Direct From Australia! A Trio of Exquisite Extra Virgin Olive Oils All From Gold-Medal-Winning Farms Perfect for Your Autumn Table

• Food-friendly fresh-pressed oils created by your Olive Oil Hunter and the leading Aussie artisanal producers.
• Unique expressions of prized varietals and rich in polyphenols, the source of EVOO’s wide-ranging health benefits.
• Rushed to the US by jet to maximize freshness and independently certified to be 100 percent extra virgin olive oil.

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It’s not hyperbole to say that I travel to the four corners of the world to find Club members the freshest and food-friendliest extra virgin olive oils on the planet. Though my annual visit to Australia is the longest trip I make each year—close to 24 hours in the air—I always look forward to it because the island continent is like no other: the people, the landscapes, the food.

Many people are surprised that the southeastern state of Victoria produces exquisite olive oil, not realizing that its climate, indeed its many microclimates, mirror the growing conditions around the Mediterranean. The history of Australian extra virgin olive oil is decidedly shorter, but the growers I’ve forged relationships with (for well over a decade now) are every bit as passionate as their European counterparts—they live and breathe olive oil.

Aussie EVOO is so delectable because the producers know how to balance art and science to create superb New World olive oils from Old World varieties. Consider Kyneton, producer of our bold oil: estate manager Mick Labbozzetta’s parents came here from Italy, and he’s joined for every harvest by Davide Bruno, an Italian master miller—the seasons of the Southern Hemisphere occur at opposite times of the year, so many European experts are able to travel here and share their knowledge.

An Embarrassment of Riches

Melbourne, my first stop in Australia, is synonymous with Melissa Wong, olive oil authority, former restauranteur, fellow foodie, and all-around gastronomic genius. Her exquisite palate is so appreciated at the grand tastings she organizes for my Merry Band of Tasters and me. This year had a delicious twist: like the surf along Victoria’s beaches, the fresh-pressed olive oil samples came in seemingly endless waves. Every time I thought we had crafted the perfect blends, more contenders—superstars all—arrived for us to taste. “Recalibrate” became our mantra.

With such an array of delicious and unique oils to choose from, you might think that the season was a slam dunk, but, in actuality, many growers lost huge amounts of olives because of Mother Nature’s mean bag of tricks, specifically an unexpected frost that killed the blossoms of early-flowering varietals. According to world-renowned olive savant, master miller, and honorary member of my Merry Band, Leandro Ravetti, growers lost on average 40 percent of potential olives to frost. Indeed, when we met up, my good friend John Symington of Oasis, a name familiar to Club members, told me that one of his farms had lost 90 percent of its olives!

The saving grace? The Aussie producers we worked with knew how to pivot and focus on pampering their late-flowering varietals. Another important edge is that they have groves in various microclimates, sometimes hundreds of miles apart, so we’re never counting on just one. However, they faced other challenges—the summer was very hot and dry, and it took a long time for autumnal temperatures to arrive. That meant harvesting earlier in the day, working on the cooler days, and, in some cases, pausing the harvest. The bottles you now have in front of you are testament to their skills in the field and the mill.

Oz: Always in Good Taste

Second only to the pleasure I take in sampling fresh-pressed oils is discovering new food trends and sharing them with you. Melbourne (or Mel-buhn, as the locals pronounce it) is a foodie city, and it’s wonderful to see how its restaurants have embraced ultra-premium extra virgin olive oil. At Antara, for instance, the chefs created a dining series featuring local oils, with dishes that included wood-fired scallops, a duck parfait, and a citrus pavlova, all lavished with EVOO. There’s also a huge coffee culture here, and a brew called tiger bomb is all the rage (I’ve given it my own spin in the recipe section below).

It’s no secret that everywhere I go, I take the best of the fresh-pressed olive oil blends with me to make sure they pair perfectly with many cuisines before I deem them ready for the Club—that’s easy to do in Australia because so many restaurants specialize in ethnic cuisines. The three selections you’re about to try have met my self-avowed impossibly high standards, so I know you will enjoy them throughout the season on all your favorite autumn dishes, as will I.

Happy drizzling!

T. J. Robinson 
The Olive Oil Hunter®

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This Quarter’s First Selection

• Producer: AuLife Middle Park, Australia
• Olive Varieties: Picual
• Flavor Profile: Mild

When Melissa Wong and I first met at the original Food Network studios in New York, now nearly 25 years ago, I could never have dreamed that we would forge such a deep friendship and one day be working together so closely…on the other side of the world. When the Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club was just a gleam in my eye, this gracious and elegant food-globetrotter partnered with Michelin chef Claudio Sadler to open a branch of his Sadler Ristorante in Beijing. When Melissa and her husband Robert decided to relocate from Asia to Melbourne, she founded AuLife to promote Australia’s extraordinary olive oils and other gourmet specialty foods.

With her meticulous judgment and discerning palate, Melissa has become one of my most trusted collaborators in Australia—my “boots on the ground,” as I often refer to her. Our relationship has only deepened over the years. In recent seasons, I’ve been thrilled to be back in her beautiful home—not only for our marathon tastings but also for collaborating with her on recipes. (She’s such a foodie that she’s the only person I know to have a Berkel, the top-of-the-line meat slicer, in their home kitchen!)

Melissa, originally from Vancouver, Canada, is an ultra-savvy EVOO scout and always has the inside scoop on the Oz olive oil scene. As we reviewed the many contenders for this quarter’s trio, she shared her vision for our mild selection: create an exceptional oil from two unique Picuals—one from Boort and the other from Kialla. Being a phenomenal taster, Melissa knew that this could be a powerful marriage. The two groves were 100 miles from each other, and while that might not seem like a great distance, each is a product of its terroir—literally, “sense of place,” which accounts for the different expressions of the same varietal. So many aspects of the environment, such as climate, soil, topography, and elevation, come together to create an oil’s distinctive characteristics. While one of the Picuals in this blend can be described as highly aromatic, the other has more structure, bitterness, and spiciness to it. We worked together to find just the right ratio, and the exquisite result is definitely greater than the sum of its parts.

Picual lovers will note the difference between the Aussie and the Spanish styles—there’s a wonderful tropical aspect to this olive oil, yet it also has intense flavor, perfect for autumn dishes from bruschetta to roasted root vegetables, soups, and stews.

Impressions and Recommended Food Pairings

This enchanting Picual has rich aromas of tomato and green grass, complemented by green banana, Asian pear, and tropical fruit. There are also notes of Bibb lettuce, celery, and white pepper, along with herbal notes of parsley, rosemary, and mint. When we sipped from the glass, we tasted tomato, baby lettuces, celery leaf, and green tea; the bitterness of radicchio and Belgian endive; and the spiciness of black pepper, with a sweet finish, persistent of fresh mint.

This exquisite oil will elevate mild vinaigrettes, tomato dishes, Asian salads, puréed soups, roasted “dirty” martini shrimp cocktail,* crudo, chicken and vegetable sheet pan “stir fry,” pasta, risotto, Melissa’s prawn and pork dumplings, white beans, lentils, couscous, baked sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and squash, fruit dishes, yogurt, ice cream, ANZAC cookies, and quick breads.

*See the recipe section for bolded dishes.

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This Quarter’s Second Selection

• Producer: Nullamunjie Tongio, Australia
• Olive Varieties: Correggiola, Coratina, Leccino, Pendolino
• Flavor Profile: Medium

Though we love Melbourne’s big-city vibes, my Merry Band of Tasters and I are always eager to head northeast to bucolic East Gippsland to visit the award-winning Nullamunjie olive groves and its charming proprietress, Annie Paterson.

A visit to Greece in her early twenties ignited Annie’s passion for olive oil. To this day, she remembers a trip along the Aegean coastline, admiring the sage-colored leaves of olive trees framed by the windows of the tour bus. The large cattle ranch where she grew up was on the 37th parallel, the antipodal twin of the Mediterranean’s olive-growing region. She surmised that olive trees would thrive there. Alas, her father declined to sell land to her.

So, the next few decades of her life passed conventionally. Annie married successful Melbourne businessman and entrepreneur John Paterson, with whom she raised four children. Then, in 1998, Annie resurrected her dream by buying several hundred acres of family land on the slopes of Mt. Stawell. Appealingly, there was a water source for irrigation—the Tambo River. John was supportive of his wife’s olive oil ambitions, accepting Annie’s frequent absences and often traveling with her to the groves some 250 miles away from their home.

As always, it was wonderful to see Annie again. John, who serves on numerous corporate boards, was also able to join us this year—a rare treat. Despite working long hours at the pressing shed (Aussie slang for “mill”), Annie was her usual effervescent self, always leaving laughter and hilarity in her wake. John lovingly restores her energy and good humor after a long day by opening a nice bottle of red wine and by preparing one of his specialties—spaghetti bolognese or hearty beef bourguignon.

She had us in stitches one evening, describing the flocks of yellow-crested cockatoos that pinch off olive-bearing branches with their wickedly sharp beaks. Not to eat them, Annie clarifies, but simply for the birds’ own amusement. To combat them, she has dispatched drones, fired a percussive gun, and resorted to screaming at them. “They’re very intelligent,” Annie says. And, evidently, very difficult to disperse.

