Plant-based eating is at the heart of this diet, shorthand for “flexible vegetarian.” It’s built on a foundation of vegetables, fruits, (whole) grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, plant-based oils, eggs and dairy, yet you can also choose to have traditional protein sources, from seafood to meat. You might be mostly vegetarian when eating at home, for example, and have meat when eating out. (As with any healthy diet, you want to limit refined carbs, including sugar.)

This flexibility allows many people to stick with the plan for life. Experts at Western Oregon University suggest one way to scale into it: Start by eliminating meat at 6 to 8 of the 21 meals you have each week. After a few weeks, progress to 9 to 14 meatless meals a week. You want to ultimately aim for 15 or more meat-free meals per week.

For the greatest health benefits, the American Institute for Cancer Research recommends limiting red meat and saving processed meats like sausages and bacon for the rarest occasions.

Fitness Flash: Benefits of Mind-Body Exercise

Fitness Flash

The Benefits of Mind-Body Exercise

Chances are you know the advantages of yoga, a wonderful mind-body exercise. Its careful breathing and slow, deep stretches have been studied for benefits like stress relief, flexibility and better balance, and as many as 36 million Americans practice it regularly. While you might have also heard of tai chi, another mind-body exercise, it’s less likely you’ve tried it—it has only about one-tenth the number of enthusiasts as yoga. But now may be the perfect time to add it to your fitness menu.

Though both tai chi and yoga have similar benefits, including helping you achieve a sense of well-being and inner peace, tai chi uses a different type of movement. Originally a martial art, it’s known for graceful, low-impact standing moves done with deep diaphragmatic breathing. A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that doing an hour of tai chi one to three times a week helps many people lower their risk of falling. Other studies have found that it can improve posture and may sharpen your brain and boost your mood—and who doesn’t need that these days?

Tai chi is often done outdoors because of the importance of drawing energy from nature (this also makes it easy to physically distance), but you can tap into virtual options, too. Harvard Health, for one, offers an online tai chi course with 20 moves to get you started. Find it at harvardhealthonlinelearning.com.

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Pork Tenderloin With Pineapple Salsa

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

The acidity of the pineapple salsa works really well with the grilled pork. The salsa gets a flavor boost from aji amarillo, literally translated as “yellow pepper.” Amarillo is a fruity, medium-heat chile that’s popular in South America but rarely seen in US stores. You can buy it in paste form on Amazon—Inca’s Food is a great brand and also makes the terrific but much hotter aji panca.

Ingredients

For the salsa:

  • 1/2 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into ¼” dice 
  • 1 cup diced yellow, red and/or orange bell pepper 
  • 2 scallions, white and green parts, trimmed and thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 
  • 1 or 2 red or green jalapeños (depending on how much heat you want), stemmed, seeded and finely diced 
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, with a fruity profile if possible
  • 1 tablespoon (or more to taste) rice wine vinegar 
  • 4 teaspoons aji amarillo paste
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons honey 

For the Pork:

  • 2 pork tenderloins, each about 1-1/4 pounds
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Garlic salt 
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Step One

Place all the salsa ingredients in a medium bowl and stir gently with a rubber spatula. Cover and refrigerate. The salsa can be made up to 4 hours ahead. Note: If fresh pineapple is unavailable, you can use frozen, no-sugar-added pineapple chunks, thawed and cut into dice.

Step Two

When you’re ready to cook, light your grill and set it up for direct grilling. Preheat to medium high. Brush and oil the grill grate.

Step Three

Prep each tenderloin by removing any silverskin, the strip of tough connective tissue that runs the length of the tenderloin. Use the tip of a fillet knife to lift up one end, which you can then hold on to as you move the blade under the rest of the strip to separate it from the meat; discard. Rub each tenderloin on all sides with olive oil. Season with the garlic salt and black pepper. 

