Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club
News Page 37

The Olive Oil Hunter News #86

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Endive with Pears and Gorgonzola Recipe, Spotlight on Endive, How to Vet Vinegar, Improving Your Emotional Outlook and Exercise and Knee Arthritis

I love creating dishes that have distinctive flavors yet are easy and quick to assemble. Pairing endive and mild Gorgonzola with pears is just that. I’m also sharing important news about exercise—often called “free medicine”—which studies show has even more wide-ranging benefits than we thought!

Endive with Pears and Gorgonzola

  • The Olive Oil Hunter News #91 Endive with Pears and Gorgonzola

    If you’ve shied away from strong blue cheeses in the past, Gorgonzola dolce, sweeter than regular Gorgonzola, is a great introduction! The walnuts and pears add to the sweetness, a great counterbalance to the endive

    Ingredients

    • 1/2 cup walnut halves
    • 2 tablespoons plus 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 
    • 6 ripe Seckel pears or another small variety, halved through the stem ends 
    • 1/2 cup pear nectar
    • 1/4 cup pear balsamic vinegar, or more to taste
    • 2 teaspoons honey, or more to taste
    • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    • 6 heads endive or radicchio di Treviso, or 3 of each
    • Six 1-ounce wedges of Gorgonzola dolce or your favorite blue cheese

    Directions

    Step 1

    Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat, toast the walnuts until fragrant, and then transfer them to a small bowl. Add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and heat the oil. Use a small melon baller to remove any seeds from the pears and then place them, cut sides down, in the oil and cook until lightly browned. Transfer to a plate and reserve. 

    Step 2

    To make the vinaigrette for the salad, use the same pan, increasing the heat to medium high. Add the pear nectar and vinegar and bring to a boil. Boil until the mixture is reduced by half, then whisk in the honey. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let cool slightly, then whisk in the 1/3 cup of olive oil. Taste, adding more vinegar, honey, salt, and/or pepper as needed. 

    Step 3

    Trim the endive and remove the leaves from two of the heads; arrange them on 6 salad plates. Slice the 4 remaining heads crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces and divide among the plates. On each plate, arrange 2 pear halves, a wedge of Gorgonzola, and a few of the walnuts. Lightly drizzle each dish with the vinaigrette. 

    Yields 6 servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Endive

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Excellent Endive

Native to Belgium and typically referred to as Belgian endive, this slightly bitter green is now cultivated in the US, notably in California. Its unique growing process makes it available almost year round. 

Endive is part of the chicory family of greens and actually starts from chicory seeds under typical field conditions. But once it grows into a plant, the leafy part is cut off and the deep roots are dug up and put in cold storage for a dormant period. Those roots then undergo forcing in a dark environment, somewhat like mushrooms, during which the oval-shaped heads with yellow-tipped leaves are formed.

Other relatives in the chicory group include red-purple radicchio, which can either be a small cabbage-shaped head or the endive-shaped radicchio di Treviso with distinctive color striations along the leaves; escarole, which has broad leaves with wavy edges; and curly endive or frisée.

When you’re selecting endive, the heads should be tight and feel heavy in your hand for their size. The leaves should be crisp and white at the base, with pale yellow edges and tips. Store them in your fridge’s crisper drawer for up to a week. 

When lightly brushed with extra virgin olive oil and grilled, whole endive make a great accompaniment to any protein. Besides using the leaves raw in salads, you can gently separate them and use them instead of chips to scoop up dips. The leaves also make a healthy alternative to crackers and bread slices when you’re making canapés—just pipe or spoon your favorite fillings down the center of each leaf. 

Tons of research has done little to settle the debate over whether it’s better to reach for full-fat, fat-free, or something in between when it comes to dairy. What we do know is that dairy has many important nutrients and that yogurt is especially good for you, thanks to its beneficial bacteria. 

