Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club
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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.

Italian Chopped Salad

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Like an Italian deli in a bowl, this salad combines colorful greens with crispy roasted chickpeas, salami, and provolone. The original recipe was heavy on radicchio and endive, both of which can be bitter. We tamed them with the addition of romaine hearts and added tangy pepperoncini as an option. Substantial enough to serve as a light lunch or supper.

Ingredients

  • 7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided use
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • One 14.5-ounce can chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and drained again
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled, divided use
  • Coarse salt (kosher or sea)
  • 3 tablespoons good-quality red wine vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 hearts of romaine, cored and sliced
  • 1 head radicchio, cored and sliced
  • 1 head endive, thinly sliced
  • 3 ounces sliced provolone cheese, torn into bite-size pieces
  • 3 ounces cured fennel salami, thinly sliced, then cut into half-moons
  • 6 pepperoncini, stemmed and sliced crosswise (optional)

Directions

Step 1

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until the butter melts. Add the chickpeas and 1 garlic clove; season with salt. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the chickpeas are browned and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes.

Step 2

Meanwhile, whisk the vinegar, honey, mustard, red pepper flakes, and the remaining 5 tablespoons of oil in a large serving bowl to combine. Finely chop half of remaining garlic clove (discard the rest unless you really like garlic) and add to the dressing; season with salt and black pepper.

Step 3

Add the romaine, radicchio, endive, provolone, salami, and pepperoncini, if using, to the dressing and toss to coat; season with salt. Add the chickpeas and toss again to combine.

Serves 4 to 6 — Recipe adapted from bonappetit.com

Ricotta “Spoonable”

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Creamy ricotta, purchased or homemade, is transformed into a savory dip with the addition of shallots and fresh lemon zest and juice. Serve it with raw vegetables or crackers.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups whole-milk ricotta, drained, if necessary
  • 1 large lemon, or more to taste
  • 3 tablespoons minced shallots
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/3 cup minced mixed fresh herbs, such as dill, parsley, tarragon, thyme, cilantro and/or basil

Directions

Step 1

Put the ricotta in a medium bowl. Finely grate the zest of the lemon over it, then halve and squeeze the lemon and blend in the juice. Stir in the shallots, olive oil, salt and a healthy pinch of pepper. Taste for salt and pepper, then stir in the herbs. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour; adjust for salt, pepper, and lemon juice before serving.

Step 2

A dollop of this on a cracker or sliced baguette makes a good appetizer; more of it on dark bread with roasted tomatoes, charred lemons, or sliced cucumbers makes a tartine; and a lot of it stirred into pasta makes a dinner.

Step 3

The spoonable is best the day it is made, but you can keep it for up to 2 days tightly covered in the refrigerator. Stir well before using.

Makes 2 cups — Recipe adapted from food52.com