Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club

Summer Corn Chowder

This is the perfect soup to make with farmstand sweet corn. If desired, garnish the soup with diced avocado or chopped cooked bacon.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 1 onion, peeled and diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 6 cups vegetable stock
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 2 Idaho potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 6 ears corn, husked
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
  • Crusty bread, for serving

Directions

Step 1

Heat the butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme, and cook until the vegetables are good and soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Dust the vegetables with flour and stir to coat everything well. Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Add the cream and the potatoes, bring to a boil and boil hard for about 7 minutes, until the potatoes break down (this will help to thicken the soup and give it a good texture).

Step 2

Cut the corn kernels off the cobs and add to the soup. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until the corn is soft, about 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with crusty bread.

Serves 6 — Recipe adapted from Chef Tyler Florence, foodnetwork.com

Olive Oil Egg Salad

We like to mound this salad in the middle of an attractive plate or bowl and surround it with Belgian endive in a flower petal pattern. It makes a lovely keto-friendly appetizer.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
  • 6 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 large white onion, peeled and diced
  • 8 large hard-cooked eggs, peeled
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Sliced bread, endive or treviso spears, crackers, or lettuce leaves, for serving

Directions

Step 1

In a large skillet set over medium-low heat, heat the oil until it’s shimmering. Add the garlic and onions, stir to coat with the oil, and then cover. Cook, stirring now and then, until the garlic and onion are very soft, about 30 minutes. It may be necessary to reduce the heat slightly to keep them from scorching and to add a touch of olive oil if anything starts sticking to the skillet.

Step 2

Remove the skillet from the heat. Use the back of a fork to mash the warm garlic and onion until the mixture is a soft, jam-like consistency. Push the onions and garlic to the side and use the back of the same fork to mash the eggs into a soft spread. Incorporate the mushy garlic-onion paste into the eggs and stir until fully incorporated. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Step 3

Serve the egg salad on toasted bread as a sandwich or with endive, crackers, or lettuce leaves as an hors d’oeuvre.

Serves 4 — Recipe adapted from Straight Up Tasty by Adam Richman (Clarkson Potter, 2015)

Chickpea Salad

We always have a can of chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans or ceci beans) in our pantry for a quick side dish or salad. Rich in protein, fiber, and minerals, this is one versatile carbohydrate that satisfies hearty appetites.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/8 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 5 to 6 turns on a pepper mill (black peppercorns)
  • One 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup seeded and diced cucumber
  • 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
  • 8 fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine the oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, salt, hot red pepper flakes, oregano, and black pepper. Incorporate well with a whisk, then add the chickpeas, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and basil. Let the salad marinate for 20 minutes, then serve.

Serves 2 — Recipe from Chef Bill Kim, Urbanbelly, Chicago, IL

Garden Vegetable Platter

We are apartment dwellers and don’t have a garden, but we’re always beguiled by the jewel-like colors of just picked produce at the Saturday farmer’s market. When vegetables are this fresh, they only need a quick dip in olive oil.

Ingredients

  • 12 small rainbow carrots, preferably with tops, scrubbed
  • 3 small heads fennel, ends and tough outer leaves trimmed
  • 2 bunches baby turnips (about 12) or 6 medium regular turnips
  • 2 or 3 bunches small red radishes with leaves
  • 2 scarlet turnips or 1 watermelon radish (optional), thinly sliced crosswise
  • Fresh extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Step 1

Trim the carrot tops, if using, to about 1/2 inch, and trim the root hairs, then cut the carrots in half lengthwise. Cut the fennel lengthwise into slender wedges. Set the vegetables in a large bowl of ice water for about 1 hour to crisp.

Step 2

Meanwhile, if using baby turnips, trim the tops to about 1/2 inch, then quarter the turnips; or cut regular turnips into slender wedges. Remove all but a few small leaves on each radish; swish the radishes in water to clean. Crisp the turnips and radishes in another bowl of ice water for about 45 minutes.

Step 3

Drain and dry the vegetables and arrange on a large platter. (Drape with damp paper towels if they’ll be standing before serving.) Serve with oil for dunking

Serves 8 — Recipe adapted from sunset.com