Cannellini Bean and Gorgonzola Bruschetta Recipe, Spotlight on Cannellini Beans, Blood Pressure and Weight-Loss

The holidays definitely have a different feel this year, but even when cooking for just one or two, my food philosophy is that your dishes should still be every bit as pleasing to your palate—no cutting corners! Cooking is a wonderful gift we can give ourselves, and there’s nothing quite as good for the soul and the psyche as filling your home with wonderful aromas from the kitchen. Use the great tech tools we have to cook with a faraway friend or loved one through your iPad or during a Zoom call—both the recipes in this issue of The Olive Oil Hunter Newsletter are easy enough to do while you chat. Just set a timer so you remember to take your pans out of the oven on time!

Cannellini Bean and Gorgonzola Bruschetta

• Cannellini Bean and Gorgonzola Bruschetta

  Creamy beans, crispy prosciutto, and tangy gorgonzola cheese—what could make a more satisfying and delicious bruschetta topping? But if you want to skip the bread, enjoy this as a side dish with lamb or another roasted meat.

  Ingredients

  • 12 thin slices prosciutto (about 6 ounces)
  • 1 baguette cut into 1/2-inch slices
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary needles
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (optional) 
  • Two 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and well rinsed 
  • 3 ounces gorgonzola dolce or another mild blue cheese 
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • Kosher salt 
  • Freshly ground black pepper 

  Directions

  Step 1

  Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the prosciutto on it in a single layer (use two baking sheets if necessary). Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the prosciutto has changed color slightly and is crisp (it will continue to crisp as it cools). Transfer to a cooling rack and set aside. Toast the bread while the oven is hot (you can do this while the prosciutto bakes if your oven is large enough). 

  Step 2

  In the meantime, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the rosemary, garlic, and hot pepper flakes (if using them), and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until the garlic softens but does not brown. Stir in the beans, mashing them roughly with the back of a spoon. Stir in the cheese and cook until it melts. Add the lemon juice, and then season to taste with salt and pepper. 

  Step 3

  To serve, spread the bean and cheese mixture on the toasted bread. Drizzle with more olive oil, and then crumble prosciutto on top. 

  Yields 4 to 6 servings.

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Cannellini (White Beans)

All legumes are great sources of protein, but a number of white beans—cannellini, Great Northern, and Navy beans in particular—also offer a creaminess that can rival potatoes, with a far healthier nutrient profile. One cup of cooked white beans delivers between 15 and 19 grams of protein and about 12 grams of all-important fiber, plus key vitamins and minerals. I’m all for the convenience of buying canned beans, as long as you look for no- or low-sodium varieties and always rinse them well. But if you have the time to soak dried beans, there are even more delicate and creamy varieties to try. Tarbais (the bean used for cassoulets), large white lima beans, and delicate flageolets are wonderful choices, especially for slow-simmered stews and casseroles. They’re all available from artisanal grower Rancho Gordo.

Healthy Kitchen Nugget

Roasting Cannellini

A crunchy and streamlined twist on the above recipe is to roast the cannellini beans almost as you would fingerling potatoes. Here’s how: After rinsing the beans, turn them out on paper towels and pat them dry. Next, transfer them to a sheet pan, spreading them out in a single layer, and pop the pan in the fridge while you preheat your oven to 425°F (an hour’s chill time is even better). When the oven’s ready, add a few thickly sliced garlic cloves to the pan and sprinkle everything liberally with extra virgin olive oil. Add a pinch of salt, a few grinds of fresh black peppercorns, and a few fresh chopped rosemary needles. Roast for 15 minutes, and then use a spatula to flip the beans and roast for another 15 minutes until crisp and golden. Before serving, use a microplane grater to grate some lemon zest over the beans, and serve.

For Your Best Health

Importance of Normal Blood Pressure

We know how important it is for your heart to keep blood pressure in a healthy range. Now we’re learning just how important it is for your brain too. According to Dr. Karolina Wartolowska of the Centre for Prevention of Stroke and Dementia at the University of Oxford (UK) and co-author of a new study published in the European Heart Journal, damage to small blood vessels in the brain can increase not only from aging but also from blood pressure. Dr. Wartolowska’s new research found that having a higher diastolic blood pressure (the second, lower number on a blood pressure reading) in your 40s and 50s is associated with more extensive brain damage in your later years. “This means that it is not just the systolic blood pressure, the first, higher number, that is important to prevent brain tissue damage,” she says. “Many people may think of hypertension and stroke as diseases of older people, but our results suggest that if we would like to keep a healthy brain well into our 60s and 70s, we may have to make sure our blood pressure, including the diastolic blood pressure, stays within a healthy range when we are in our 40s and 50s.” Her research also suggests that even slightly elevated blood pressure—before it meets the criteria for treatment—can harm brain tissue. So, the goal might be to have blood pressure on the lower end of normal, like a reading of 120/70, rather than a somewhat higher level that might still be considered within the normal range.