Step Four

Arrange the tenderloins on the grill grate and grill for about 3 minutes per side (12 minutes total) until an instant-read meat thermometer reaches 145°F. (The pork will still be slightly pink.) Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice into medallions and shingle on a platter. Serve the pineapple salsa on the side. 

Note: As an alternative, you can sear the tenderloins in olive oil in an oven-safe skillet until they’re nicely browned, then transfer the skillet to a 350°F oven to finish for about 15 minutes.

Yields 6 to 8 servings

The Olive Oil Hunter News #4

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Extra Virgin Fresh Pressed Olive Oil-Roasted Vegetable Platter Recipe, Spotlight on Healthy Fats, Roasting Vegetables Right, Finishing Salt and Bone Loss

As a fan of the Olive Oil Hunter, you know how I love the freshest, healthiest ingredients (including extra virgin fresh pressed olive oil) and always want to know where they come from. That pretty much explains why on any given weekend, you’re sure to find me at my local greenmarket. Seasonal is my mindset—it means planning meals around what’s available rather than hunting around to find the exact ingredients to match a recipe. That’s why I also love another great source of locally grown bounty: community-supported agriculture, or CSAs, where you buy shares of a farm’s harvest in advance (find yours at localharvest.org). I get inspired every time I open a new box of produce. 

This issue’s recipe is the perfect example of my food philosophy. Here’s why…

  • The Olive Oil Hunter Newsletter Vol. 2 Olive Oil-Roasted Vegetable Platter

    This dish brings together a rainbow mix of both familiar and exotic veggies. You can definitely make it your own by choosing from what’s available locally. Whatever you include, slow roasting brings out the flavors in each ingredient, so you get different taste sensations with every bite. Using a very wide selection of vegetables also makes this a great main dish, but you can serve it along with a protein if you wish. And if there are any leftovers, I like to add just a splash of balsamic and enjoy them cold for lunch the next day.

    Ingredients

    • 4 parsnips, trimmed, peeled and cut into 1.5″ cubes
    • 6 large carrots, trimmed, peeled and cut into 1.5″ cubes
    • 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1.5″ chunks 
    • 4 yellow or candy stripe beets, peeled and cut into small wedges  
    • 2 bulbs fennel, trimmed and sliced into wedges
    • 2 red onions, trimmed, peeled and sliced into wedges
    • 1 sweet onion, trimmed, peeled and sliced into wedges
    • 1/2 pound sunchokes, peeled and halved
    • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, divided
    • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for serving
    • Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 
    • Maldon sea salt flakes for finishing

    Directions

    Step 1

    Preheat your oven to 400°F. Combine the hard vegetables—parsnips, carrots, squash and beets—in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon thyme and drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add salt and pepper, and stir gently to coat the vegetables evenly. 

    Step 2

    Repeat in a separate bowl with the softer vegetables—the fennel, onions and sunchokes. (See more about roasting mixed vegetables in the Healthy Kitchen Nugget below.) 

    Step 3

    Tip the hard vegetables into a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan large enough to hold them in one layer without touching; they need room to get a nice crisp on the edges. After 30 minutes, add the soft vegetables to a second baking sheet, place in the oven, and continue cooking for about another 30 minutes until all the veggies are tender in the center and caramelized. For even browning, use a spatula to occasionally turn all the veggies throughout the roasting. Transfer all the vegetables to one large serving bowl, drizzle with more olive oil if desired, and sprinkle with a few grains of the Maldon salt.

    Hint: If using traditional red beets, prepare and cook them separately to keep their bright color from transferring to other vegetables. Oil and season them in their own bowl and then roast them in a separate pan or at one end of a baking sheet.