Healthy Kitchen Nugget: How to Vet Vinegar

Healthy Kitchen Nugget

How to Vet Vinegar 

As with extra virgin olive oil, you have to do your due diligence before buying vinegar, especially flavored types. You want to avoid commercial brands that have been produced on a mass scale. They’re likely to be nothing more than artificially flavored distilled vinegar and contain a host of ingredients that you’d never find in finely made and often well-aged varieties. 

Fruit vinegars in particular should have as their base the actual fruit in their name, fruit that has been allowed to ferment and turn into alcohol before special bacteria are added to turn it into vinegar. Such artisanal vinegars typically cost more, but to be sure you’re getting what you’re paying for, always read the fine print to know exactly what’s in the bottle. (The first vinegar selection from the Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club was so well received that we’ll be announcing the second one in late summer!)

I love using vinegar to enhance a primary ingredient in a recipe, which is why I suggest pear balsamic for the endive and pear salad above. 

For Your Best Health: Improving Your Emotional Outlook

For Your Best Health

Improving Your Emotional Outlook

It’s no secret that depression rates soared during the pandemic. Among Americans adults, they tripled from 8.5 percent before the pandemic to a staggering 27.8 percent in 2020. Research done at the Boston University School of Public Health showed that this high rate not only persisted into 2021, but even worsened, climbing to 32.8 percent. The truth is that depression can affect people for any number of reasons and at any time, and it’s a challenge to treat. That’s why taking lifestyle steps that help prevent it is so important. 

Research has already shown that exercise reduces depression risk, one of the many reasons it’s called free medicine. Recently, an international team of scientists sought to identify the right dose to get the strongest protection. They reviewed 15 different studies and found that the greatest preventive effect was seen in people who get the recommended 2.5 hours of exercise every week—they lowered their depression risk by 25 percent. Their analysis, published in JAMA Psychiatry, also found thatthere are benefits even for people who exercise less. For instance, those who got half the recommended amount of exercise had an 18 percent lower risk of depression. The researchers deemed these results as significant mental health benefits and concluded that “health practitioners should therefore encourage any increase in physical activity to improve mental health.”

Fitness Flash: Exercise and Knee Arthritis

Fitness Flash

Exercise and Knee Arthritis

Researchers in Denmark have added to what we know about the benefits of exercising to improve the symptoms of arthritis. Their study, published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, looked at knee osteoarthritis in particular and the advantages of following an 8-week program of exercises and education. Program participants reported less pain on the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score questionnaire compared to a group of participants who had a placebo treatment. 

According to the American College of Rheumatology, exercise is an important part of osteoarthritis treatment because it can ease joint pain and improve function. If you’re in pain and unsure how to get started, or have let an exercise program lapse, work with your doctor to get moving again.

Get More Recipes In Your Inbox!

The Olive Oil Hunter News #85

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Grilled Lamb Skewers With Tzatziki Recipe, Spotlight on Yogurt and Mint, and the Top Five Habits for Living Longer

I’m always surprised at how underappreciated lamb is in the US. Whether raised here or in Australia or New Zealand, it’s the red meat most likely to be produced under humane conditions, with so many of the herds being grass-fed. I invite you to try lamb (or try it again if earlier experiences have led you to shy away from it) with a simple yet savory preparation. I’m also sharing the latest findings on a wide variety of topics, from healthy dairy to the top five habits for living longer.

Grilled Lamb Skewers With Tzatziki

  • Lamb Skewers Grilled Lamb Skewers With Tzatziki

    Few foods are as quick to cook and delicious as grilled lamb cubes. Known as arrosticini in the Abruzzo region of southern Italy, it’s one of the most beloved foods, served with olive oil-soaked bread that has also had a quick sear on the grill. In Greece, Turkey, and other countries around the Mediterranean as well as throughout the Middle East, lamb cubes are often called kebabs and slipped from skewer onto pita or another flatbread. No matter what country lays claim to them, adding a dollop of Greek-inspired tzatziki adds creamy zest to this succulent meat.

