Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club

Olive Oil Hunter News #192

Savory Puff Pastry Pinwheels and Imperial Bloody Mary Recipes, Spotlight on Herbes de Provence and Ground Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Storing Spices, Anti-Inflammatory Diet and Weekend Exercising

Recipes are so much more flavorful when you have the best ingredients in your pantry. That’s why I’m so excited about the new herbs and spices in my latest collection from the T. J. Robinson Curated Culinary Selections—six brand-new offerings plus perennial favorites heirloom Vietnamese cinnamon and vine-ripened black peppercorns. I’m sharing two recipes from the Spice Report, the booklet that comes with the collection to show you how easy it is to elevate your dishes. Also, read about an interesting health discovery on the benefits of weekend-only exercise—it provides great motivation for people who just don’t have time to work out during the workweek, along with a study that will have you asking if your diet is pro- or anti-inflammatory.

Savory Puff Pastry Pinwheels

  • Savory Puff Pastry Wheels Savory Puff Pastry Wheels

    These look so elegant yet are a snap to make with packaged puff pastry (I love the Dufour brand because it uses real butter). Flaky and delicious on their own, they’re sublime when topped with a slice of Brie and some fig jam. 

    Ingredients

    • 1 package frozen puff pastry dough, defrosted overnight in the fridge
    • 1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence
    • 1 tablespoon Ground Sun-Dried Tomatoes
    • 1 tablespoon Caramelized Onion Powder
    • 1 small egg, beaten

    Directions

    Step 1

    Preheat your oven to 400°F. On a floured surface with a floured rolling pin, gently roll out any folds in the dough. Sprinkle the entire surface with the tomato powder, herbs, and onion powder (use your fingers as needed to spread them out evenly).

    Step 2

    Slice the dough in half lengthwise, then roll up each half lengthwise, jelly roll style. Next, cut each roll into rounds about 1-inch wide. Place the rounds flat on two cookie sheets and brush the tops and sides with the beaten egg. Bake until nicely puffed and browned, about 25 minutes, but start checking sooner in case your oven runs hot.

    Yields about 32 pinwheels

Imperial Bloody Mary

  • Imperial Bloody Mary Imperial Bloody Mary

    This recipe has twice the tomato-y depth of traditional mixes, thanks to the tomato powder, yet requires little extra effort for all that taste. Enjoy it “virgin” or with your favorite vodka. Multiply the quantities for a party!

    Ingredients

    • 12 ounces best-quality tomato juice
    • 3/4 teaspoon Ground Sun-Dried Tomatoes
    • Splash (about 10 drops) Worcestershire sauce, plus more to taste
    • 1/8 teaspoon Vine-Ripened Black Peppercorns
    • 1-1/2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
    • Juice of 1/4 lemon
    • Cholula or Frank’s hot sauce to taste
    • 1 jigger vodka (optional)
    • Optional garnish: celery sticks

    Directions

    Add all the ingredients to a small pitcher and stir well. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking by adding more tomato powder,Worcestershire, horseradish, and/or hot sauce. Add 3 or 4 ice cubes to two highball glasses and fill with the Bloody Mary mix. Garnish with a celery stick if desired.

    Yields 2 drinks

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Calamansi Vinegar

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Herbes de Provence and Ground Sun-Dried Tomatoes 

Herbes de Provence

Provence, in the south of France, is known for picturesque villages, fields of lavender, and, of course, a gentle Mediterranean climate. One of its many culinary gifts to the world is the fragrant blend of dried herbs appropriately named Herbes de Provence. With one whiff of this exquisite mix of oregano, rosemary, savory, and thyme, you’ll be transported to this idyllic locale. 

Herbs have been used for thousands of years. Provence was blessed with a wide range of wild herbs, and eventually, locals began to grow them in private gardens and dry them to use long after the growing season. How the specific mix Herbes de Provence came to be is unclear, though some historians credit it to local monks. Americans’ love of these herbs began in the 20th century when culinary legend Julia Child introduced the US to French cuisine and ingredients. 

A mainstay of French cooking, these herbs are synonymous with classics like tapenade (recipes for bolded dishes are included in the Spice Report), ratatouille, beef bourguignon, and cassoulet, but don’t stop there. Sprinkle them over potatoes and other vegetables before roasting and to season homemade croutons; dress up flatbread Provençal, pasta, pizza, and omelets. Add them to dry rubs, marinades, and vinaigrettes. Because the flavor is intense, it takes just a sprinkling to impart their essence.

The various herbs in the mix have been used for medicinal purposes for centuries. Oregano has a high concentration of phytonutrients, including flavonoids and phenolic acids. Savory is also considered a powerful antioxidant and antibacterial agent. Rosemary is an anti-inflammatory with possible antianxiety and memory-boosting effects. Thyme has long been known for its antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiseptic properties.

