Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club
Explore Recipes Page 60

Stone Fruit and Berry Buckle

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

This recipe is sized to feed a crowd—any leftovers make a terrific breakfast the next day. Choose fruit based on availability—it’s as delicious with just one variety as it is with four or more! Right out of the oven, the buckle is exceptional when topped with olive oil ice cream, a simple frozen treat you can make at home.

Ingredients

For the crumble topping:

  • 4 ounces unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

For the cake:

  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the baking dish
  • 8 ounces unsalted butter at room temperature 
  • 2 cups sugar 
  • 8 large eggs
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour 
  • 1 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 6 cups assorted berries and stone fruit chunks (skin on) 
  • Optional toppings: fresh blueberries, confectioners’ sugar for dusting, lightly whipped cream, or ice cream

Directions

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish with olive oil; set aside. 

Step 2

Make the topping: Use your hands or a pastry blender to turn the butter, sugar, flour, and cinnamon into small bits, ranging from the size of peas to the size of beans. Set aside.

Step 3

Make the batter: In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. With the machine running on low, slowly pour in the olive oil and then add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder. With your mixer on a low speed, gradually add flour mixture to the wet batter until incorporated.

Step 4

Transfer the batter to the baking dish and use a large offset spatula to smooth the surface. Arrange the fruit in a fun pattern over the top and then sprinkle on the crumble, being careful to get it into the corners of the dish so that every bite includes it. 

Step 5

Bake until the top of the cake is browns lightly and the tip of a sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about an hour. Serve while still warm.

Yields 12 servings

Pasta e Fagioli Salad

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

You know pasta e fagioli as a hearty soup that stars the tiny pasta tubes called ditalini and creamy white beans, perfect for chilly nights. But there’s no reason to “table” this great combination when you can give it a summery twist: a salad composed of all its delicious ingredients, plus a sweet-tart vinaigrette great for all kinds of salads. If you can’t find ditalini, you can use any small-sized pasta—the idea is to get a variety close to the size of the beans. For another layer of flavor, top with shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar of Modena 
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, plus more to taste
  • 1/2 garlic clove, minced 
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 3 cups cooked cannellini beans or one 29-ounce can, rinsed and drained
  • 3 cups cooked pasta, such as ditalini
  • 3 cups cherry tomatoes 
  • 1 medium red onion, slivered
  • 2 tablespoons each chopped fresh parsley and basil, plus more for garnish

Directions

Step 1

Make the vinaigrette: In a medium bowl, whisk together the two vinegars, mustard, honey, salt, and garlic. Gradually whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Step 2

Place the beans, pasta, tomatoes, red onion, and herbs in a large glass bowl and pour on the vinaigrette. Toss gently to coat. Serve at room temperature or chilled, garnished with more herbs.

Yields 6 generous servings

Roasted Ratatouille

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

All the flavors of seasonal bounty meld together in this dish. Rather than cooking it on the stovetop, it’s roasted in the oven, with minimal attention. This technique helps preserve the taste and texture of the individual vegetables, even as they cook in each other’s juices, and creates more of a caramelized medley than a stew. Ratatouille makes a delicious side dish, a topping for grilled bread or pasta, and a hearty sauce for roasted chicken or fish.

Ingredients

  • 1 small eggplant, about 1 pound 
  • 1-1/2 pounds tomatoes, any variety
  • 1 pound zucchini or summer squash, green and/or yellow
  • 3 yellow, orange, or red bell peppers
  • 1 large onion, about 1 pound
  • 8 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for the pans
  • 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar from Modena, plus more to taste
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Cut all the vegetables into roughly 1-inch diced pieces and mix together along with the garlic in a large bowl. Add 6 tablespoons of olive oil and the salt, and toss to coat. Lightly oil two rimmed sheet pans (or line them with parchment paper) and divide the vegetables between them. Roast the veggies for a total of 3 hours.

Step 2

After the first hour, as the vegetables give up their moisture and shrink in volume, combine them in one of the sheet pans; after the second hour, flip the veggies with a large spatula.

Step 3

When done, transfer the vegetables back to the large bowl, taking care to get all the juices. Season with pepper, drizzle on the last tablespoon of olive oil and the vinegar, and sprinkle with the parsley.

Serves 8

Lamb Asado with Molho de Campanha

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Lamb is a popular meat at Chilean asados (barbecues). Seasoned simply with salt and pepper, then grilled over mature coals, the meat is often served with freshly made rustic sauces or salsas.

Ingredients

For the lamb:

  • One butterflied leg of lamb, about 5 pounds Coarse salt (kosher or sea)
  • Freshly ground black pepper

For the molho de campanha:

  • 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar, or more to taste
  • Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 medium plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
  • 1/2 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
  • 1/2 sweet onion, peeled and diced
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Step 1

Cut a small chunk of fat from the lamb (use this to oil the grill grate), then season the meat generously with salt and pepper. Let the meat rest for 45 minutes.

Step 2

Set up a grill for direct grilling and heat to medium-high. Brush the grill grate clean, then impale the lamb fat on a long-handled fork and oil the grill grate. Arrange the lamb on the grate and grill, turning as needed, for 40 minutes to one hour. (The time will depend on the heat of your grill.)

Step 3

In the meantime, place the wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper in a nonreactive mixing bowl and whisk until the salt dissolves. Add the tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, parsley, and oil and stir to mix. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt, black pepper, and/or vinegar as necessary.

Step 4

Let the lamb rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving with the molho de campanha.

Serves 8