    Ingredients

    For the tzatziki:

    • 1 cup whole milk Greek yogurt
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
    • 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
    • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
    • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
    • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
    • 1 medium cucumber

    For the lamb skewers:

    • 1 1/2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder or leg, trimmed of any sinew and silver skin 
    • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
    • Coarse salt to taste
    • 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary needles, chopped (optional)

    Directions

    Step 1

    To make the tzatziki, in a large bowl, fold together the yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, dill, and mint. Grate the cucumber using the side of a box grater with large holes or in a food processor outfitted with the grating disc (I like to leave on the skin for the extra fiber and nutrients). Using a slotted spoon, transfer the grated cucumber onto three or four stacked paper towels or a clean kitchen towel, and roll it all up, squeezing out as much of the remaining water as possible to avoid diluting the tzatziki. Then fold the cucumber into the yogurt mixture. Taste and add more salt, pepper, and/or lemon juice as desired. Keep the tzatziki refrigerated until needed. Right before serving, drizzle the top with olive oil.

    Step 2

    To make the lamb, cut it into 1-inch cubes and transfer them to a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and rosemary if using; toss to thoroughly coat the cubes. Thread the cubes onto skewers close together (sides touching). Light your grill and preheat to medium high. Arrange the skewers on the grill grate, working in batches if necessary. Grill until the lamb is cooked through and has picked up some color, about 1 to 2 minutes per side, depending on the heat of your fire. Transfer the skewers to a platter. Serve with coarse salt, olive oil to drizzle, the tzatziki, and your choice of bread.

    Yields 4 appetizer servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Yogurt

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

What’s the “Best” Yogurt?

Tons of research has done little to settle the debate over whether it’s better to reach for full-fat, fat-free, or something in between when it comes to dairy. What we do know is that dairy has many important nutrients and that yogurt is especially good for you, thanks to its beneficial bacteria. 

I like the way that a recent Consumer Reports article featuring Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in Boston, summed it up:If you’re eating one or two servings a day, it probably makes little difference whether it’s nonfat, low-fat, or full-fat. In addition, trading full-fat for low-fat can backfire. “When people switch from whole-fat to low-fat dairy, they don’t reduce their caloric intake,” Mozaffarian says. “Over months and years, they just naturally make up for that decreased fat by eating more carbs. And arguably, dairy fat is better for you than starch and sugar.”

There’s also some evidence that yogurt does help with weight control…and universal agreement that when you reach for yogurt, it should be plain with no sugar added—adding your own fresh fruit is far better for you than fruit-added commercial varieties. 

Healthy Kitchen Nugget: Mint Magic

Healthy Kitchen Nugget

The Magic of Mint

If your tastebuds have been turned off by the overpowering taste of artificial mint in many foods, experiencing the fresh herb will come as a revelation. Whether spearmint, peppermint, or any of the other 23 species, mint has a deep aroma yet a light, refreshing taste that adds a sweet note to drinks and dishes. 

Mint is integral to many cuisines. Some of my favorite dishes enhanced with mint are Middle Eastern tabbouleh with bulgur, parsley, tomatoes, and cucumbers; Vietnamese summer rolls with shrimp, red pepper and carrot strips, and cilantro; Thai chicken and peanut salad; and North African couscous with pine nuts and raisins. Have fun making your own mint tea by simply steeping a few leaves in boiling water—then enjoy it hot or cold! A perennial plant in many zones across the US, mint is one of the first herbs to rebloom in the spring, so consider adding it to your garden.

For Your Best Health: Diet for Longer Life, Healthier Brain

For Your Best Health

A Diet for a Longer Life, a Healthier Brain

Many studies have looked into the secrets of longevity, and many others have sought ways to preserve brain health. New research published in the journal BMJ investigated both by tracking the impact of healthy behaviors on improving life expectancy and on forestalling Alzheimer’s during those extra years of life. The 2,449 participants were women and men over age 65 involved in The Chicago Health and Aging Project, a study started in 1993 to assess the risk factors for Alzheimer’s dementia in the general population.