Turkey has a unique location in the world, straddling Europe and Asia, with the sprawling city of Istanbul spanning the two continents. The tomatoes for my Ground Sun-Dried Tomatoes, a variety known for their tangy flavor, are grown on small farms along the country’s Aegean Sea coastline, part of the Mediterranean region. 

Ground Sun-Dried Tomatoes

The long history of tomatoes began some 80,000 years ago in South America, where small wild tomatoes about the size of cherry tomatoes grew. Early 16th-century explorers brought tomato seeds back to Europe, and soon after, the seeds were carried to North America. Drying fresh tomatoes after the growing season not only preserves them but also intensifies their sweet-tart flavor. Grinding them into a powder is a more modern concept that extends the tomato’s versatility and is a favorite of professional chefs—pure tomato taste with just the right amount of acidity, balanced by sweet notes. 

Mix it with panko and herbs for a mac ’n’ cheese topping or to stuff Roma tomatoes before baking. Add it to your favorite rubs for chicken or roasts, vinaigrettes and olive oil-based marinades, hummus, or aioli. Sprinkle it on pizza and into your fresh-pressed olive oil before dipping bread. It will elevate essential tomato sauce and other sauces,gazpacho or other tomato-based soups, zesty rice pilaf, tomato pies,tomato-strawberry jam, savory shortbreads, and scones. It adds color and flavor to breads,homemade pastas, ricotta filling for stuffed shells, and even cream cheese. Sprinkle it on omelets, sautéed or roasted vegetables, and popcorn. You can mix 2 teaspoons of water with 1 teaspoon of powder to make a tablespoon of tomato paste in a pinch!

Tomatoes are chock-full of nutrients, notably lycopene, an antioxidant that supports heart, eye, and prostate health. Drying and grinding tomatoes into a powder helps make the lycopene more bioavailable. Tomato powder also has small amounts of potassium, beta-carotene, and vitamin A.

Quick Kitchen Nugget: Storing spices

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Storing spices

The best way to store spices isn’t the handiest—they should be in tightly sealed glass containers away from light, humidity, and heat, so not above the cooktop. Keep them on a dry pantry shelf or in a drawer away from the oven, and soon it will be second nature to take them out of their new “home” as you prep ingredients and set the table with these great alternatives to salt.

For Your Best Health: Is your diet “pro-inflammatory”?

For Your Best Health

Is your diet “pro-inflammatory”?

As readers of this newsletter know, extra virgin olive oil has significant anti-inflammatory properties—that’s why it gets top marks as a healthy fat. However, according to research done at The Ohio State University’s College of Public Health and published in the journal Public Health Nutrition, more than half of all American adults eat a diet that’s considered pro-inflammatory, meaning it contributes to unhealthy inflammation in the body, which in turn increases the risk of health problems including heart disease and cancer.

The Ohio State research team examined the self-reported diets of more than 34,500 adults included in the 2005-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey using an existing tool called the dietary inflammatory index, which includes 45 dietary components. The tool assigns dietary inflammation values ranging from −9 to 8, with 0 being a neutral diet. About 34% of those in the study had anti-inflammatory diets, while 9% had neutral dietary inflammatory levels. But “overall, 57% of US adults have a pro-inflammatory diet and that number was higher for Black Americans, men, younger adults, and people with lower education and income,” said lead author Rachel Meadows, PhD, scientist and visiting faculty member. “The overall balance of diet is most important. Even if you’re eating enough fruits or vegetables, if you’re having too much alcohol or red meat, then your overall diet can still be pro-inflammatory.”

Dr. Meadows said she’s less interested in labeling foods as “bad” and more interested in thinking about anti-inflammatory foods as tools people can employ to boost health. “Moving toward a diet with less inflammation could have a positive impact on a number of chronic conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even depression and other mental health conditions,” she explained.

Many people also have elevated chronic inflammation due to non-dietary factors, including stress and adverse childhood experiences, said Dr. Meadows. “There are a lot of factors that contribute to chronic inflammation, and they all interact—even sleep is a key component. Diet can be used as a tool to combat that.” In addition to extra virgin olive oil, top anti-inflammatory foods to add to your diet include garlic, ginger, turmeric, green and black tea, whole grains, green leafy vegetables, legumes including beans and lentils, fatty fish such as salmon, and berries.

Fitness Flash: The benefits of being a “weekend warrior”

Fitness Flash

The benefits of being a “weekend warrior”

Are you too busy during the week to find time for workouts and try to make up for it on weekends? We’ve heard about the downside of being a weekend warrior, like the potential risk of a sports injury when your workouts aren’t consistent. But a recent study led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital and published in the journal Circulation found many positives, most importantly that being a weekend warrior is linked to a lower risk of developing hundreds of future diseases from heart and digestive conditions to mental health and neurological illnesses. Also, compared to inactivity, concentrated physical activity patterns may be just as effective for disease prevention as when exercise is spread out throughout the week.