Nullamunjie oils, she told us, will soon be used in a hip new restaurant in Sydney called 20 Chapel. Chef Costelloe’s signature dish is woodfired Wagyu steak drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. Annie confided that this is one of her favorite uses of her oils. (Try it for yourself.)

Despite the cockatoo scourge, incursions into the groves of deer and oafish kangaroos (both of which can trample young seedlings), and untimely temperature extremes, Annie was very pleased with the quality of this season’s oils. I was, too! The farm blend we created especially for you—a special thanks to indispensable Nullamunjie operations manager Riley Nivens—features Italian varietals in a unique and food-friendly combination. I am always astounded by Annie’s commitment to excellence, using innovative strategies, upgrading equipment, buying additional land, planting new trees, and following sound environmental practices. Most of all, I salute this septuagenarian’s boundless energy and continued investment in her farm’s future.

Impressions and Recommended Food Pairings 

This assertive blend of Correggiola, Coratina, Leccino, and Pendolino delights with the scents of sweet almond, fennel, Tuscan kale, artichoke, arugula, kiwi, green peppercorns, and thyme, along with nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla. Its complexity was apparent on the palate with the essence of green artichoke and fresh walnuts, dark leafy greens such as Swiss chard, fresh oregano, the sweetness of golden apple, bitterness of cacao beans, and spiciness of black pepper and arugula.

Lavish this oil on bruschetta, hearty salads, and salads with nuts; Australian zucchini breakfast slice* and other egg dishes; duck, roasted chicken, and turkey; steaks; pasta with meat sauces; fatty fish, octopus, and calamari; pizza; gai lan, roasted root vegetables, and garbanzo beans; Annie’s baked pears, and chocolate and nut-based desserts.

*See the recipe section for bolded dishes.

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This Quarter’s Third Selection

• Producer: Kyneton Bylands, Australia
• Olive Varieties: Coratina, Frantoio
• Flavor Profile: Bold

“Super green…slightly lighter green…but all green,” is how master miller Davide Bruno described the gorgeous Coratina olives showcased in this superstar EVOO. Davide, who’s worked with Kyneton since 2018, knows exactly what I prize: early-harvest oil, pressed during that magic window when the fruit is at the peak of its flavor and brimming with healthful polyphenols.

Victoria-based Kyneton, one of the pioneers of Aussie ultra-premium olive oil, has been a destination for me and my Merry Band of Tasters since 2009. In the intervening years, over several delicious Club collaborations, the Kyneton crew—headed by estate manager Mick Labbozzetta—and I have developed fond friendships, born of an ever-evolving mutual desire to create great olive oil. Kyneton’s motto is “Australian made, Italian heritage,” embodied by its all-Italian (and Italian-descent) team, state-of-the-art Italian milling equipment, and olive roster of mainly Italian varietals.

Mick was born in Adelaide to a Calabrian father and Sicilian mother, both of whom immigrated to Australia in the 1950s. He often looks like he stepped out of a classic film, dapper yet down-to-earth, with a trademark newsboy cap. He joined Kyneton in 2016 via what I described at the time as a “tale of two households,” like Romeo and Juliet, except the families liked each other and everyone lived happily ever after. Mick’s daughter, Melissa, is married to Robert Inturissi, whose family acquired Kyneton from the Trovatellos (whose award-winning farm was already a Club favorite). With everyone’s blessing, Mick took the helm, continuing and expanding Kyneton’s innovation and excellence.

Mick’s love of family extends to his production team: Davide Bruno joins for the harvest—the rest of the year, he works the opposite season as a master miller in his native Liguria—and is supported in the Kyneton groves year-round by Calabrian Carmelo Tramontana. When the three of them are in the harvest groove, Italian phrases buzzing while just-picked olives are being rushed to the mill, you’d swear you were in the old country.

During the off season, Mick took a long-anticipated trip to Italy, visiting his father’s village of Sinopoli as well as a mill in Calabria run by one of his dad’s old schoolmates. Mick and I reflected on how different European olive oil production can be. “They have their traditional habits,” he said, noting that the Australian way is much more open, more about sharing—not only fruit but also equipment, harvesting and milling techniques, and hard-earned wisdom.

I was thrilled to get advance word from Kyneton of an outstanding Coratina harvest—the first from a team they collaborate with near the town of Bendigo, about 200 km (120 miles) from Bylands. Mick and Davide worked closely with the farm’s growers, advising and optimizing. “Only green fruit for us, please, please,” Davide laughed, imitating his plea. The combination of exquisite Coratina, harvested at precisely the right moment; a splash of Frantoio, with soft almond flavors; and a new olive crusher in Kyneton’s mill enabled us to create a delectably harmonious oil, robust, well-balanced, and exceedingly food-friendly.

Impressions and Recommended Food Pairings

An intense Coratina with a splash of Frantoio, this oil has quite the aromatic bouquet: green almond, tomato leaf, spinach, and wheatgrass; the sweetness of green apple; floral notes of nasturtium; and chopped culinary herbs—rosemary, oregano, and basil. On the palate, there was an explosion of macadamia nut and green almond, watercress, raw artichoke, and fennel, with notes of dark chocolate and coffee, rosemary, wild mint, lime zest, and the tingling spiciness and bitterness of celery leaf and arugula.

It will pair exquisitely with crusty breads; beet and goat cheese salad* and dark leafy green salads; butterflied leg of lamb with za’atar, beef, game, tuna, and salmon; soba noodles and peas with olive oil–soy dressing, hearty pasta sauces, rice pilafs and other grain dishes; and chocolate mousse.

*See the recipe section for bolded dishes.

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Olive Oil and Health

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Kudos from Club Members

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Recipes

• Annie’s Baked Pears with Ice Cream and EVOO Annie also shared her recipe for slow-baked pears. “The long cooking time is essential—they’re just not the same if you try to hurry the dish along,” she explained. Serve them with the best-quality store-bought ice cream or make your own. Note: The pears can also be baked with the skins on for a more rustic… view recipe
• Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli) Chinese broccoli is a delicious change from American greens. Melissa Wong shared her simple recipe with me. If you can’t find it at your local ethnic markets, feel free to substitute broccoli rabe. Vegetarian versions of oyster sauce are available online or at larger markets. Ingredients 1 pound gai lan or baby gai lan 4… view recipe
• Beet and Goat Cheese Salad Roasting vegetables brings out their depth of flavor and turns a simple salad into a spectacular one. Beets, in particular, become oh so sweet! Ingredients 2 small red or yellow beets, about 6 ounces each Extra virgin olive oil Pinch of kosher or coarse sea salt 4 cups micro greens or arugula 1 ripe pear,… view recipe
• Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Za’atar This lamb dish benefits from a za’atar dry rub, which infuses the meat with rich spices, and an olive oil marinade to keep it extra moist. Both create exceptional pan juices to drizzle over the finished slices. Ingredients For the za’atar: 1 tablespoon cumin seeds 1 tablespoon coriander seeds 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 tablespoon… view recipe
• Chicken and Vegetable Sheet Pan “Stir Fry” Flavorful chicken thighs anchor this easy weeknight dish, which pays homage to Australia’s vibrant Asian community. It has the delicious sauce of a stir fry with the ease of a sheet pan dinner. Feel free to mix up the vegetables depending on what you harvest from your garden or find at the farmers’ market. Broccoli… view recipe
• Roasted “Dirty” Martini Shrimp Cocktail Bored with shrimp cocktails featuring ketchup and horseradish sauces, we decided to develop a recipe that celebrates fresh shrimp’s brininess. Taking our inspiration from dirty martinis, we roasted shrimp with a simple marinade to concentrate their flavor, then served them with a unique cocktail sauce featuring brined olives and the umami-rich Australian condiment Vegemite, available… view recipe
• Soba Noodles and Peas with Olive Oil-Soy Dressing Thin buckwheat noodles, called soba, have been enjoyed in Japan for thousands of years. But it wasn’t until 1993 that the first soba restaurant was opened in the Southern Hemisphere. From Sydney, the concept spread to other Australian cities. Add cooked shrimp (boiled, sautéed, or grilled) if you want to turn simple soba into a… view recipe
• Tiger Bomb Coffee My wife Meghan and I fell in love with this refreshing coffee drink created at Tone Coffee in Melbourne. My version adds a splash of fresh-pressed olive oil for polyphenol goodness and more richness. Ingredients 4 shots espresso 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream 1 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil Pinch… view recipe
• “Grandma in the Mountains” ANZAC Biscuits Named for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC), these “bickies,” or cookies, were created for soldiers fighting in World War I because they could withstand a long sea journey—ANZAC’s first major military action was in Gallipoli, Turkey. This version, a chewy inside with a crisp outside, comes from Annie Paterson. “It’s my grandmother’s… view recipe
• Australian Zucchini Breakfast Slice This frittata-like dish is beloved by Australians young and old. Cut into squares, a “slice” can be eaten out of hand and served hot, cold, or warm for breakfast, a main course, side dish, or snack. Though not traditional, I like the salty tang of pickled banana peppers or olives. Ingredients 1/4 cup extra virgin… view recipe

Sumptuous Fresh-Pressed Olive Oils from Chile’s Leading Artisanal Producer Will Delight Your Taste Buds and Elevate Every Meal

• These Club exclusives, available nowhere else, showcase this South American country’s amazing olive varietals.
• Each unique blend is extraordinarily food-friendly, ready to lavish on all your seasonal dishes.
• Certified by an independent lab to be 100 percent extra virgin olive oil, this trio was rushed to the US by jet so that you can experience the tantalizing flavors and healthy polyphenols at their peak.