The researchers developed a healthy lifestyle scoring system based on five modifiable lifestyle factors: following the MIND (the Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) diet for brain health, which has been significantly associated with a slower cognitive decline and lower risk of Alzheimer’s; doing cognitive, or brain-healthy, activities; engaging in moderate or vigorous physical activity for at least 150 minutes every week; not smoking; and drinking alcohol in moderate-or-lower amounts (that’s 1 to 15 grams a day for women and 1 to 30 grams a day for men). Participants were given a score from 1 to 5 based on how many of the five lifestyle habits they followed. In addition to filling out regular questionnaires, they had neurocognitive tests every three years, up to six times throughout the study. 

The findings are impressive. As the researchers state, the results “suggest a healthy lifestyle could increase life expectancy among men and women. A healthy lifestyle might also increase the proportion of remaining years lived without Alzheimer’s dementia.”

Here are the key specifics: “On average, the total life expectancy at age 65 in women and men with four or five healthy factors was 24.2 and 23.1 years, of which 10.8% and 6.1% were spent with Alzheimer’s dementia. For women and men with zero or one healthy factor, life expectancy was shorter—21.1 and 17.4 years—and more of their remaining life expectancy was spent with Alzheimer’s dementia (19.3% and 12.0%, respectively). At age 85, these differences were even more notable. This investigation suggests that a prolonged life expectancy owing to a healthy lifestyle is not accompanied by an increased number of years living with Alzheimer’s dementia.”

Fitness Flash: Cognitively stimulating activities

Fitness Flash

Choices Abound!

Just what brain and body activities added up to the above results? Cognitively stimulating activities include reading, visiting museums, and playing games like cards, checkers, crosswords, and puzzles. Excellent moderate or vigorous physical activities are walking, gardening or yard work, calisthenics or general exercise, bicycle riding, and swimming. As many wellness experts say, finding activities that you can become passionate about is the key to sticking with them, so explore as many as you can to see what piques—and holds!—your interest.

Get More Recipes In Your Inbox!

The Olive Oil Hunter News #84

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Fava Beans with Jamón Serrano Recipe Plus 15 Delicious Ways to Reap the Benefits of Olive Oil

The health benefits of olive oil, both on its own and as part of the well-studied Mediterranean Diet, are wide-ranging. So, how can you reap more of these benefits? While vinaigrettes and marinades are great for getting more extra virgin olive oil into your daily diet, there are so many additional ways to make it part of everyday cooking and eating. Here are 15 ideas, plus a luscious fava bean recipe.

Fava Beans with Jamón

  • Fava beans and jamon Fava Beans with Jamón

    This recipe for creamy fava beans is a springtime favorite on the Iberian peninsula—enjoy it with a glass of fino sherry or a vinho verde from Portugal. In a pinch, you can substitute prosciutto or even bacon for the jamón, Spain’s famed dry-cured ham.

    Ingredients

    • 3 ounces thinly sliced Jamón Serrano
    • 2  pounds fresh fava beans, weighed unshelled
    • 3  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 
    • 1 small onion, diced 
    • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
    • 1/2 cup dry white wine
    • 1/2 cup chicken stock, or more as needed 
    • Crusty bread, for serving 

    Directions

    Step 1

    Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil and place an oven-safe wire rack on top of it. Arrange the slices of jamón on the rack in a single layer. Bake the jamón just until crisp, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. 

    Step 2

    Shell the fava beans. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and add the shelled beans. Cook for 2 minutes, then drain and transfer to an ice water bath. Remove the outer skin from each bean. Set aside. 

    Step 4

    Heat a sauté pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook until both are translucent but not browned. Add the fava beans and the wine and cook over high heat until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the stock, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for 10 minutes. Uncover and simmer for another 10 minutes, or until the fava beans are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated (add more stock if they need more cooking time). Transfer the fava beans to a shallow earthenware dish, such as a cazuela. Crumble the crisped jamón over the beans. Serve with crusty bread.