“Physical activity is known to affect risk of many diseases,” said co-senior author Shaan Khurshid, MD, MPH, a faculty member in the Demoulas Center for Cardiac Arrhythmias at Massachusetts General Hospital. “Here, we show the potential benefits of weekend warrior activity for the risk of not only cardiovascular diseases, as we’ve shown in the past, but also future diseases spanning the whole spectrum, ranging from conditions like chronic kidney disease to mood disorders and beyond.”

Dr. Khurshid, along with co-senior author Patrick Ellinor, MD, PhD, co-director of the Corrigan Minehan Heart Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, and their colleagues analyzed information on 89,573 individuals in the prospective UK Biobank study who wore wrist accelerometers that recorded their total physical activity and time spent at different exercise intensities over one week. Participants’ physical activity patterns were categorized as weekend warrior, regular, or inactive, using the guideline-based threshold of 150 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.

The team then looked for associations between physical activity patterns and incidence of 678 different conditions across 16 types of disease categories, including mental health, digestive, and neurological. Their analyses revealed that weekend warrior and regular physical activity patterns were each associated with substantially lower risks of over 200 diseases compared with inactivity and spanned all the disease categories tested. Associations were strongest for cardiometabolic conditions such as hypertension (23% and 28% lower risks over a median of 6 years with weekend warrior and regular exercise, respectively) and diabetes (43% and 46% lower risks, respectively). 

“Our findings were consistent across many different definitions of weekend warrior activity, as well as other thresholds used to categorize people as active,” said Dr. Khurshid. “Because there appear to be similar benefits for weekend warrior versus regular activity, it may be the total volume of activity, rather than the pattern, that matters most. Future interventions testing the effectiveness of concentrated activity to improve public health are warranted, and patients should be encouraged to engage in guideline-adherent physical activity using any pattern that may work best for them.”

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Olive Oil Hunter News #191

Fresh Herb Marinade Recipe, Spotlight on Authentic Balsamic Vinegar, and Keeping Your Blood Pressure and BMI Under Control

Grilled or roasted, even the best cuts of meat benefit from marination, and the following marinade recipe is a hands-down winner. To impart just the right amount of sweetness, it uses the wonderfully rich balsamic vinegar called Condimento Barili Exclusivi from my new T. J. Robinson Curated Culinary Selections collection of artisanal vinegars.

Also in this issue of the Newsletter are two studies crucial to the fight against heart disease and other ills—one on keeping BMI in check and the other on the importance of blood pressure control.

Fresh Herb Marinade

  • Fresh Herb Marinade Fresh Herb Marinade

    This marinade imparts deep flavor to meat, especially when marinated overnight. Consider the following herbs a suggestion—make this recipe your own by combining your favorites, fresh or dried. Note: This Condimento Barili Exclusivi marinade is excellent for beef, lamb, and game; you can adapt it to chicken, pork, and fish by using Condimento Bianco Senape from my collection instead of Barili Exclusivi.

    Ingredients

    • 2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried
    • 1 sprig fresh rosemary or 1/4 teaspoon dried
    • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon dried
    • 1 sprig fresh basil
    • 3 fresh sage leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried
    • 2 garlic cloves
    • 1-1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
    • 1/4 cup Condimento Barili Exclusivi 
    • 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
    • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

    Directions

    If using fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs, strip the leaves and place them on a cutting board along with the tarragon, basil, sage, garlic, and salt. Coarsely chop them all together. Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in the vinegar and black pepper, then slowly whisk in the olive oil until thoroughly blended. 

    Yields about 2/3 cup

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Calamansi Vinegar

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Authentic Balsamic Vinegar 

Condimento Barili Exclusivi

As those of you who have already been enjoying the vinegars of the T. J. Robinson Curated Culinary Selections know, after years of requests from members of the Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club, I made it my mission to source the best artisanal vinegars on the planet. That started with distinguishing true aceto balsamico, or balsamic vinegar, from its many pretenders.

With so many bottles on store shelves labeled “balsamic,” it’s important to know how to choose correctly. First and foremost, the vinegar must be completely crafted in Modena, a city within the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, according to exacting, centuries-old standards enforced by the local consortiums. Anything else is, quite simply, not balsamic vinegar. Also, it can only be made from very specific grapes. Of course, the ultimate quality of a Modena balsamic depends on the skill of the producer, including knowing what wood to pick for each period of barrel-aging.

For the past five years, I’ve worked with the artisans at Società Agricola Acetomodena to bring you the finely crafted balsamic vinegar, Condimento Barili Exclusivi, in my collection. The “condiment” designation allows producers more freedom to craft a vinegar that goes beyond strict requirements of traditional balsamic vinegar, or aceto balsamico tradizionale, and with the perfect balance of acidity, sweetness, and woodiness from the barrel aging—thick, rich, tangy, and velvety. I liken it to when vintners create a cuvée, blending wines from various barrels to create a finished product that is greater than the sum of the parts.