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Majestic, awe-inspiring, breathtaking—those are the adjectives that come to mind every time I fly over the snow-capped Andes on my way to Santiago. The Chilean harvest always holds many surprises for your Olive Oil Hunter, and this year the results are beyond spectacular, from an enchanting Picual to an Arbequina enhanced with Coratina to an olive oil that’s an international cornucopia of cultivars—five varietals that come together to exceed the sum of its delicious parts! I am thrilled to present them to you for your warm-weather table.

My Merry Band of Tasters, Down South America Way

With the seasons reversed in the Southern Hemisphere, it always takes a few minutes to get accustomed to seeing the colors of autumn after leaving spring behind in the US. This is also Chile’s wine country (not as well-known as the Mendoza region of neighboring Argentina, but arguably ment to create outstanding olive oils rather than cut corners for a fast profit.)

At Juanjo’s side is master agronomist Juan Carlos Pérez, who, with 20 years of experience (more than three-quarters of them at Pobeña!), is considered a top olive expert in the country, and also has a patient and gentle nature that keeps everyone on an even keel. Thanks to his skill in the field—I’ve always said that exceptional olive oil starts in the field and is finished in the mill—we had incredible choices to play with! In Chile, “we” always includes my good friend and international olive oil competition judge Denise Langevin and my favorite olive savant, Duccio Morozzo della Rocca, whose expertise is in demand around the world.

Outpacing the Imminent Frost

This season had none of the typical drama—there was enough water for irrigation as needed, thanks in part to a new well on the farm and a light rain that primed the olives for harvest. But, in recent years, Mother Nature found a new Chilean curveball to throw: an early frost. That’s when the temperature drops below freezing overnight. When the dip lasts five hours or so, the olives freeze on the trees, negatively affecting the flavor of their oils. Last year, we heard that 40 percent of the country’s olives froze. But that didn’t stop lesser-quality oils from being sold at sky-high prices on the global market. As the country’s preeminent farm, Pobeña now has the better plan: harvest early to avoid the problem. “You lose some quantity,” Juanjo explained, “but the quality is superb, with vibrant aromas.”

I often talk about our fresh-pressed olive oils being food-friendly, and the culinary experiences we had in Santiago and in the countryside showcased this quality in our trio. We generously drizzled them at the farm-to-table lunch we had at the Alonso family homestead as well as the feast we enjoyed in Santa Cruz at Francis Mallmann’s Fuegos de Apalta, named for the open-fire kitchen in the center of the restaurant, a hallmark of the world-renowned grill master. Impressively, when we toured behind the scenes at Boragó, ranked one of the top restaurants in the world, we saw that Pobeña olive oil was used in the preparation of the exquisitely constructed food-as-art still-lifes created by its vast team of chefs. Though many fine-dining restaurants around the world use less expensive oils (to avoid cutting into their margins), Boragó, located in Santiago’s Vitacura neighborhood, uses only the very best—just like you, my discriminating Club member. Get ready to experience the taste sensations of these harvest-fresh oils in the inspired dishes in this report’s recipe section as well as with all your favorite food

Happy drizzling!

T. J. Robinson 
The Olive Oil Hunter®

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This Quarter’s First Selection

• Producer: Denise Langevin La Estrella, Chile
• Olive Varieties: Arbequina, Coratina
• Flavor Profile: Mild

“I cook everything with olive oil,” exhorts international olive oil authority Denise Langevin, drizzling a shimmering stream of our just-pressed Chilean blend over a grilled chorizo sausage in a soft roll, the savory South American sandwich known as choripán. “Many people save it for salad, and I tell them olive oil is for all food, you know.” Denise knows. She is a superlative olive oil taster, an in-demand adjudicator of olive oil competitions around the globe, from Los Ange-les to Turkey to China. Also an outstanding home chef, Denise treated me and my Merry Band of Tasters to a mouth-watering celebratory lunch at her home, a converted farmhouse in the town of Codegua, where she lives with her husband, Luis, Rottweiler Augustina, and a sheep named Pio Pio.

When we pulled up on a perfectly crisp autumn day—remember, Chile’s seasons are the opposite of ours—Luis was already manning the grill next to their tiled patio, as Pio Pio munched on grass in a corner of the yard. Denise ushered us to the table, where we whetted our appetite with marinated olives, some stuffed with blanched almonds and others with jamón Serrano (see the recipe on below). Lifting glasses of lime-hued pisco sour, we toasted to another collaborative culinary venture.

Then, savoring the food-friendliness of our dazzling olive oil, we dined like kings on the afore-mentioned choripán, topped with one of two zesty pebres (Chilean salsa), and satisfying empanadas, warm from the grill and filled with pino (beef). For dessert, Denise wooed us with exquisitely tiered slices of milhojas, a Chilean millefeuille cake of sweet crepes layered with dulce de leche. I am swooning just remembering it.

I first met Denise more than a decade ago, in 2013, when she was director of exports at the Don Rafael Estate, one of Chile’s pioneer ultra-premium olive oil producers. As two supertasters, Denise and I hit it off from the start—I loved hearing about her adventures as an international olive oil judge, and she was intrigued to learn about my mission to provide the world’s finest fresh-pressed olive oil to Club members year-round. We first collaborated on an exclusive Club selection in 2020 and have worked together ever since. I adore strolling through the olive groves with her, stopping to test the fruit for ripeness (see photo on above).

Denise and I also share a pressing desire to educate others about the extraordinary flavors and bounteous health benefits of EVOO. In recent years, Denise has partnered with local grade schools to help foster healthy eating habits among schoolchildren, teaching eager kids about gardening and Chile’s abundant, nutritious produce. “Tia Denise,” the kids cheer, as they run to her—it’s amazing to witness. Denise’s warm, generous personality, delicately calibrated judgment, and exquisitely discriminating palate are mirrored in the qualities of this quarter’s mild selection. “Every collaboration is also a celebration,” Denise says, of its creators as well as of the olive varieties.

Impressions and Recommended Food Pairings

This Arbequina enhanced with a touch of Coratina is bright, harmonious, and very complex. On the nose, we sensed fresh-cut grass, sweet almond, lettuce, green apple, mint, and hints of celery and lemon zest. On the palate, we noted fresh walnuts and the sweetness of green banana and fennel, plus Romaine lettuce and oregano, the bitterness of Belgian endive, and the lingering spiciness of celery leaves and white pepper.

Enjoy it with eggs, morning smoothies, lighter vinaigrettes, pasta salads, and salads with fruit; pan-seared cilantro citrus fish* and other mild fish, ceviche, and grilled chicken; quinoa bowls, rice dishes, cauliflower fritters, pastelera de choclo and other fresh corn dishes, artichokes, and asparagus; brie, ricotta, mozzarella, and other mild cheeses; hummus; stone fruit, baked goods, dulce de leche trifle, vanilla ice cream, and yogurt.

*See the recipe section for bolded dishes.

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This Quarter’s Second Selection

• Producer: El Agrónomo, La Estrella, Chile
• Olive Varieties: Coratina, Frantoio, Arbequina, Arbosana and Koroneiki
• Flavor Profile: Medium

A large map of the farm hangs in the tasting room at Agrícola Pobeña. It’s a colorful jigsaw puzzle that identifies the locations of all their olive fruit varietals—I like to think of it as a visual representation of the skills of master agronomist Juan Carlos Pérez. Rather than cluster each varietal together, he has created a lot of interplay to maximize sun exposure as well as changes in elevation, from flat areas to hilly ones where hand harvesting is a must.

Juan Carlos was drawn to agriculture as a child. Of his parents’ six sons, he was the only one who would excitedly sit next to his dad, a farmer, on his tractor. Fittingly, Juan Carlos’s youngest, eight-year-old Laura, is already showing signs of wanting to follow in his footsteps.

He had a blank slate when he arrived at the farm, excited at the prospect of growing a wide range of varietals, now 11 in all. He planted the first tree with the Alonso family, and it’s been a happy marriage ever since. Deeply knowledgeable across fields from earth science to biochemistry, Juan Carlos understands the unique terroir of this region like the back of his hand.

I asked him what makes Chilean extra virgin olive oils so special. “Location, location, location—we’re just 40 kilometers from the sea in a climate so similar to the Mediterranean,” he answered. “The topography of the farm is also key. We have a lot of gentle hills and have oriented the trees to the sun. Each oil has a different profile based on where the trees were planted. I feel that the oils from olives grown in the hills are more powerful—and those are the ones you used for the oils for Club members,” Juan Carlos said proudly.

This very special olive oil is a veritable United Nations of varietals, with Coratina and Frantoio representing the Italian contingent, Arbequina and Arbosana from Spain, and Koroneiki from Greece. It’s a masterful blending of five distinct “voices” that we orchestrated into a harmonious chorus.

