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Deconstructed Palta Reina (Queen’s Avocado Salad)

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Chile’s beloved “Queen’s Avocado” gets a contem- porary reboot. All the classic flavors — creamy avocado, savory chicken salad, and a bright vinaigrette — are here, layered on a bed of greens instead of mounded onto the fruit. Tuna or shrimp salad works beautifully here, too.

Ingredients

For the vinaigrette:

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the chicken salad:

  • 2 cooked chicken breasts, diced
  • 1 stalk celery, diced
  • 1 Roma tomato, diced
  • 2 scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:

  • 2 large Hass avocados, ripe but firm
  • 4 to 6 cups baby greens, such as arugula, kale, and spinach
  • 2 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and quartered
  • 12 black olives

Directions

Step 1

Make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Step 2

Make the chicken salad: Combine the chicken, celery, tomato, and scallions in a medium bowl. Add the mayonnaise, starting with the smaller amount, and fold together with a spatula. Add more mayonnaise if the mixture seems dry. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Step 3

Assemble the salad: Halve, pit, and peel the avocados. Place each half cut-side down and slice crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Divide the greens among 4 plates. Fan the avocado slices over the greens. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the avocado and greens. Spoon the chicken salad alongside or over the top. Garnish with the egg quarters and black olives.

Serves 4

Farro Bowl

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

This ancient grain, often available in heirloom varieties such as emmer farro, has a nutty taste and is a great source of fiber and protein. Because it takes 45 minutes to cook, you might double the amount and save half for breakfast or lunch the next day. Notes: If you don’t want to light up the grill, dice the veggies and add them raw. The balsamic should be a thick, naturally aged vinegar from Modena, Italy.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups uncooked farro
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 large zucchini
  • 1 red onion
  • 1 large ear corn (optional)
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes
  • One 4-ounce block feta, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
  • 1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
  • 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • Balsamic vinegar of Modena

Directions

Step 1

Prepare the farro according to package directions. While it’s cooking, prepare the vegetables.

Step 2

Rinse and pat dry the bell pepper and zucchini. Trim the zucchini and cut into 3/4-inch rounds. Peel the onion and cut in half horizontally. Place the zucchini slices and onion halves in a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and transfer to a grill basket. Shuck the corn, if using, and place it along with the bell pepper in the bowl; drizzle with olive oil.

Step 3

First, grill the bell pepper and corn over direct heat, giving them a quarter-turn every two minutes. They’re done when lightly charred —don’t let them burn. Transfer them to a platter and drizzle with olive oil. Next, grill the other vegetables in the basket, turning after 4 minutes and grilling only to a light char.

Step 4

On a cutting board, slice the pepper into strips, cut each onion half into 6 wedges, and cut the kernels from the corn. Rinse and pat dry the cherry tomatoes.

Step 5

When the farro is done, fluff with a fork and let cool slightly (if there’s any water left in the pot after the farro is tender, drain it). Divide the farro among 4 deep bowls. Top with equal amounts of grilled vegetables, cherry tomatoes, feta chunks, pumpkin seeds, and herbs. Drizzle with the balsamic and more olive oil.

Serves 4

Brie and Sweet Potato Bites

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

These bites make an elegant appetizer. For the sweet potatoes, choose long rather than rounded ones to get the most slices from each. Keeping the brie refrigerated until needed makes it easier to cut.

Ingredients

  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 sweet potatoes, about 7 to 8 inches long and 2 pounds in total
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 8 ounces brie, cut into 16 pieces
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

Directions

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper and generously drizzle the paper with olive oil. Rinse the potatoes and pat dry. Trim off the pointy ends and slice each potato into 8 rounds about 1/2-inch thick. 

Step 2

Arrange the rounds on the sheet pan, drizzle each with olive oil, and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes or until a knife tip slides easily through them.

Step 3

Carefully take the sheet pan out of the oven and top each round with a few dried cranberries and a piece of brie. Return to the oven for 2 to 3 minutes until the cheese has melted.

Step 4

Once out of the oven, sprinkle with the thyme and drizzle with more olive oil. Let cool slightly before serving.

Yields 16 bites

Fennel and Orange Salad

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

My numerous trips to Italy to source fresh-pressed olive oil have led to my fondness for fennel, a cousin of celery with the taste of mild licorice, and a veggie totally underappreciated here. It’s the perfect complement for oranges—you’ll see them together in many dishes.

Ingredients

For the dressing:

  • 1 tablespoon orange zest from the navel orange (below)
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

For the salad:

  • 1 large or 2 small fennel bulbs
  • 1 navel orange
  • 2 blood oranges
  • 1 small red onion
  • 2 tablespoons chopped mint

Directions

Step 1

Make the dressing: Zest the navel orange and add the zest to a large bowl with the lemon juice, mustard, honey, salt, and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil until well blended. Set aside.

Step 2

Prep the fennel: If you have a full bulb with the dill-like fronds, reserve a handful of fronds to chop and use as a garnish. Cut off the rest of the green stalks and the root end. Cut the bulb in two lengthwise, from the top to the root. Use a paring knife to carefully cut out the hard core at the base of each half. Then cut the fennel into thin slices as you would an onion and add to the bowl with the dressing. Toss well. 

Step 3

Score the oranges and peel off the rinds and as much of the pith as possible, then slice the oranges horizontally. Peel the onion and cut into thin rounds.

Step 4

To serve, arrange the orange and onion slices in a circular pattern on 2 plates or dishes. Top with equal amounts of the tossed fennel and garnish with chopped mint and reserved fennel fronds, if available.

Yields 2 servings