Why you should have this vinegar in your kitchen: Balsamic vinegar is a culinary essential. It adds the perfect finish to cheeses, salads, grilled foods from vegetables to meat, and even fruits, like strawberries, figs, and pineapple. Pair it with your fresh-pressed olive oils to enhance mature or fresh cheeses, from aged Parmigiano-Reggiano to fresh burrata, and to make sauces, marinades, and vinaigrettes. Drizzle a few drops as a finishing touch on flatbreads, steak, risotto, French toast, and even ice cream.

Quick Kitchen Nugget: Whipping Cream

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Deciding Between Vinegars

It’s important to always have a wide selection of vinegars in the pantry. Sometimes I want a sweeter note, other times one that’s more tart. While I don’t believe in any hard-and-fast rules, I do like to pair milder vinegars with milder oils so that one doesn’t overwhelm the other. 

Think about the foods on your plate, too. If you’re making a salad with bitter greens, add sweetness with a sweeter vinegar like Condimento Barili Exclusivi or a mildly acidic note with citrusy Calamansi Vinegar. If you’re making a chopped salad with provolone and salami, a vinegar like my Raspberry Vinegar will balance the richness of the meat and cheese. 

I also like to combine vinegars. For a vinaigrette with great complexity, use equal amounts of a sweet vinegar and a tart one. The beauty of having many wonderful vinegars is that you can have fun discovering the pairings you like best. 

For Your Best Health: Is Your Blood Pressure Under Control?

For Your Best Health

Is Your Blood Pressure Under Control?

According to a study in JAMA Network Open that looked at data on more than 3,000 people over the age of 18, the numbers are alarming: More than half the adults in the US with uncontrolled high blood pressure aren’t even aware that they have it. This was especially true for younger adults between the ages of 18 and 44 years—high blood pressure, or hypertension, is not just a disease of older age. There is also concern about people who take medication for high blood pressure: For more than two-thirds, it remains uncontrolled. Because this was a weighted study, researchers were able to estimate that of the approximately 120 million American adults with hypertension, for about 92.9 million people it’s not under control.

The researchers stated: “These findings have serious implications for the nation’s overall health….Uncontrolled hypertension, which is a leading factor associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality and events, including heart attack and stroke, is also associated with an increased risk of diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and cognitive decline.

“Additionally, despite engagement with the health care system, we found that 70 percent of adults with uncontrolled hypertension who were aware of their condition reported taking antihypertensive medication. While antihypertensive medications are effective in reducing blood pressure and preventing CVD across demographic groups, our results support existing evidence that a prescription alone does not guarantee improved hypertension control at the individual or population level….These findings underscore the need for efforts to improve outcomes across levels of the hypertension control cascade.”

This study points to the importance of having your blood pressure checked regularly and following up regularly as well to see if treatment for high blood pressure is working.

Fitness Flash: Keeping BMI in Check

Fitness Flash

Keeping BMI in Check

According to a study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, to keep weight in check, it’s important to consider not only what you eat but also the times when you eat. Two specific habits associated with a lower body mass index (BMI) in the long term are keeping a longer overnight fast and eating breakfast early.

This research, led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), involved more than 7,000 volunteers between the ages of 40 and 65 who answered questionnaires about their weight and height; eating habits, including meal times; other lifestyle habits; and socioeconomic status. In 2023, after five years, more than 3,000 participants made a follow-up visit to the research team, where their measures were registered again and new questionnaires were completed.

Woman eating breakfast to keep BMI in check

“Our results, in line with other recent studies, suggest that extending the overnight fast could help maintain a healthy weight if accompanied by an early dinner and an early breakfast,” explained Luciana Pons-Muzzo, researcher at ISGlobal at the time of the study and currently at IESE Business School. “We think this may be because eating earlier in the day is more in line with circadian rhythms and allows for better calorie burning and appetite regulation, which can help maintain a healthy weight. However, it is too soon to draw definitive conclusions, so recommendations will have to wait for more robust evidence.”

Added Camille Lassale, ISGlobal researcher and senior co-author of the study, “There are different ways of practicing what is known as ‘intermittent fasting’ and our study relates to one of them, which is overnight fasting. What we observed in a subgroup of men who do intermittent fasting by skipping breakfast is that this practice has no effect on body weight. Other intervention studies in participants with obesity have shown that this tactic is no more effective than reducing calorie intake in reducing body weight in the long term.” 

“Our research is part of an emerging field of research known as ‘chrononutrition,’ which focuses not only on analyzing what we eat but also [on] the times of day and the number of times we eat,” says Anna Palomar-Cros, a researcher at ISGlobal at the time of the study. “At the basis of this research is the knowledge that unusual food intake patterns can conflict with the circadian system, the set of internal clocks that regulate the cycles of night and day and the physiological processes that must accompany them.” 

