Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club
Explore Recipes Entrees Page 38

Garden Pasta Alla Di Mercurio

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

My colleague, master miller Duccio Morozzo della Rocca, and I created this dish during a visit to the Di Mercurio farm and mill. The tomato puree we used is called passata. Find it at larger supermarkets or online. Or use another premium tomato puree, such as one made from San Marzano tomatoes.

Ingredients

  • Coarse salt (kosher or sea), to taste
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
  • 1/2 small eggplant, stemmed, peeled, and diced
  • 1/2 small zucchini, stemmed and diced
  • 1 small red onion, peeled, and diced
  • 1/2 pound (8 ounces) uncooked rigatoni
  • 3 cups high-quality jarred tomato purée
  • Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving
  • Crushed red pepper flakes, for serving

Directions

Step 1

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Pour 1/4 cup of olive oil into a cold saucepan. Add the bell pepper, eggplant, zucchini, onion, and a pinch or two of salt. Sauté the vegetables until they’re soft and cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.

Step 2

In the meantime, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al
dente according to the package directions.

Step 3

Stir the tomato purée into the vegetables and simmer over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Purée the sauce with an immersion blender until it’s fairly smooth. Season with additional salt, if desired. Drain the rigatoni and add to the sauce. Gently stir to combine.

Step 4

Transfer to a warmed shallow bowl and serve with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, hot red pepper flakes, and extra olive oil for drizzling.

Serves 4 — Recipe courtesy of the Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club

Salmon with Blood Oranges and Olive Oil

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

The brilliant red color of blood oranges adds to the tasty appeal of this dish, rich in a variety of healthful fatty acids from both the fish and the olive oil.

Ingredients

  • 2 blood oranges
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 6 center-cut salmon fillets, 4 to 6 ounces each, preferably with skin on
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground black and white pepper
  • Chopped fresh dill or parsley for serving 

Directions

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Juice one of the oranges and strain out any seeds. Whisk in the olive oil. Cut the other orange into thin slices and remove any seeds.

Step 2

Arrange the salmon fillets skin side down in a baking dish. Drizzle half the olive oil–orange juice mixture evenly over the salmon fillets. Season generously with salt and pepper, and then top each fillet with an orange slice. 

Step 3

Drizzle the remaining olive oil–orange juice mixture over the orange slices. Bake the salmon, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes, or until done to your liking.

Step 4

Transfer to a platter or plates and garnish with the dill or parsley. 

Yields 8–10 servings.

Olive Oil-Fried Eggs with Za’atar

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

If you’re not familiar with it, za’atar is a fragrant spice blend that originated in North Africa, but is very popular throughout the Mediterranean basin. You can buy it at larger supermarkets or online, or you can make your own. See recipe below. If desired, serve the egg with warmed pita bread.

Ingredients

  • 1 large farm-fresh egg
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea), or more to taste
  • 2 teaspoons za’atar (see below)

Directions

Step 1

Crack your egg into a ramekin or small dish.

Step 2

Warm a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and add the olive oil. Tilt the pan to distribute the oil and watch for the oil to shimmer.

Step 3

Carefully slide the egg into the warmed oil. Season with salt and the za’atar. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat, spooning some of the olive oil on top, until the white is firm, the edges begin to brown, and the yolk is done to your liking. (If you like firm yolks, you can cover the pan for 30 seconds more.) Transfer to a plate and serve immediately with a drizzle of olive oil and a dusting of za’atar.

Serves 1 — Recipe adapted from themediterraneandish.com

Note: To make za’atar, combine 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds, 2 tablespoons of dried oregano, 1 tablespoon sumac or black lime, 2 tablespoons dried thyme, and 1 teaspoon of salt in a spice grinder, small food processor, or a mortar and pestle. Grind to combine, but avoid turning the mixture into a powder. Store in a covered jar away from heat and light.

Filet Mignon Alla Modena

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

This recipe is inspired by the beef dish served at Ristorante Cavallino in Modena, Italy.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose or white whole-wheat flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon each fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 6-ounce filet mignon steaks, about 1-1/2 inches thick 
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, such as 15 Barili or Barili Exclusivi Condimento
  • 1/2 cup beef stock 

Directions

Step 1

Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a pie plate. Heat a cast-iron skillet or other heavy pan large enough to hold the steaks, and then add the olive oil. Once the oil shimmers, dredge both sides of each steak in the flour mixture, shake off any excess, and add to the pan. Sauté for about 4 minutes, and then flip to cook the other side, about 4 minutes more for rare.

Step 2

When the steaks are done to your liking, transfer them to four dinner plates. Deglaze the pan with the balsamic, and then add the stock. Reduce the liquid to a thick sauce.

Step 3

Spoon equal amounts over each steak and serve.

Yields 4 servings.