Despite all the demands of the farm—Juan Carlos now turns his attention to propagating new trees, pruning and nurturing in preparation for the next season—he always amazes me with how he happy he looks. His calm demeanor has helped him retain a strong field team that comes back year after year. They gain more experience with each season, in turn making the harvest run smoothly.

I believe that a truly great olive oil starts with the fruit, in the grove, in the hands of the agronomist, who then works hand in hand with a master miller to turn amazing fruit into extraordinary olive oil. With his attention to detail and brilliant results, Juan Carlos is raising the bar for other agronomists around the world. We celebrate him by naming this exceptional olive oil El Agrónomo, after this star agronomist. When you taste it, you will too!

Impressions and Recommended Food Pairings 

Only a talented agronomist could have made it possible to create this blend of five olive varietals originating from Italy, Spain, and Greece. The aroma is lush, with notes of Belgian endive, walnuts and almonds, green banana, baby spinach, Tuscan kale, arugula, and thyme, plus hints of vanilla bean, cinnamon, and lime zest. We tasted green almond, artichoke, escarole, arugula, and rosemary, the bitterness of chicory and radicchio, and spiciness of both Szechuan and black peppercorns.

Rich and verdant, this versatile olive oil will enhance pork, turkey, seafood dishes such as grilled shrimp with pisco and merquèn* and vieiras a la parmesana, and fattier fish, like sardines, tuna, and salmon; white and sweet potatoes, broccoli, and grilled vegetables; salads with nuts; beans, lentils, and grains; guacamole and other avocado dishes; pesto; and chocolate desserts.

*See the recipe section for bolded dishes.

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This Quarter’s Third Selection

• Producer: Abel Alonso, La Estrella, Chile
• Olive Varieties: Picual
• Flavor Profile: Bold

You’d be hard-pressed to meet anyone as gregarious as Juanjo Alonso, the youngest of five brothers, all of whom are involved in the various businesses started by their father, Abel. I find his joie de vivre contagious and look forward to spending time with him every year.

Juanjo’s journey from student at the San Francisco Art Institute in California to head of Chile’s premier olive oil producer began soon after he graduated. The budding artist supported himself as a house painter. Knowing that Juanjo had no interest in the family’s main concern, a very successful shoe company, Abel was able to eventually lure him back to Chile by offering to pay him the equivalent of a year’s salary to paint its corporate offices!

It wasn’t long before Abel shared his vision for an olive farm with Juanjo, the son he felt was destined for the project. Abel was born in the Basque region of Spain in 1935, at the start of the political and economic unrest that would lead to the country’s civil war. His family survived thanks to the food they grew in their garden, the memory that inspired his new quest.

One day he asked Juanjo to check out a potential property with him. “I had fallen in love with the majestic olive trees during my time in Northern California and had already started googling ‘olive trees’ and ‘olive farming,’ so I knew that even though the farm we visited was very nice, it was at too high an elevation considering the proximity to the Andes. ‘Olives don’t like frost, so this is not the property for us,’ I told my dad. And he immediately put me in charge of finding the right one!” Juanjo recounted.

Fast forward to today, and the fruits of all their early decisions are evident with award after award lining the mill walls. What I truly admire is that they allot resources for continual improvement, always reinvesting to maintain their high standards, from updating their irrigation system to buying new tractors to speed the fruit to the mill. It’s wonderful to hear Juanjo credit the Club for helping Chilean olive oils getting the recognition they so rightly deserve.

There’s also sad news to share. Late last summer, Abel became gravely ill while on a visit to Spain. Back in Chile, he refused treatment, preferring to spend his last days at the farm surrounded by his adoring family. “One after-noon, we sat together, looking out at the olive groves. ‘We made it, you and I—I believed in you, and I am so proud that you made our dream a reality,’ he told me.” Juanjo’s admiration for his father and the heartbreak over his loss were evident in his eyes.

We pay homage to Abel with this very special oil that bears his name and a label featuring the family’s coat of arms and a Basque-inspired font. I know he would have been ecstatic about this magnificent Picual I’ve created for you, a varietal from his native Spain, a zesty, complex character like Abel himself.

Impressions and Recommended Food Pairings

A Picual lover’s dream, this is a bold expression of the cultivar. It’s intensely green and herbaceous on the nose: green tomato and tomato leaf, celery, arugula, and Asian pear, with notes of chopped basil and peppermint. It’s very green and vegetal on the palate, with the flavors of wheatgrass, baby kale, spinach, and pear; the astringency of green tea, bitterness and zest of arugula, and spiciness of green peppercorns; plus notes of wild mint, parsley, and rosemary.

Its big personality is perfect for hearty dishes like chorizo hash,* chicken empanadas, arrollado de huaso, costillar de chancho, grilled steaks, lamb, duck, and wild game; dark leafy green salads and bold vinaigrettes; crudités; tomato recipes from pizza and bruschetta to gazpacho and sauces; hearty pasta dishes; cured meats; blue and other aged cheeses; and crusty sourdough breads.

*See the recipe section for bolded dishes.

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Olive Oil and Health

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Kudos from Club Members

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Recipes

• Grilled Shrimp with Pisco and Merquén This dish features two iconic Chilean ingredients, merquèn and brandy-like pisco (in a pinch, you can use white tequila or rum instead). Ingredients Juice of 1 lime 1/4 cup pisco 1 1/2 teaspoons honey 2 teaspoons merquèn 1 teaspoon sea salt 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for basting 1 1/2 pounds large… view recipe
• Vieiras a la Parmesana (Parmesan-Crusted Scallops) This dish is a variation on the wildly popular machas a la parmesana, local razor clams (using oysters is also popular). Traditionally, each scallop is cooked separately in its own half-shell. While it’s rare to find scallops still in the shell in the US, you can buy cooking-grade shells for an elegant presentation. For simplicity,… view recipe
• Chicken Empanadas Many dishes were introduced to Latin America by Spanish explorers and colonists, including handheld meat pies called empanadas. Here, a flaky crust encloses a savory mixture of chicken, peppers, and an olive, which is traditional in Chilean empanadas. Merquèn is a popular Chilean spice blend of goat’s horn chile, coriander, and salt, which imparts a… view recipe
• Arrollado de Huaso (Stuffed Pork Loin) Reminiscent of Italian porchetta, my Chilean version is filled with chorizo and a popular vegetable in Chile—sweet potato, or camote. Forming the chorizo into a rectangle with a rolling pin helps more evenly distribute the meat. If you’d rather not flatten the pork yourself, simply ask your butcher to butterfly it for you. Ingredients One… view recipe
• Cauliflower Fritters This is a popular dish in Chile. Parboiling the cauliflower makes the fritters tender. Ingredients 1 head cauliflower, about 2 pounds 1 tablespoon sea salt 2 large eggs 1/2 cup flour 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 1/2 cup milk 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon… view recipe
• Borgoña Far simpler than a sangria, this Chilean drink is just red wine and macerated strawberries—sweet and refreshing at the same time. Ingredients 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1 bottle Chilean red wine Optional garnishes: lime slices and fresh mint Directions Step 1 Rinse, pat dry,… view recipe
• Pan-Seared Cilantro Citrus Fish This marinade enhances all types of firm white fish, such as halibut, sole, cod, and hake, which in Chile is called merluza and is extremely popular because of its sweet, mild taste. Fun fact: What’s sold in the US as Chilean sea bass is typically neither Chilean nor bass but rather Patagonian toothfish, rebranded to… view recipe
• Denise’s Stuffed Olives When in Chile, I always look forward to breaking bread with my great friend, olive oil savant, and hostess extraordinaire Denise Langevin and enjoying her cooking. This is the first of two of her recipes that I’m sharing with you. It’s deceptively simple, but you want to source the highest quality ingredients. Note: If you… view recipe
• Costillar de Chanco (Chilean-Style Spareribs) Grilling is a popular method of cooking in Chile, where families often gather on weekends to enjoy simple but ample meals, often barbecues. St. Louis-style ribs are “squared off” or trimmed and have a flat, meaty shape. Ask your butcher to halve them—this creates more flavorful surface area. Baby back ribs can be substituted for… view recipe
• Pastelera de Choclo (Chilean Corn Pudding) Fresh corn is one of my favorite summer foods, and this corn pudding recipe, also from Denise Langevin, is such a delicious way to enjoy it. (Don’t fret if you fall in love and want it year-round—it can be made with 9 cups of frozen corn kernels.) Ingredients 12 ears fresh corn, raw 3 tablespoons… view recipe

The Best of the Iberian Peninsula…Three Remarkable Fresh-Pressed Olive Oils With Intense Flavors Unique to Mountain Groves

• Brimming with vibrant aromas and tantalizing tastes from growing at altitude, these oils were created exclusively for the Club—you won’t find them anywhere else.
• All three of these fresh-pressed oils were certified by an independent lab to be 100 percent extra virgin and rushed to you at the height of flavor and polyphenol content.
• Enjoy them in my new collection of curated Spanish and Portuguese recipes, developed to showcase their intensity and please your palate.

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As longstanding members of the Club know well, I carry the Olive Oil Hunter moniker for good reason. Every quarter is a true hunt, punctu-ated with visits to the world’s top mills, meetings with the award-winning producers in our exclu-sive network, and—arguably my favorite part—tasting the best of the best oils to find the ones you will enjoy as much as I do.