This study provides continuity to a line of ISGlobal research on chrononutrition, which in recent years has published two other studies with results in the same direction. In these studies, it was observed that eating dinner and breakfast early was associated, respectively, with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

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Olive Oil Hunter News #190

Lemon Mousse with Blueberry Compote Recipe, Spotlight on Calamansi Vinegar, Whipping Cream, Achieving Greater Work Satisfaction, and Travel – A Fountain of Youth

I hope you’re in the mood for citrus because I have a rich and creamy lemon mousse recipe to share with you. The secret to its depth of flavor is Calamansi Vinegar, part of the quartet of the latest T. J. Robinson Curated Culinary Selections collection of artisanal vinegars. I’m also sharing two studies that touch on the work-life balance so important for well-being. The first reveals a simple step to increase work satisfaction, while the second focuses on time off and details an unexpected benefit of travel.

Lemon Mousse with Blueberry Compote

  • Lemon Mousse with Blueberry Compote Lemon Mousse with Blueberry Compote

    Calamansi Vinegar adds depth to the lemon curd that’s then folded into whipped cream for this silky mousse, and it imparts just the right amount of tang to the berry compote. Both the mousse and the compote can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. Layer any extra compote with yogurt for breakfast the next day!

    Ingredients

    For the compote:

    • 4 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen, divided
    • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
    • 1/2 cup sugar
    • 1/4 cup water
    • 1 tablespoon Calamansi Vinegar
    • Pinch of fine salt
    • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil  

    For the curd:

    • 3 large or 5 small lemons
    • 2 large eggs, plus 1 yolk
    • 3/4 cup sugar 
    • 2 tablespoons cornstarch 
    • 2 tablespoons Calamansi Vinegar
    • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • Pinch of sea salt
    • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil  

    For the mousse: 

    • 2 cups heavy cream
    • 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

    Optional garnish: 

    • Fresh lemon zest 

    Directions

    Step 1

    Make the curd: Zest the lemons with a microplane grater, and then juice them—you should have 1 or more tablespoons of zest and 1 cup of juice. Some pulp is fine to include in the juice, but remove any seeds.

    Step 2

    In a saucepan, whisk the eggs and yolk thoroughly, and then whisk in, one ingredient at a time, the sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and zest, vinegar, vanilla, and salt. Place the pan over medium heat and whisk constantly as it comes to a very low boil. Cook for 2 minutes, lowering the heat if necessary to prevent a rapid boil. The curd should be thick enough to coat the whisk.

    Step 3

    Remove from the heat. (If you see bits of egg white, use the blade of a spatula to press the curd through a fine strainer into a bowl.) Slowly whisk in the olive oil until completely blended. Pour the curd into a glass bowl or jar and allow it to come to room temperature before covering with plastic wrap and placing in the fridge to thicken further, about an hour. 

    Step 4

    Make the blueberry compote: Mix 3 cups blueberries, cornstarch, sugar, water, vinegar, and salt in a frying pan (this allows for more even cooking than a saucepan). Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the blueberries break up and the mixture thickens, about 3 to 5 minutes. While still warm (but not hot), fold in the olive oil and the last cup of berries. Let it come to room temperature before serving (refrigerate if not using within an hour).

    Step 5

    Make the mousse: Whip the cream and sugar until stiff. Gently fold in the lemon curd with a large spatula until mostly combined. Chill until ready to serve.

    Step 6

    To serve, spoon ample amounts of mousse into dessert bowls or glasses. Stir the compote, then place dollops randomly around the mousse. If desired, use a microplane grater to top each serving with lemon zest.

    Yields 8 servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Calamansi Vinegar

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Calamansi Vinegar

Condimento Bianco Senape, or White Condiment with Mustard

If you’ve never tried Calamansi Vinegar, you’ll find that it adds a zesty layer of flavor to recipes that call for citrus. Drizzle it over seafood dishes like ceviche and tuna tataki, crudo, vegetable and grain salads, greens (raw or cooked), and roasted vegetables. It’s excellent in a marinade for grilled fish and as a finishing drizzle on chicken piccata and other dishes with a lemon sauce. Swap it for lemon juice in aioli and in homemade mayo and for lime juice in guacamole and in mango salsa. It enhances citrus-based desserts, from granita to lemon curd, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks like margaritas or plain sparkling water. A scant teaspoon—the equivalent of a squeeze of lemon—delivers a punch of flavor.

Just what is a calamansi? Also called a calamondin or Philippine lime (where it’s now primarily grown), it’s a citrus fruit native to many countries in Southeast and East Asia, such as Indonesia and (southern) China, and a staple of many cuisines in these regions. It’s often described as a cross between a kumquat and a mandarin orange, though its taste makes me think of exotic yuzu enhanced with a blend of traditional citrus—lime, lemon, tangerine, and orange. In my Calamansi Vinegar, you’ll taste notes reminiscent of fresh ginger, lemongrass, lemon verbena, lemon candies, and makrut lime leaves. 