    Yields 4 appetizer servings

Fresh Pressed Olive Oil

15 Delicious Ways to Reap the Benefits of Olive Oil

  1. Drizzle it on your morning oatmeal, yogurt, or berries, or any combination.
  2. Use it when making grilled cheese sandwiches.
  3. Sauté cutlets for chicken piccata or parmesan.
  4. Toss potato wedges in olive oil and roast instead of deep frying them.
  5. Brush on bread as your condiment when making sandwiches.
  6. Add zest to vanilla ice cream with a pour. 
  7. Use it in place of all or half the butter when baking layer and loaf cakes.
  8. Enhance smoothies by adding a spoonful to your blender.
  9. Dress cold pasta salads with olive oil, vinegar, and herbs, and skip the mayo.
  10. Marinate fresh mozzarella or goat cheese in olive oil and red pepper flakes to serve on crusty bread.
  11. Make your own hummus and finish with a drizzle.
  12. Add a tablespoon to your favorite salsa and dip baked pita chips
  13. Brush on fish fillets before grilling or broiling and drizzle on more before eating.
  14. Melt with chocolate for a rich and quick fudgy sauce.
  15. Drizzle on freshly steamed or grilled corn at summer BBQs.

Get More Recipes In Your Inbox!

The Olive Oil Hunter News #83

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Creamy Tortellini with Spring Peas Recipe, Spotlight on Peas, Grating Nutmeg, Exercise to Combat Cravings plus Managing Back Pain

Warm weather means more time spent outdoors and less time in the kitchen, but I still want to enjoy delicious meals that tap into wonderful seasonal foods. My quick and creamy tortellini with peas recipe fit the bill and take only about 10 minutes after the water boils! You’ll also find results of two studies that looked at common problems for so many people—how to curb cravings that stand in the way of a healthier diet and how to ease low back pain that can stop you in your tracks.

Creamy Tortellini with Spring Peas

  • Creamy Tortellini with Spring Peas Recipe Creamy Tortellini with Spring Peas

    This simple dish makes for a fast and fresh spring meal. The creaminess of the mascarpone combined with the delicate pop of the peas is a fan favorite in our house.

    Ingredients

    • 16 ounces cheese tortellini, fresh or frozen
    • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
    • 1 cup freshly shelled peas (about 1 pound in the shell)
    • 8 ounces mascarpone 
    • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste 
    • 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or to taste
    • Coarse salt to taste 
    • 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano 

    Directions

    Step 1

    Bring four quarts of salted water to a boil and cook the tortellini according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat a small sauté pan and add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Sauté the peas over low heat for 3 minutes until tender and bright green and then transfer to a large mixing bowl. 

    Step 2

    When the tortellini are done, use a large strainer to transfer them to the bowl with the peas. Immediately fold in the mascarpone—the heat of the pasta will melt it, creating a sauce—and mix well to distribute the peas. If the sauce is too thick, add some of the pasta water, a tablespoon at a time, to thin it. Season liberally with black pepper and nutmeg (use a microplane to grate it right over the bowl), and add salt to taste. 

    Step 3

    Transfer to a serving platter, top with the grated Parmigiano, and drizzle on the final tablespoon of olive oil. Serve at room temperature. 

    Yields 4 servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Peas

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Three Peas in Pods

Sweet peas, sugar snap peas, and pea pods are all members of the legume family and good sources of vitamins A, C, and K; folate; potassium and magnesium; and fiber. They can all be eaten raw or cooked, but there are some differences among them. Sweet peas are the only ones that need shelling—the pods aren’t edible. Pea pods, best known as an ingredient in Asian cuisines, are primarily pods with small or no peas inside—they’re picked before the peas have a chance to develop. Sugar snap peas are a cross between the two other varieties—edible pods filled with edible peas—and give you all the flavor of sweet peas plus the crunch of the pods. With pea pods and sugar snap peas, you may need to remove the strings along the edges before eating. Because all peas can quickly become overcooked, make them separately and fold them into the rest of a dish or add them at the very end of the cooking process. 