Often there’s a lot of drama in my quarterly quest, with a different curveball thrown by Mother Nature nearly every time (she operates with equal zeal in the Northern and Southern hemispheres). But this year’s trip to the Iberian Peninsula presented just one dilemma: which oils to choose from a bevy of magnificent offerings. That’s because growing and harvesting conditions bent in favor of the growers this time.

I was greeted by so many happy faces across Spain and Portugal because all these producers’ efforts yielded impressive results. And that bodes well for the Club’s future selections: When producers have both great quality and quantity, they’re positioned to invest in their farms, such as with updated equipment, which will further enhance production quality…and allow us to keep pushing the envelope when it comes to creating oils that will be even more outstanding in seasons to come.

High-Altitude Oils with Attitude

The fact that this collection includes a Portuguese olive oil for the first time since 2022 shows just how magical this season was. That country’s rocky terrain and tricky weather patterns mean it’s not possible to predict oil quality far in advance, but when all the stars align, Portuguese varietals—indigenous olives grown nowhere else on the planet—are exceptional, all the more so when created by my longtime friend Filipe de Albuquerque Madeira, a renowned producer of wine and vinegar as well as olive oil.

His family’s groves are in a rugged province of northern Portugal named Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro. It’s quite different from the rolling hills of Andalucía, in southern Spain, which includes Granada, home of the producer of this quarter’s medium selection (also where we did our grand tasting), and Carcabuey, location of the cooperative where we created our bold. But a surprising characteristic links these three spectacular oils: The olives from each producer happen to have been grown in groves at high elevations, from 600 to 850 meters (topping off just above a half-mile high).

Because of greater temperature fluctuations between day and night in the mountains than at sea level, these olives yielded oils with the richest flavors and aromas. Also, a hot dry summer (a scary scenario because the olives stop growing) was followed by autumn rains (a sigh of relief, because rain reboots their growth cycle), contributing to oils that are more vegetal, less fruity. Yet each still has its own full-bodied personality that will blow you away.

More Rejoicing for All

Adding to the happiness my Merry Band of Tasters and I felt at being able to secure oils with this level of quality for Club members was the feeling of conviviality that permeates Spain and Portugal. In particular, the tapas culture brings people together, creating enhanced social connections (so important for health reasons) while sharing plates of food and sipping wonderful local beers and sherries. The origin story of tapas is itself fascinating. According to legend, King Alfonso X of Castile, who reigned during the thirteenth century, ate small portions of food with wine as he recovered from an illness. Putting great stock in this “prescription,” he decreed that alcohol could not be served without food. Drink glasses were topped with a small plate of food that acted as a lid, or tapa. The tradition has not only endured but become a way of life across the peninsula—in Portugal, the little dishes are called petiscos.

I love to both work and play with our produc-ers, who are friends as well as collaborators. And we really had a lot of oils to play with this quar-ter—the work was narrowing down the choices to make the incredible blends you now hold in your hands. I invite you to set up a tasting of your own, to cook with them, and to drizzle them liberally. With many tapas dishes included in this report’s recipe section, explore the Iberian culture for yourself and gather those you love to join you.

Happy drizzling!

T. J. Robinson 
The Olive Oil Hunter®

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This Quarter’s First Selection

• Producer: Maria de Lourdes, Portugal
• Olive Varieties: Negrinha, Madural, Verdeal, Cobrançosa
• Flavor Profile: Mild

I was delighted that this season’s quest found me and my Merry Band of Tasters journey-ing to the isolated northeast corner of Portugal, to the province of Trás-os-Montes, which means “beyond the mountains.” Here, in the remote Alto Douro region, the Madeira family is devoted to crafting exquisite, award-winning olive oils, along with superlative wines and vinegars. My connection to the family goes back to 2011, when I first visited these otherworldly groves—reminiscent of Middle Earth—and the Madeiras immediately welcomed me into their fold.

Contrasting with the wild and dramatic land-scapes that surround them—Trás-os-Montes is designated as a UNESCO biosphere—the Madeiras reside in a stately home with granite walls, a formal dining room, and more intricate silver service than I learned about in culinary school. But their jovial, down-to-earth kindness is always in the air.

Twenty-five years ago, patriarch Celso, a successful engineer on the cusp of retirement, astounded his adult children by announcing that, as his next move, he intended to produce premium olive oil on the family’s property in the Alto Douro region. No one in the family had so much as pressed (or picked) an olive. Perhaps most surprised was eldest son Filipe, who put his university education in Italy on hold and dutifully returned home to immerse himself in the study and practice of olive oil production.

Many of the trees were more than 1,000 years old—mossy and untended for decades, even centuries. Filipe, a lightning-quick study and an ingenious, careful grove manager, assembled an expert team, and together they transformed the overgrown groves into a world-class olive farm. Their oils took Iberia by surprise, winning prestigious regional awards with the very first harvest.

The ancient groves are home to Portuguese olive cultivars grown nowhere else on earth. I am smitten with the extraordinary flavors and aromas of these oils; they have distinctive grassy, vegetal, and herbaceous qualities all their own, the way that the Portuguese language looks a lot like Spanish on the page but sounds fundamentally different, softer, with a specific lilt.

Because the gnarled trees cling to steep hillsides at odd angles and dig their roots deep into the flaky layers of schist below, irrigation has never been an option. This leaves the Madeiras at the mercy of Mother Nature, who favors an alternating pattern of glorious harvests and nail-biting, drought-riddled years. Five years ago, to hedge against the harshest conditions, Celso purchased new acreage, which features limited irrigation—its young trees have just begun to bear fruit.

At ninety-two years young, Celso is eager to acquire more land and expand his legacy. I feel that Celso’s intense love of life infuses this beguiling oil—it is a real character, with a lively spiciness (highlighted by a splash of Cobrançosa) enhancing its well-balanced freshness.

Impressions and Recommended Food Pairings

Inhale deeply to appreciate the complexity of this Portuguese heirloom varietal blend—green grass, fresh Mediterranean herbs, and Belgian endive as well as mint, green apple, banana, almond, and sweet notes of cinnamon and vanilla. Taste the essence of tomato and edamame, a hint of pear, the bitterness of radicchio and endive, and the spiciness of white pepper with a lingering herbal finish highlighted by fresh oregano.

This versatile full-bodied oil pairs beautifully with mild cheeses; salmorejo* and other puréed vegetable soups; salads with rice and other grains; spring lettuce mixes with nuts or fruit; light vinaigrettes; bacalhau à lagareiro; arroz de mariscos; mild fin fish; chicken, pork, and lamb dishes; risottos; beans; peas, asparagus, green beans, mushrooms, and other farmers’ market finds; quick breads; and chocolate mousse.

*See the recipe section below for bolded dishes.

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This Quarter’s Second Selection

• Producer: García-Molina, Spain
• Olive Varieties: Picual
• Flavor Profile: Medium

Near Granada, as we climb hills through the groves, I ask producer Juan de Dios about the ideal growing altitude for Picual—Spain’s most widely planted varietal, and, if done right, one of my favorites—to optimize the flavors and aromas in the oil. “Seven hundred fifty meters is best for these trees,” he replies, with characteristic preci-sion—that is, nearly half a mile above sea level.

The exactitude and thoughtful consideration are typical of “Juande,” as he is called. Juande and his equally insightful sister, Paula, both followed in their father’s footsteps by studying pharmacology before becoming world-class olive oil producers.

“He had a special energy—he was a friend of everyone,” Juande says warmly of his father, also named Juan, who passed in 2014. His five grandchildren remember him as “Abuelo Oliva,” or Grandpa Olive. In his honor, we’ve created a special label with the ancestral family name, García-Molina.

A pharmacist by profession but an olive farmer at heart, in 2004 Juan Sr. purchased an olive farm and mill west of Granada, pressing fruit for family and friends and selling small amounts to the local bulk vendors.

Juande and Paula felt strongly that they should set their sights higher, so, after about a year, they approached their father with an ambitious proposal: to create ultra-premium, artisanal EVOO for a select group of international chefs and gourmets. He gave them his unconditional support.

The siblings named their project O-Med (as in Mediterranean), and Juande chuckles as he reflects on their early days: “It was really hard. We barely made a sale.” He attributes their breakthrough to loyalty (“The gourmet food world is not so big”) and persistence. In 2016, the trusted German publication Stiftung Warentest—akin to Consumer Reports for fancy food—gave O-Med’s EVOO the highest ranking among 26 international olive oils. With that boost, the farm’s reputation soared.

Major awards include gold at the New York International Olive Oil Competition and multiple “Top 20” lauds in Flos Olei (Italy’s premier guide to the world’s olive oils). Paula does most of the traveling to trade shows, while Juande manages production at their stunning, glass-enclosed, sustainability-focused mill.

I’ll confide proudly that I was ahead of the curve—my Merry Band and I first visited O-Med in 2015, but it took several years before we collaborated on a Club exclusive selection. What a thrill, then, to work together again this year. “Being chosen for this Club is like an award,” Juande emphasizes.