Quick Kitchen Nugget: Whipping Cream

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Whipping Cream

A simple step often overlooked is to chill your bowl and beaters in the fridge for 15 minutes before whipping heavy cream (if you’re in a rush, just pop them in the freezer for 5). Keep your cream in the fridge right up until you’re ready to whip it so it too will be cold. If you start to whip on a low speed, you won’t find yourself covered in splatters; gradually increase the speed as the cream thickens. If you’re mixing other ingredients into the whipped cream, make sure they’re cold or no warmer than room temperature since warmth will deflate the cream. To retain as much loft as possible when folding in any ingredients, use a spatula in a “J” motion, from the center of the bowl to the outer edge, making quarter-turns of the bowl with every stroke. 

For Your Best Health: Achieving Greater Work Satisfaction

For Your Best Health

Achieving Greater Work Satisfaction

On average, we spend three and a quarter hours a day looking at our phones. In a recent study from Ruhr-University Bochum in Germany, researchers found that cutting back this time by one hour a day is not only good for our mental health but also helps us feel happier and more motivated at work, with a better work-life balance.

For their study, the researchers assigned each of the 287 participants all from different professional sectors to one of four groups of roughly equal size: The smartphone group reduced their private smartphone use by one hour a day for one week, the sport group increased their daily physical activity by 30 minutes, the combination group did both, and the control group didn’t change their routine at all. All participants completed online questionnaires before these interventions, immediately afterward, and two weeks after the intervention period ended, providing information about their well-being with regard to both work and mental health.

The researchers found that in the smartphone and combination groups, work satisfaction and motivation, work-life balance, and mental health had improved significantly. What’s more, the feeling of work overload and symptoms of problematic smartphone use were significantly reduced. All interventions led to a reduction in depressive symptoms and increased the participants’ sense of control.

“A conscious and controlled reduction of non-work-related screen time, in combination with more physical activity, could improve employees’ work satisfaction and mental health,” concluded Julia Brailovskaia, PhD, corresponding author of the study and a professor at Ruhr, adding that these interventions could either become part of established company programs or serve as a time- and cost-efficient, low-threshold stand-alone program.

Fitness Flash: Travel - A Fountain of Youth

Fitness Flash

Travel: A Fountain of Youth

Researchers from Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Australia believe that travel could be a great way to forestall aging. For the first time, an interdisciplinary study has applied the theory of entropy to tourism, finding that travel could have positive health benefits, including slowing down the signs of aging. Entropy is defined as the general trend of the universe toward death and disorder. The entropy perspective suggests that tourism could trigger entropy changes, with positive experiences mitigating entropy and enhancing health.

“Aging, as a process, is irreversible. While it can’t be stopped, it can be slowed down,” ECU PhD candidate Fangli Hu said. She noted that positive travel experiences could enhance individuals’ physical and mental wellness through exposure to novel environments, engagement in physical activities and social interaction, and the fostering of positive emotions. These potential benefits have been acknowledged through practices such as wellness tourism, health tourism, and yoga tourism.

Travel therapy could serve as a groundbreaking health intervention when viewed through an entropy lens, she added. Tourism typically exposes people to new surroundings and relaxing activities, and novel settings can stimulate stress responses and elevate metabolic rates, positively influencing metabolic activities and the body’s self-organizing capabilities. These contexts may also trigger an adaptive immune system response, the research found.

T. J. Robinson and Duccio in Chile
T. J. Robinson and international olive oil expert Duccio Morozzo della Rocca in a Chilean olive grove selecting the best of the best fruit—the first step in our quest to bring you, Club members, the finest oils on the planet.

“Put simply, the self-defense system becomes more resilient. Hormones conducive to tissue repair and regeneration may be released and promote the self-healing system’s functioning,” said Hu. “Leisurely travel activities might help alleviate chronic stress, dampen overactivation of the immune system, and encourage normal functioning of the self-defense system. Engaging in recreation potentially releases tension and fatigue in the muscles and joints. This relief helps maintain the body’s metabolic balance and increases the anti-wear-and-tear system’s effectiveness. Organs and tissues can then remain in a low-entropy state.” 

Travel that encompasses physical activities such as hiking, climbing, walking, and cycling, can also boost metabolism and energy expenditure. “Participating in these activities could enhance the body’s immune function and self-defense capabilities, bolstering its hardiness to external risks,” Hu said. “Physical exercise may also improve blood circulation, expedite nutrient transport, and aid waste elimination to collectively maintain an active self-healing system. Moderate exercise is beneficial to the bones, muscles, and joints in addition to supporting the body’s anti-wear-and-tear system.”

It’s still important to account for the flip side of travel: The research pointed out that tourists could face challenges such as infectious diseases, accidents, and water and food safety issues, all of which should be considered when planning a trip.

