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Italian Breakfast Strata

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

This breakfast strata is perfect when you’re entertaining overnight guests, as it can be assembled the night before baking. My version is vegetarian, but you can top the bread with cooked Italian sausage, diced ham, diced pepperoni, or cooked bacon before pouring the egg mixture over it.

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided use
  • 8 ounces cremini or mixed mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, and coarsely chopped
  • 1 small onion, peeled and diced
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, trimmed, seeded, and diced
  • 9 eggs
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon ground mustard
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or dried basil
  • Coarse salt (kosher or sea)
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 cups day-old Italian bread, cut or torn into bite-size pieces
  • 12 pitted green or black olives, coarsely chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, divided use
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
  • 8 ounces baby arugula, spinach, or mixed greens
  • Cherry tomatoes, for garnish (optional)

Directions

Step 1

Warm a skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms have given up their liquid and are beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the onion and bell pepper and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes more. Let the mixture cool.

Step 2

In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, milk, mustard, and Italian seasoning. Whisk, adding
1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.

Step 3

Use one tablespoon of oil to coat the inside of a 9×13 baking dish. Arrange the bread in a single layer in the bottom. Top with the sautéed vegetables and the olives, followed by 1 cup of cheese. Evenly pour the egg mixture over the strata, then sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Cover the strata with foil and refrigerate for several hours, preferably overnight. Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.

Step 4

When ready to cook, heat the oven to 350°F. Remove the foil from the strata and reserve. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Recover loosely with the foil and bake for another 30 to 40 minutes, or until the center is puffy and the edges have browned.

Step 5

In the meantime, make a vinaigrette: Place 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a small bowl. Whisk in the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Lightly dress the arugula with the vinaigrette. Let the strata sit for 10 minutes before cutting into squares. Garnish each plate with the arugula and cherry tomatoes, if using.

Yields 10 servings

Flourless Pistachio Cake

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

The Sicilian town of Bronte is synonymous with pistachios—the star of this moist and rich one-layer cake.

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan
  • 12 ounces raw, unsalted shelled pistachios, preferably Sicilian
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided use
  • 6 large eggs, separated when cold, yolks and whites at room temperature
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or paste
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon sanding or demerara sugar (optional)

Directions

Step 1

Place an oven rack in the center position and heat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and coat the paper and sides lightly with olive oil; set aside.

Step 2

Place the pistachios in a single layer on a rimmed sheet pan and bake for 5 minutes to lightly toast them. Let cool completely. Turn the oven up to 350°F.

Step 3

Pulse the pistachios and 1/2 cup of the sugar in the bowl of a food processor until you get a medium-coarse meal. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks, olive oil, and extracts until well blended. Fold in the pistachio meal and set aside.

Step 4

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a balloon whisk (or using a hand mixer), beat the egg whites with the salt and the rest of the sugar on low until frothy, about 1 minute. Then set the mixer to high and beat until stiff peaks form, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Step 5

Using a large spatula, fold the whipped whites into the pistachio mixture in 3 or 4 batches (don’t over-mix—a few streaks of the whites are okay). Transfer the batter to the pan, level the top with an offset spatula, and sprinkle on the sanding sugar, if using.

Step 6

Bake until the top of the cake is golden and springy to the touch, about 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove the outer ring, invert the cake onto a rack, peel off the paper, and flip it over onto a cake plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 10

Insalata tricolore

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

This classic three-color salad was inspired by the green, white, and red of the Italian flag and comes together in no time. The flavors meld perfectly in this chopped version.

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar di Modena
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • One 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained, rinsed, and drained again
  • 1 small head of radicchio, cored and coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup loosely packed basil leaves, julienned

Directions

Step 1

Make the vinaigrette: In a large bowl, whisk together the honey, balsamic, mustard, salt, and pepper. Add the olive oil and whisk continuously until the dressing is emulsified.

Step 2

Add the beans, radicchio, and basil, and toss well.

Serves 4

Celebration Potato Pancakes

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

This twist on traditional potato pancakes gets sweetness from parsnips and a hint of tartness from the apple, plus garnishes that add more levels of flavor. Eggs replace flour as the binder, making this version gluten free as well.

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces red potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled
  • 1 medium yellow onion, about 8 ounces
  • 1 large Granny Smith apple, washed
  • 6 ounces parsnips, peeled
  • 3 large eggs
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided use, plus more as needed
  • 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup skyr, sour cream, or mascarpone
  • 4 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon, cut into 32 pieces
  • A few springs of fresh dill
  • Additional garnishes: capers, salmon roe or another caviar, diced red onion 

Directions

Step 1

Using the grating blade of a food processor or a large box grater, finely grate the potatoes, onion, apple, and parsnips. Transfer to a very large bowl and mix well. Add the eggs, the 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper, and toss thoroughly. Preheat your oven to 250°F and line a rimmed sheet pan with paper towels.

Step 2

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Using a 1/4 cup measure as a scoop, make a layer of pancakes, flattening them slightly with the back of the measure. Cook over medium heat until they brown on the bottom, flip, and continue cooking until the underside browns and crisps. Transfer to the sheet pan and place in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the rest of the mixture, adding more oil to the pan as needed.

Step 3

To serve, top each pancake with a dollop of skyr, sour cream, or mascarpone; a piece of smoked salmon; a snippet of dill; and a few capers, roe, or another caviar, if desired.

Yields 8 servings