Juande and his talented team—you’ll learn about agronomist José Fernández Miranda in the photo on the left—use tightly controlled “drip irrigation” to hydrate the trees while keeping the humidity of the fruit below 55 percent, to concen-trate its flavors and polyphenols. “There’s not a lot of room for error,” Juande notes, adding, “Mother Nature is the one who decides, in the end.”

Juande and I can’t wait for you to taste this fantastic Picual. “They’re going to love this oil,” he predicts, and I concur. Taste it and let us know!

Impressions and Recommended Food Pairings 

This Picual is intensely green and vibrant on the nose with aromas of tomato leaf, baby spinach, arugula, and kale, notes of kiwi and lime zest, and hints of basil, rosemary, thyme, and nasturtium. It is elegant and intense on the palate—we tasted celery leaf, parsley, wheatgrass, rosemary, and thyme, along with the bitterness and spiciness of arugula and black peppercorns.

It’s perfect for piquillo pepper and goat cheese omelet* and other egg dishes; Juande’s migas; aged cheeses like Manchego and Cabrales; crudités; tomato salads and other tomato-based dishes; avocado crema and shrimp; grilled steak, tuna, octopus, and salmon; vegetable fideuà and other pasta dishes; paella; potatoes; artichokes, broccoli rabe, and fennel; green smoothies; Greek yogurt; Basque cheesecake; and chocolate cake.

*See the recipe section below for bolded dishes.

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This Quarter’s Third Selection

• Producer: García Torres, Spain
• Olive Varieties: Hojiblanca
• Flavor Profile: Bold

The romanticism of crafting olive oil with time-honored traditions is alive and well in Carcabuey, home of Almazaras de la Subbética, the award-winning coopera-tive that creates some of the finest olive oils in all of Spain, if not the world. This medieval village of fewer than 3,000 in the heart of Andalucía has a history dating back to thousands of years BC. It’s surrounded by a rugged landscape of moun-tains and glorious olive groves growing at various elevations—the olives must be hand-harvested using pneumatic rakes because the terrain doesn’t offer access to more modern machinery.

I’m thrilled that for a second year in a row we are working with this talented team, led by manager Luis Torres, head oenologist and chief of operations Carlos García, who grew up in Carcabuey, and Sonja Ramírez, who, like Luis and Carlos, is a top panel taster.

Luis and Sonja have known each other for more than 20 years—they met in olive oil taster
training. “We went in separate directions afterwards, but destiny brought us back together,” Luis said. I was astounded by their daily morning ritual, a blind tasting of over 30 selections prepped in official blue glasses and ranking each one according to an exhaustive list of attributes. They enter all their impressions in a custom computer program created by Luis so that they will have a detailed record of each evaluation.

Running the co-op is quite complex because they mill not only the olives of farmers whose livelihood depends on growing exceptional fruit and harvesting them daily, but also families with very small groves who might collect their olives only on weekends, making it hard for them to catch the magic window—that perfect moment for harvesting, when the olives are still green yet have the right amount of oil in their flesh for a sensational oil in the bottle.

Within the expansive mill are actually seven small mill stations, all under Carlos’s purview. As olives come in, they’re assigned to one of the seven, based on what the team anticipates the oil’s quality will be. “We produce in small tanks, which makes it easier to identify the quality of each batch,” Carlos explained. Olives destined for the Club will go to only the #1 or #2 mill because they are the smallest and dedicated to what will be the highest quality oils, with no chance that any lower quality fruit can negatively affect the liquid gold.

This year’s García Torres Hojiblanco, named after Carlos and Luis, is a tantalizing taste sensation. To create its beautiful harmony and just the right fruitiness, bitterness, and spiciness, we chose to blend three Hojiblancos milled a few days apart from slightly different areas, all cultivated at about 600 meters, for this season’s high-altitude depth of taste. Luis and I grabbed lunch at one of our favorite local restaurants, La Zamora, so that we could drizzle our Hojiblanco lavishly on an array of foods. The meal inspired the report’s recipes for avocado crema and shrimp and salmorejo; find them on pages 12 and 14, respectively. Enjoy!

Impressions and Recommended Food Pairings

What a beautiful nose on this Hojiblanco—fresh-cut grass, green tomato, and a veritable vegetable garden with pronounced notes of celery, carrot tops, Tuscan kale, and basil, along with the sweetness of fennel seed and Asian pear. It’s exceptionally bold on the palate, with notes of Belgian endive, baby spinach, and raw artichoke. Asian pear comes through, along with the bitterness of walnut skins and citrus zest, followed by a persistent spicy finish of celery leaves, watercress, and white peppercorns.

This oil was made for avocado toast; salads of bitter and spicy greens, like arugula with tomatoes; beef carpaccio, pork tenderloin Pedro Ximénez*; game; oily fish such as tuna, mackerel, bluefish, sardines, and anchovies; sherried carrots; broccoli, cauliflower, and eggplant; hummus, lentils, and other pulses; rustic whole grain breads; yogurt, ice cream, and pan con chocolate supremo.

*See the recipe section below for bolded dishes.

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Olive Oil and Health

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Kudos from Club Members

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The Iberian Peninsula is known for many richly flavored dishes brimming with unique ingredients. We’ve selected a few special ones to highlight in this report’s recipes: pimentón, the quintessential Spanish smoked paprika, made from peppers grown in La Vera (in the province of Cáceres, southwest of Madrid) and an essential ingredient in chorizo; piquillo peppers, very sweet and mild chile peppers named for their bird-beak shape; and Pedro Ximénez sherry and sherry vinegar, both made from the sweet white grapes of the same name (often abbreviated as PX on labels), which grow only in a small area in the province of Cádiz, in southwestern Andalucía. Enjoy!

Recipes

• Pan con Chocolate Supremo Bread with chocolate is a sweet and simple dish often offered as a dessert tapa. Traditional recipes call for melting squares of chocolate atop slices of toast in an oven still hot from toasting the bread. My version melts the chocolate with olive oil separately for a silkier texture. I’ve also ramped up the flavors… view recipe
• Basque Cheesecake Basque cheesecake is the ultimate in creaminess. Unlike traditional cheesecake that has a crust and is baked at a low temperature, this style is crustless (perfect if you’re gluten-free) and cooks hot and somewhat faster. The parchment paper used to line the springform pan creates the cheesecake’s signature look when peeled away. Ingredients 2 pounds… view recipe
• Vegetable Fideuá  A cousin of paella, this noodle dish is made with thin, short noodles called fideos (available at supermarkets from the Barilla brand, among others). Vermicelli or angel hair makes a great substitute. Like paella, fideuà usually includes a mix of seafood, but this vegetarian version is perfect for spring—it can be a main course or… view recipe
• Arroz de Mariscos This Portuguese specialty is a richly flavored seafood soup that often includes clams and mussels. Make it your own with your favorite shellfish—canned lump crabmeat or lobster chunks are wonderful in it. For a minimum of fuss, this version has shrimp and dry (or untreated) scallops. Carolino, a Portuguese rice, is traditional, but you can… view recipe
• Croquetas de Pollo Croquetas—or croquettes, in the original French—are a favorite in tapas bars and homes throughout Spain. With a rich olive oil béchamel sauce as the binder, you can use whatever leftovers you have on hand—serrano ham, rice and vegetables, even fish. I’m partial to chicken and will poach two or three thighs in chicken broth for… view recipe
• Bacalhau à Lagareiro This dish translates to cod—the national fish of Portugal—in the style of the olive miller. Legend has it that this preparation was created to celebrate the early olive oil harvest. Traditionally it’s made with dried salt cod that’s been rehydrated, but I’m using cod tenderloin (any thick white fish fillet, fresh or frozen, lends itself… view recipe
• Avocado Crema and Shrimp Rich avocados are puréed with traditional guacamole ingredients for a luscious cream. Instead of chips, serve with cold poached shrimp for a satisfying tapa or even a meal. Ingredients 2 ripe avocados 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice 1/4 cup chopped cilantro 2 garlic cloves… view recipe
• Salmorejo This is a traditional cold tomato soup, often made with plum tomatoes, but don’t confuse it with gazpacho. The tomatoes are the stars of this show. It takes mere minutes to whip up. Ingredients 1 pound tomatoes, coarsely chopped 1 garlic clove 4 ounces crusty day-old bread, cut into small pieces 1/4 cup extra virgin… view recipe
• Juande’s Migas Migas is Spanish for breadcrumbs, and this dish makes the most of a leftover loaf when sautéed and served with chorizo, the famed Spanish sausage. First developed as a breakfast dish in Andalucía, it’s popular throughout Spain for lunch and even dinner, and variations abound. This is the version I cooked with Juande de Dios… view recipe
• Piquillo Pepper and Goat Cheese Omelet Caramelizing onions is a labor of love—time consuming, but you can do other jobs in the kitchen while keeping an eye on them, and the taste is worth every minute. Maximize the effort by doubling or tripling the amount and save the rest for other dishes. Piquillo peppers are available online and in some stores,… view recipe

Direct from Bella Italia Three Enchanting Extra Virgin Olive Oils That Will Elevate Every Meal and Seasonal Celebration

• Chosen by your Olive Oil Hunter and meticulously handcrafted with Italy’s leading artisanal producers.
• Brimming with the polyphenols that confer many of extra virgin olive oil’s health benefits.
• Certified 100 percent extra virgin olive oil by an independent lab and delivered to the US by jet for the ultimate freshness and flavor.