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Olive Oil Hunter News #189

Pork Medallions with Berry Sauce Recipe, Spotlight on Raspberry Vinegar, How to Dredge, A New Approach for Managing IBS, and Standing Desks for Better Health

Members of the Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club know that I’m a huge fan of pork tenderloin. This boneless cut allows for a faster prep and a more elegant presentation than chops.The recipe I’m sharing uses the Raspberry Vinegar from my new T. J. Robinson Curated Culinary Selections  quartet of vinegars to deglaze the pan (deglazing is a quick trick for creating an instant sauce). It add sweet-tangy notes I know you’ll enjoy. 

This edition of the newsletter also focuses on new research for people bothered by IBS with an easier-to-follow alternative to the FODMAP diet. The other study I’m sharing looked at different types of workstations to discover which style could be better for easing the aches and pains that come from sitting for hours in front of a screen.

Pork Medallions with Berry Sauce

  • Pork Medallions with Berry Sauce Pork Medallions with Berry Sauce

    Pork and fruit is a winning culinary combination. Rather than using the more traditional apples, this recipe calls for a double dose of berries, both whole blackberries and pure raspberry vinegar to create a tart foil for the pork. For a delicious side dish, a grain, such as bulgur or barley, mixed with caramelized onions would be ideal, adding sweetness to the plate.

    Ingredients

    • 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
    • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt 
    • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • 1 pork tenderloin, about 1 to 1-1/2 pounds
    • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • 1/3 cup Raspberry Vinegar
    • 1/3 cup white wine or homemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken stock
    • 2 cups fresh blackberries, rinsed and patted dry
    • 4 springs fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

    Directions

    Step 1

    Mix the flour, salt, and pepper in a pie plate. Cut the tenderloin into medallions about 3/4- to 1-inch thick. 

    Step 2

    Heat a frying pan large enough to hold the medallions over medium heat. When hot, add the oil, then quickly coat both sides of each medallion in the flour mixture, shake off any excess, and add to the pan. Sear for 3 minutes on each side or until brown. Transfer the medallions to a dish. 

    Step 3

    Deglaze the pan with the vinegar. Add the wine or broth and the berries, and briefly bring to a boil. Add the medallions back into the pan, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until an instant-read thermometer reaches 145°F, about 5 more minutes. Divide the medallions among four dinner plates. Raise the heat on the stove back to medium, and use a potato masher to partially purée the berries; cook for 3 more minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. Spoon the berry sauce over the medallions.

    Yields 4 servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Condimento Bianco Senape 

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Raspberry Vinegar

Condimento Bianco Senape, or White Condiment with Mustard

Look at the ingredients on a supermarket (or even gourmet store) bottle of “raspberry” vinegar and chances are real raspberries won’t be listed, but artificial flavors and colors and sugar will be. For a true raspberry vinegar crafted from raspberries and nothing but raspberries, I’m thrilled to introduce you to the ultimate Raspberry Vinegar from Gölles, the Austrian purveyor of all-fruit vinegars. If you’re used to artificially flavored vinegars, prepare to be blown away. This vinegar is tart and bracing because it is crafted from real fruit using time-honored traditions, and the only sugar comes from the berries themselves. 

“It was important for us to make it in a pure way—it has one ingredient: raspberries,” said Alois Gölles, whose father started their family-run business in the 1950s. “Our approach is to make raspberry juice, ferment it into raspberry wine, and then transform that wine into vinegar—no adorations, no other ingredients. We do the same with all our fruits, whether quince or apples or pears. And that’s why our products taste unique: it’s the fruit and nothing else. That means no preservatives either,” said Alois. 

Raspberry Vinegar lends itself perfectly to dressings made with nut oils, such as walnut or hazelnut. Use it on fruit-based salads and to add balance to fruity desserts that would otherwise taste too sweet, such as a raspberry sorbet (you’ll find my recipe for that sorbet along with 29 other dishes in the report that comes with my vinegar collection). Make it part of a chicken or mushroom marinade, and use it to deglaze your pan when making reduction sauces. Raspberry Vinegar also adds punch to drinks, from your morning mixed fruit power smoothie to a raspberry shrub spritzer. 

Quick Kitchen Nugget: How to Dredge

Quick Kitchen Nugget

How to Dredge

To get a nice “crisp” on sautéed proteins like pork, chicken, and beef, it helps to dredge (or lightly coat) the meat in seasoned flour. But it’s important to do this once your pan is hot enough to start cooking and not before, or else the flour will turn gummy. Heat your frying or sauté pan over medium-high heat; when it’s hot (a drop of water will sizzle and evaporate), add your olive oil, then quickly dip both sides of one piece of the meat in the flour, shake off any excess, and place the meat in the oil. Repeat with the remaining pieces. Tip: A wide pie plate is perfect for both mixing seasonings into the flour and for dredging.