    Yields 8 servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Fresh Pressed Olive Oil

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Healthy Fats: Fresh Pressed Olive Oil & Nuts

Don’t get me wrong—butter has its place. But when it comes to healthy fat, extra virgin fresh pressed olive oil can’t be beat. Nearly every week brings a new study confirming the benefits of vegetable-based fats and EVOO in particular. And make no mistake about it, fat is an essential part of the diet; among other roles, it’s needed to use the fat-soluble vitamins A, E and K in the foods you eat. Ironically, the rise in obesity in our country can be traced to the low-fat craze back in the ’90s, when the fats in packaged foods were replaced with sugars. True, the fats used in those products weren’t great, but the sugars were even worse! We now know that the mono- and polyunsaturated fats that come from healthy sources, like olives, hazelnuts, walnuts and grapeseed, make for healthy oils—“healthy fat” isn’t a fad! There’s even research published in The New England Journal of Medicine showing that eating a Mediterranean diet with extra virgin fresh pressed olive oil and nuts can significantly lower blood pressure, blood sugar and total cholesterol.

Healthy Kitchen Tip: How to Properly Roast Vegetables

Healthy Kitchen Nugget

Roasting Hard Versus Soft Veggies

Whenever you’re roasting different vegetables together, the right prep work will ensure that they all cook evenly, but make tweaks to the standard rule of thumb that states they should all be cut in the same size. That rule is true only when you’re making all one type, like root vegetables or cruciferous vegetables. When you’re roasting a mix, there are better methods. You could cut the soft ones into bigger pieces than the hard ones and roast them together. Or go for the simple option in the recipe above when you have to use two rimmed baking sheets anyway: Roast the hard veggies first, and then pop in the second sheet with the softer vegetables about 30 minutes later. Check for doneness every time you open the oven to turn them during the roasting—everyone’s oven is slightly different, and you’ll quickly learn what works best for you.

For Your Best Health: Finishing Salt

For Your Best Health

Using Finishing Salt

I love the slight crunch of a high-quality finishing salt with a noticeable texture, like Maldon. But what about the problem of too much salt in our diets? The fact is that nearly three-quarters of the salt we eat doesn’t come from the salt shaker—it’s in packaged and prepared foods, including fast food. The American Heart Association points to the top “salty six” categories to avoid: packaged breads and rolls, deli cold cuts and cured meats, pizza, canned soup, frozen breaded chicken nuggets, and burritos and tacos. So, seasoning at home isn’t the problem, and when you use coarser grains like Maldon, Himalayan sea salt from Pakistan, and Australia’s Murray River sea salt flakes, you’ll see and taste the salt more but actually use less. You’ll also get some natural minerals that are typically processed out of standard table salt (replaced instead with additives and anticaking agents). You also won’t have a problem sticking to the healthier daily max of 1,500 mg (about 2/3 teaspoon) of salt when you add just a pinch here and there.

Fitness Flash: Bone Loss in Men

Fitness Flash

Bone Loss in Men

You’ve likely heard of osteoporosis, when bones have thinned so much that you’re at a higher risk for fractures. But here’s a surprise: Bone loss doesn’t affect women only. It can happen to men, too. 

Bone loss is typically gradual, and a bone mineral density test can spot it at an early stage, when the condition is called osteopenia and there’s more time to slow it down. The test uses a special type of X-ray called DEXA that captures images of your bones’ mineral content, often at the hip and lower spine. It’s painless and takes just a few minutes. The results are given as a T-score: −1 and higher is normal, between −1.1 and −2.4 is osteopenia, and –2.5 and below is osteoporosis. 

Many health organizations suggest waiting until you’re 65 to get the test, but it should be done earlier if you have risk factors such as a history of smoking or of fracture, a thyroid condition, liver or kidney disease, a family history of osteoporosis, being tall and very thin, or taking medications that can hurt bone health like corticosteroids. Talk to your doctor about the right testing timetable for you. 

Most important of all is that you can take steps to strengthen or maintain your bones right now, no matter your age. Do 30 minutes of weight-bearing exercises, like walking or running, on most days of the week, and add twice-weekly strength training to your overall fitness program. Since both types of exercise also strengthen muscles, you’ll appreciate feeling stronger, too.

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