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They say that all roads lead to Rome, but, more important, all roads from Rome lead to olives! You can even see olive trees growing in the shadow of the Colosseum along the Appian Way, the ancient thoroughfare that led south.

I’m always happy to be in the Eternal City and even more excited this year. Early intel was that central Italy was having an olive oil comeback—no weather or harvesting drama, just wonderful olives. Spring rains had led to bountiful blossoms and trees heavy with fruit.

After a hot summer, the hoped-for autumn rains arrived on cue to help promote the right aromas and taste sensations. It’s not hyperbole to say that these were the most glorious looking olives I’ve seen in 10 years.

Sadly, that was not the scenario in southern regions like Calabria and Sicily. So, this trip found my Merry Band of Tasters and me crisscrossing a relatively narrow west-to-east swath of this glorious country. We visited favored-status farms in regions including Lazio, Umbria, and Abruzzo to sample superlative fresh-pressed oils for you, dear Club member, and decide on the best of the best—this season presented us with an embarrassment of riches!

A Happy Surprise

As Club members know, I deeply appreciate having international olive oil authority Duccio Morozzo della Rocca on so many of my olive oil hunts. Duccio is skilled in every aspect of making olive oil, from tree cultivation to the extraction process and, most meaningful for the Club, serves as my right hand in creating specific flavor profiles. Each quarter, our goal is to perfect a trio of oils that will dazzle you—we know how much you appreciate having a mild, a medium, and a bold oil to pair with different foods. The band of central Italy where we traveled this quarter is home to a vast number of microclimates, which help create diverse flavors even within the same olive variety. Our attention was focused on crafting exquisite custom blends with the help of master millers.

Plus, Duccio and I had a surprise for you up our collective sleeve: the debut of an amazing olive oil from northern Puglia, on the Adriatic—specifically, Fratelli Ruggiero, the farm of Nicola Ruggiero and his brother, Mario. Duccio and I began brainstorming months ago for a new way to tantalize your tastebuds, and we decided on Fratelli Ruggiero for multiple reasons, notably, the opportunity to work with a colleague of Duccio’s, Nicolangelo Marsicani. A master miller and olive oil impresario who often advises Nicola, Nicolangelo was particularly thrilled by a very special olive variety, Favolosa—“fabulous” in Italian. The Fratelli Ruggiero oil, our mild selection, more than lived up to the moniker.

And there’s much more deliciousness that awaits you: a spicy medium oil from Claudio Di Mercurio’s Frantoio Mercurius, with an artichoke profile and hints of green almond, and a vibrant bold oil from Colli Etruschi, the collective led by Nicola Fazzi, with its more almond profile and hints of raw artichoke—two oils from the same “flavor family” but with very different personalities.

Passion You Can Taste

Each frantoio (mill) has its own unique approach to olive cultivation, harvesting, and milling. What these have in common is the passion of the three men at the helms. Ask what drew them to making olive oil, and each will answer that it’s in their blood, that their earliest memories are of the intoxicating aroma of olio nuovo, “new oil,” of the way it elevated even the simplest meals. They also share a determination to keep their farms thriving in the face of a changing climate and to constantly upgrade their processes to obtain the best olives and rush them to the mill—and then to you—as quickly as possible. This level of dedication results in olive oils you will adore and reach for again and again. Enjoy them on your own favorite foods and in the recipes found below, where you’ll find not only regional dishes but also some of the producers’ family favorites, and two from Duccio himself!

Happy drizzling!

T. J. Robinson 
The Olive Oil Hunter®

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This Quarter’s First Selection

Club members know how much I value the longstanding relationships I’ve developed with the top artisanal olive oil makers around the world. Yet I also delight in expanding our global community when the stars align and I find a new producer whose olive oil sends tingles down my spine and, more importantly, on my palate! It’s with great fanfare that I present the first ever Club selection from Fratelli Ruggiero. In fact, it represents a series of firsts: working with Nicola Ruggiero and his brother Mario, creating an Italian extra virgin olive oil made from Favolosa—“fabulous”—olives, and having it crafted to perfection by renowned master miller Nicolangelo Marsicani, who has been collaborating with Fratelli Ruggiero for many years.

A Modern-Day Renaissance Man

Over the course of his career, Nicola has been deeply involved in local politics and served as president of the first consortium of Italian olive growers—but don’t expect to find him sitting behind a desk. He’s as hands-on as any producer I’ve ever met, working alongside his team in the grove every day. Nicola, who grew up in the coastal city of Bari but whose parents were raised in the countryside near his main farm, is laser-focused on growing olives of the highest quality and is meticulous about every design detail: how far apart his trees are planted, the perfect symmetry of their rows, even edging sections of the field with herbs. And to protect the flavor of his beautiful olives, he makes sure they get from tree to mill in record time.

An Olive Oil Concerto

Once our amazing fruit arrived at the mill, it rested on Nicolangelo to turn it into amazing olive oil. With Nicolangelo, I’ve come full circle: he and I first met 10 years ago, at his farm in Cilento National Park in Campania. I had hoped to introduce his own oil to the Club in those early days—I loved the quality, but there just wasn’t enough of it. Also, he might have been a bit apprehensive back then about just who the “Olive Oil Hunter” was, but now he knows we share the same goal of creating the highest-quality olive oil and expanding the audience of people who appreciate it how superior it is to run-of-the-mill (pun intended) products.

Crafting an oil for the Club was a challenge Nicolangelo embraced. Favolosa was the hands-down varietal of choice, but he knew it had to satisfy our desire for a predominantly green-grass-and-tomato-leaf profile. One of his greatest skills is being able to tune Fratelli Ruggiero’s state-of-the-art milling machinery, just as a concert violinist tunes their instrument, to achieve just the right aromatic balance of bitterness, spiciness, and fruitiness.

Nicolangelo, whose appreciation for fresh olive oil was born as tantalizing aromas wafted up to his childhood bedroom above his family’s mill, has spent much of his career studying transformative ways of growing, harvesting, and milling olives to create as perfect an oil as possible. Like Nicola, he’s very specific about parameters: his own preference is to harvest olives early, when they’re green and have a 58% humidity content. That signals the right ratio of pulp, water, and oil inside the olive, essential to achieving the right aroma. Our Favolosa olives were harvested at that precise moment, and all their characteristics have been captured in the bottle you have before you.

Impressions and Recommended Food Pairings

This is a beautiful expression of the Favolosa olive, an exciting and complex mild olive oil. On the nose, it’s grassy, with notes of tomato leaf, celery leaf, kale, thyme, basil, oregano, wheatgrass, green banana, green apple, and cinnamon. A vegetable garden in a bottle and on the palate, we tasted fennel, green tomato, wheatgrass, sweet basil, baby spinach, celery, carrot tops, the sweetness of Asian pear, the bitterness of walnuts, and a hint of the spiciness of Szechuan peppercorns.

It will elevate insalata Torre a Cona and other greens; salads with fruit; Duccio’s pastina soup, tomato-based soups and pasta sauces; turkey involtini; filetto di pesce in crosta di patate and other delicate fish; spinach and squash lasagna; pizza; carrot, sweet potato, or squash dishes; Caprese salad and other mozzarella dishes; goat cheese; and crusty breads.

*See the recipe section below for bolded dishes.

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This Quarter’s Second Selection

“When I get an email from America, I know it is from T. J.,” confided Claudio Di Mercurio. The gregarious leader of Frantoio Mercurius, Claudio not only received excited, inquiring emails from me throughout the growing season but also—for an unprecedented seventh year in a row—collaborated on another extraordinary ultra-premium EVOO for our Club.

How has this tiny, 60-acre family enterprise in central Italy’s Abruzzo region been able to sustain such an extended winning streak? I’d attribute it to a combination of artisanal vision, meticulous planning, geographical specificity, immeasurable sweat equity, and a rare Italian olive, native to Abruzzo, called Dritta.

Rhymes with Rita

I had never heard of Dritta when I first visited Claudio’s farm, in 2018. As the Olive Oil Hunter, it is part of my life’s mission to sample and savor as many of the earth’s hundreds of olive varieties as I can, at least 550 of which are indigenous to Italy. Dritta lives up to its name, which translates variously as “consistent, dependable, trustworthy.” Unlike most cultivars, which alternate between years of high production and low, Dritta bears fruit consistently each year. Claudio’s team grows Dritta on about 70% of the land, with the other 30% devoted to an array of Italian varietals. Frantoio Mercurius is nestled in a microclimate, protected from weather extremes by the Apennine mountains to its north and the Mediterranean to the east.

Heart of an Artisan, Mind of an Engineer

Claudio founded the operation in 2009 with the mission of creating ultra-premium EVOO. A systems engineer by trade, he consulted—before pressing a single drop—with the esteemed Italian olive mill manufacturer Giorgio Mori. It’s no surprise that Frantoio Mercurius operates a state-of-the-art Mori mill with a special knife crusher and a technologically advanced cooling system that keeps the olive paste at a low temperature, helping to preserve the aromas and polyphenols in the EVOO. Frantoio Mercurius brought Abruzzese olive oil into the 21st century, winning regional awards in its very first pressing season.