For Your Best Health: A New Approach for Managing IBS?

For Your Best Health

A New Approach for Managing IBS?

IBS, or irritable bowel syndrome, is more common than you might think, affecting between 10 and 15 percent of the population. If you’ve been diagnosed with IBS, you’ve likely attempted the FODMAP diet, which excludes a wide range of foods that have FODMAPs or fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols—short-chain carbohydrates that are poorly absorbed in the small intestine. Problem foods run the gamut from wheat, dairy, beans, and lentils to very specific fruits and vegetables, which is why you often need an app to help identify them and stay on track. Following the FODMAP diet is a complex process because you eliminate the foods, then add them back one at a time to try to identify the ones that bother you the most. Now scientists at Lund University in Sweden have developed an alternative and far less restrictive approach to quelling IBS symptoms like pain and tightness in the abdomen, diarrhea, and/or constipation: reducing sugars and starches. 

A few years ago, Bodil Ohlsson, MD, PhD, professor at Lund University and consultant at Skåne University Hospital, decided to investigate the role of sugars and starches in IBS following a geneticist’s discovery: A genetic variation that hinders the breakdown of sugars and starches in the gut is overrepresented among people with IBS. Dr. Ohlsson’s first study of a starch- and sucrose-reduced diet (SSRD) found that, after four weeks, participants who ate significantly less sugar and starch, including sweet treats and highly processed foods, greatly reduced IBS symptoms. For the current study, she and her team decided to compare the two approaches head-to-head.

“One hundred and fifty-five patients diagnosed with IBS were included and randomly allocated to follow either SSRD or low FODMAP for four weeks,” said Dr. Ohlsson. Participants in both groups had to follow the basic principles of each diet, but they chose how often they ate. 

Results were impressive. In both groups, IBS symptoms improved in 75 percent to 80 percent of the patients, which, Dr. Ohlsson said, “was even better than we expected.” In addition, weight loss after four weeks was greater in the SSRD group. Sugar cravings also decreased the most in this group, which is a positive sign, as IBS patients weigh more on average than healthy people do, Dr. Ohlsson added.

“We wouldn’t really even call SSRD a diet. It’s how everyone should eat, not just those with IBS. And unlike low FODMAP, SSRD is easy to understand and easier to follow. You can eat everything when you are invited to dinner, just less of certain things. If you rest your stomach for the rest of the week, you can indulge a little one day!” she said.

Fitness Flash: Standing Desks for Better Health

Fitness Flash

“I’m Still Standing…”

The well-known perils of sitting at a desk all day long include daytime exhaustion, high blood pressure, and musculoskeletal discomfort, just to name a few. Although devices such as standing desks can ease physical symptoms and even boost productivity, the specific effects of different workstation configurations weren’t always clear. To get some answers, a team of researchers from the Texas A&M University School of Public Health decided to compare predominantly standing (or stand-biased), traditional, and sit-stand (hybrid) workstations by measuring the computer usage and activity levels of 61 office workers for 10 days.

Participants were divided into one of three study groups according to the type of workstation they used—stand-biased, sit-stand, or traditional—with those using traditional seated workstations serving as the control group. The researchers defined sit-stand workstations as desktop units with a fully height-adjustable work surface paired with a traditional office chair. Stand-biased desks were defined as fixed work surfaces at approximately standing elbow height in conjunction with a drafting stool or chair with an extended cylinder, or seat post.

The researchers collected data on the amount of time the workers spent at their workstations, along with demographic data and information on how they used office equipment such as footrests, monitor arms, keyboard trays, or anti-fatigue mats. They also asked participants about their discomfort levels.

Woman standing at desk for posture and health

To monitor physical activity, researchers provided participants with an activity sensor that ran for one workweek to quantify and measure the participants’ activity levels and energy expenditures. To measure productivity, the team monitored participants’ workstation computer use through hidden and silent data-logging software. The resultant files for each participant were downloaded and aggregated to ensure a minimum of 10 workdays of computer use data, which were analyzed using statistical analysis software.

“What makes our research unique is our use of computer utilization as a possible indicator of, and proxy for, work productivity in all three workstation types,” said Kaysey Aguilar, DrPH, MPH, instructional clinical professor at the School of Public Health. “We found no significant difference in the number of key clicks between the three groups, but the stand-biased group had a significantly higher word count and more errors than the traditional group. In addition, the 24-hour activity data revealed that the stand-biased group had significantly more standing time, less sitting time, and fewer transitions per hour compared to their traditional counterparts.”

The study also found that while 80 percent of office workers using a traditional desk and chair experienced lower back discomfort, that number dropped to just over 50 percent among workers with stand-biased desks. 

“The bottom line is that the risk of health issues from sedentary work can be alleviated through alternative desk options, like sit-stand or stand-biased workstations,” Aguilar says. “These are win-win solutions because they benefit worker’s health while maintaining the high productivity employers expect.”

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