Healthy Kitchen Nugget: Grating Nutmeg

Healthy Kitchen Nugget

Get Grating

Nutmeg is a sweet and fragrant spice that comes from the Banda Islands in Indonesia. Marble-sized whole nutmegs are the inner parts of the seed of an evergreen tree called Myristica fragrant. Though nutmeg is sold ground, you’ll get the best flavor by grating whole nutmeg as needed, either with a microplane or on the box grater side with the smallest holes. You might think of nutmeg only for spice-rich fall baking, but it’s also a popular ingredient in filled Italian pastas, so it adds the perfect note to this week’s tortellini recipe.

For Your Best Health: Exercise to combat cravings

For Your Best Health

Intense Exercise Combats Cravings 

A provocative lab study from researchers at Washington State University and the University of Wyoming could hold the secret for curbing cravings. Their experiment tested a way to resist “incubation of craving,” a phenomenon first identified by scientists at Western Washington University that postulates that the longer you deny yourself something you crave, the harder it is to ignore the craving signals. 

Their results showed that lab rats that did high-intensity treadmill running for 30 days exhibited less desire for their high-fat food, which they’d been denied during that period. This shows that exercise can shore up restraint when it comes to certain foods, says Travis Brown, PhD, a physiology and neuroscience researcher and associate professor at Washington State and corresponding author of the study published in the journal Obesity. Dr. Brown adds, “A really important part of maintaining a diet is to have some brain power—the ability to say ‘no, I may be craving that, but I’m going to abstain.’ Exercise could not only be beneficial physically for weight loss but also mentally for gaining control over cravings for unhealthy foods.”

We still don’t know whether food can be addictive in the same way as drugs are—and certainly not all foods spark cravings. As Dr. Brown points out, “No one binge eats broccoli.” But many people seem to respond to cues, such as fast-food ads, encouraging them to eat foods high in fat or sugar, and those cues may be harder to resist the longer they diet. The ability to disregard these signals may be yet another way exercise improves health.

In future studies, the research team plans to investigate the effect of different levels of exercise on this type of craving as well as how exactly exercise works in the brain to curb the desire for unhealthy foods. 

Fitness Flash: Back pain management

Fitness Flash

Help for That Aching Back

Sometimes constant lower back pain that has no apparent cause can have a mental component. Fear of pain keeps people from moving, and not moving can make pain worse and even create a vicious cycle that leads to anxiety and depression. Finding the best way to address both the physical and the mental consequences of back pain was the goal behind a research review led by Emma Ho and Paulo Ferreira of the University of Sydney in Australia.

They looked at 97 studies that evaluated the effects of various types of psychological interventions—cognitive behavioral therapies, mindfulness, counseling, pain education programs, and two or more combined approaches—when given along with physiotherapy, or a structured exercise regimen, for chronic lower back pain. 

They found that, compared with physiotherapy alone, adding a psychological intervention was more effective for improving physical function and pain intensity. Some interventions had different effects than others. For instance, both cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and pain education delivered with physiotherapy led to noticeable improvements in physical function up to 2 months after treatment, with the clinical benefits of pain education lasting up to 6 months.

In terms of lessening pain intensity, behavioral therapy, CBT, and pain education delivered with physiotherapy each led to improvement up to 2 months after treatment, with the effects of behavioral therapy lasting up to 12 months. CBT also helped lessen the fear of exercise for up to 2 months after treatment, but the most sustainable effects in this area came from pain education programs.

Though there were differences in the ways the various studies that the researchers reviewed were conducted and longer term results are unknown, they did conclude that their findings “can be used to inform clearer guideline recommendations regarding the use of specific psychological interventions for managing chronic, non-specific low back pain and support decision making for patients and clinicians.”

Get More Recipes In Your Inbox!