The Embrace of Family and Food

When I and my Merry Band of Tasters arrived for the recent harvest, we were thrilled that Claudio and his sister Graziella extended an invitation for us to visit their family home, up in the mountains. In the late 1950s, Claudio explained, his father traveled to the US and worked in New York for a period, earning enough money to purchase land in Abruzzo upon his return. The Di Mercurios’ home took several years to build; they moved in when Claudio was six, in 1970.

What a joy it was to stroll the narrow, medieval-era streets of Appignano. And, oh mio Dio—the food! I knew Graziella was an outstanding cook, but witnessing her cooking shed, with gigantic pasta pots and wood ovens, and dining in her kitchen, surrounded by jars of fresh tomato passata, beauteous heirloom beans, a giant platter of foraged porcini mushrooms, and strings of dried pepperoncini—it was as though I had died and gone to heaven.

You may feel similarly transported when you taste this incredible exclusive Club selection. Initially, we had planned on a single-varietal Dritta, but when Claudio brought out samples of just-pressed Raggia, another rare local varietal, we discovered that a tiny amount of it fine-tuned the complexity and food-friendliness for a harmonious blend. From Abruzzo to your table, buon appetito!

Impressions and Recommended Food Pairings 

The unique union of Dritta and Raggia
olives joins two distinct personalities that
enhance each other. We inhaled artichoke,
dark leafy greens, radicchio, sweet hay, dark
chocolate, and the sweetness of hazelnuts
with a touch of pear and wild mint. On the
palate, we again noted artichoke as well as
spinach and dandelion greens, fresh walnuts
and hazelnuts, the spiciness of celery leaves
with hints of rosemary and nasturtium, and a
persistent bitterness reminiscent of cacao nibs.

Lavish this oil on salads with nuts, Graziella’s pizza di scarola and focaccia, ancient grains like farro and spelt, brown rice, fave e cicoria, borlotti and other deeply hued beans, braised dark greens, roasted artichokes, shellfish and squid, beef dishes, pasta in walnut cream, recipes with nutmeg, breakfast smoothies, and brownies and other chocolate desserts.

*See the recipe section below for bolded dishes.

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This Quarter’s Third Selection

Enthusiastic early reports from my scouts made me excited about collaborating once again with Nicola Fazzi and the historic cooperative Colli Etruschi, in the central Italian town of Blera. Veteran Club members will recall that we featured glorious EVOOs from this award-winning co-op in 2022 and 2019. Yet, whenever I’d touch base with Nicola about how the season was going, he’d respond only with an affirmative but tempered, “Good.”

My own tendency is to reach for superlatives when they’re deserved, but I know why he was cautious. Earlier this season, Colli Etruschi invested in a brand-new, state-of-the-art olive mill—and, as when a professional musician switches instruments or a race-car driver changes cars, Nicola was hesitant to pronounce it a successful upgrade until he had the proof in hand.

Now, my lucky Club member, you have the proof in hand, this sensational single-varietal Canino—the first official pressing from Colli Etruschi’s beautiful new Haus mill (Haus is a forward-thinking Turkish manufacturer). As soon as my Merry Band of Tasters and I had a hint of this liquid gold on our tastebuds, the unanimous cry was, “We’ve gotta have this oil!” Immediately, Nicola became more animated—it was as though he had been holding his breath, waiting for our approval. His excitement bloomed, and he proudly proclaimed this one of the best oils in his three decades with the co-op.

Local Heroes

Colli Etruschi was founded in 1965 by 18
local olive farmers who recognized that, with a cooperative model and shared mill, they could combine their talents, labor, and fruit to support one another through both bumper crops and lean harvests. When Nicola entered its ranks, 33 years ago, fresh out of agronomy school, he saw an opportunity to intensify the focus on quality and market the co-op’s EVOO commercially. Now, Colli Etruschi involves hundreds of small-scale olive farmers and continues its multifaceted mission to produce excellent olive oil, pay its members a living wage, practice sustainable agriculture, and give back to the community.

A Community of Excellence

Today, Nicola’s daughter, Isabella, works for the co-op in communications and marketing, and his son, Alessandro, is dedicated to rehabilitating a local grove of abandoned olive trees. Nicola, born in Blera, looks forward to retiring “in
about 10 years.” Meanwhile, his innovations
never cease: with the new mill, Colli Etruschi
can prioritize early-harvest pressing of green
olives (my preference, as Club members know,
for optimizing flavors and polyphenols). I felt
like a kid in a candy shop in the late afternoon,
as farmers delivered bushels, baskets, and bins of
just-picked, perfectly shaped, light-green olives,
kilos and kilos of them, which would be rushed
to the mill, cold-washed, and pressed into the
golden-green elixir I have delivered to you.

Nicola prizes the herbaceous complexity of
this oil, a blend of several separate pressings of
Canino olives. This robust, gorgeously aromatic
blend radiates dimension and personality greater
than the sum of its parts.

Impressions and Recommended Food Pairings 

A vibrant, full-flavored crowd-pleaser, the
aroma of this Canino is beautifully grassy, with
notes of chopped culinary herbs, sweet almond,
fennel, mint, and whiffs of lemon, vanilla, and
arugula. We tasted the sweetness of almond
with the spiciness of arugula and white pepper,
the intense bitterness of radicchio, and hints of
green apple and microgreens, with a lingering
spicy finish.

This oil pairs beautifully with chicken cacciatore alla Romana, carpaccio, tuna and other meaty fish, octopus, risottos, beans, winter soups and braises, roasted root vegetables, wild mushrooms, roasted radicchio, broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables, celery leaf bruschetta and other bruschetta toppings, roasted radicchio, porchetta spread, aged cheeses, millefoglie two ways, vanilla ice cream, and yogurt parfaits.

*See the recipe section below for bolded dishes.

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Olive Oil and Health

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Kudos from Club Members

Recipes

• Fave e Cicoria A silken purée of fava beans served alongside braised wild chicory is another Pugliese classic, one we enjoyed at Ai 2 Ghiottoni in Bari with the folks from Fratelli Ruggiero. While it’s possible to find fava beans (dried or frozen) in the US, wild chicory is elusive—dandelion greens are a great stand-in and available at… view recipe
• Chicken Cacciatore alla Romana This is the second family recipe Duccio shared with the Club. Considered a “white” cacciatore because it doesn’t have tomatoes, this one-pot prep was traditionally used for making rabbit. It is succulent and flavorful. Taggiasca olives are available in some gourmet food shops and online; you can also substitute your favorite fruity brined olives. Ingredients… view recipe
• Pasta in Walnut Cream This recipe was inspired by a pasta dish my Merry Band of Tasters and I enjoyed at Dal Sor Francesco, a restaurant in Vetralla near the Colli Etruschi mill that we try to visit every year. We arrived at the height of fresh walnut season and saw the nuts everywhere. Walnut sauce is actually a… view recipe
• Millefoglie Two Ways Millefoglie, the Italian version of the French millefeuille, is extremely popular throughout the country. For chocolate lovers, I’m including a variation made with thin layers of chocolate in place of the puff pastry. Both get filled with a rich and creamy sweet cheese filling. The filling ingredients yield enough for either 8 pastry or 8… view recipe
• Turkey Involtini This dish is a celebration showstopper with ingredients that reflect the colors of the Italian flag. The key is to have your butcher debone and butterfly a large, fresh turkey breast, leaving the skin on, and then to pound it to an even thickness for easier rolling. Ingredients 1 small yellow onion, about 4 ounces… view recipe
• Spinach and Squash Lasagna This is a flavorful meatless take on traditional lasagna. Many markets now sell fresh lasagna sheets or boxes of “no-boil” dry lasagna sheets that soften while cooking, thanks to the moisture from other ingredients. Ingredients 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided use, plus more for drizzling 2 pounds whole squash or 1 3/4 pounds… view recipe
• Graziella’s Pizza di Scarola This escarole-stuffed pizza is one of the many delicious dishes that Graziella Di Mercurio cooked for us after our visit to the family mill, Frantoio Mercurius. I’ve included her dough recipe, but the results are just as flavorful when prepared with refrigerated store-bought pizza dough—you’ll need about 2 pounds. Ingredients For homemade dough: 1 1/2… view recipe
• Duccio’s Pastina Soup AKA Italian Penicillin While we waited for the magic window for harvesting, My Merry Band of Tasters and I rented a house in Toscana where we could create recipes for this Pressing Report. Duccio shared two of his favorites, including this comforting broth enriched with cheese and olive oil. Ingredients 2 medium carrots, trimmed, peeled, and cut into… view recipe
• Porchetta Spread Legend has it that porchetta, a highly seasoned and rather large pork roast, originated more than two thousand years ago in the town of Ariccia in Lazio. This zesty spread lets you savor the taste without having to make the roast—serve it with roasted chicken, pork, or vegetables. For a fabulous sandwich, lavish it on… view recipe
• Celery Leaf Bruschetta One of the many foods unique to Umbria, and nearly impossible to find anywhere else, is “black celery,” grown near the ancient town of Trevi. While not exactly black, its leaves are a much deeper and brighter green than common celery. My adaptation of the dish served at Albergo Ristorante Il Terziere includes similarly hued… view recipe