Lifestyle steps can have a significant impact on your numbers. Here are suggestions to follow from the Mayo Clinic:

• Lose any extra weight. 
• Get regular exercise. 
• Eat a healthy diet.
• Lower your salt intake. 
• Limit alcoholic beverages (one per day for women, two for men, max).
• Stop smoking.
• Reduce caffeine. 
• Ease stress.
• Monitor your blood pressure at home and check in with your doctor regularly.
• Get support from friends and loved ones to help you reach these goals.

Fitness Flash

Making Weight-Loss Accessible

Are you stuck on the idea that weight loss is possible only for younger people? Research from the University of Warwick and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust (UK) found that age is not a barrier to losing weight—what matters is having a plan. 

For the study, published in Clinical Endocrinology, researchers looked at the results of dieters who participated in a formal weight loss program held in a hospital setting, comparing those under 60 years old to those over 60. It turned out that both groups successfully lost roughly the same 7% of their body weight by making the same set of lifestyle changes—improving diet quality and getting more active. They were also given emotional support to stick with the program. Commitment counts, too; many stayed involved with the program for more or less three years.

If you’ve shied away from joining an organized weight loss program, know that it could make the difference you’re looking for when it comes to shedding pounds. And, as the study’s lead author, Dr. Thomas Barber, pointed out, “Weight loss is important at any age, but as we get older, we’re more likely to develop the weight-related comorbidities of obesity. Many of these are similar to the effects of aging, so you could argue that the relevance of weight loss becomes heightened as we get older.”

Get More Recipes In Your Inbox!

Garlic- and Pepper-Crusted Beef Tenderloin Recipe, Spotlight on Black Peppercorns, How to Dry-age Beef at Home and Buying the Best Garlic

Over the course of 20 years traveling the globe—originally as a food, wine, and travel writer and more recently as the Olive Oil Hunter®—I’ve marveled at the rich flavors I’ve experienced across dozens of cuisines and cultures. Whether I was dining at the top restaurant in Paris or sitting down with farmers’ families for simple home-cooked food, every bite was a revelation that fine-tuned my palate. What common denominator did all these meals share? The freshness of the ingredients. Just as I’m a fanatic when it comes to sourcing the freshest extra virgin olive oil, I have a similar passion for intense spices—spices that are deep and bright and can transform even an ordinary dish. If you saw emails about my new harvest-fresh Spice Collection earlier in the week (if not, check your spam right away!), you know that I’m excited to share my spice knowledge and know-how with you—how to use spices for maximum flavor and to expand your cuisine repertoire, starting with this issue of The Olive Oil Hunter Newsletter and in future ones, too.

If I had to pick just one spice, it would be black pepper, and that’s why it’s up first. Though it’s the most widely used spice on the planet, in the U.S. it can be an afterthought rather than the star of a dish. That’s not the case with the two recipes I’m sharing with you—one is perfect for the most festive meal of this season, and the other, just as delicious, is a meal you can make in minutes with just four ingredients. So, grab your grinder and let’s cook…

No matter what your preference for doneness, use an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the tenderloin to test. According to the experts at Thermo Pro, rare is 120º–130ºF; medium rare, 130º–135ºF; medium, 135º–145ºF; medium well, 145º–155ºF; and well, 165ºF. Keep in mind that when you take it out of the oven, it will continue to cook and can go up by another 5 degrees, so plan accordingly. 

A special note about garlic: When I buy garlic, I always buy organic and I always turn over the head to make sure there’s still some of the root network intact, a sign that it’s American-grown. Too often, Chinese imports are sold. Those are bleached in chlorine to artificially enhance their appearance. Another telltale sign is a concave area on the bottom, free of roots.

Garlic- and Pepper-Crusted Beef Tenderloin

• Garlic- and Pepper-Crusted Beef Tenderloin

  Ancient Indian and Egyptian cultures used peppercorns as an anti-inflammatory and analgesic. Rich in antimicrobial compounds, pepper acted as a preservative, too. Contemporary research has found that there’s science to back up those early practices, thanks primarily to the powerful compound piperine, the source of its spicy punch. It has enzymes that help the body better absorb both conventional and herbal medications—turmeric supplements often come with piperine for this reason. There’s even the possibility that it could play a role in the development of medications to combat illnesses as varied as Parkinson’s, cancer, and depression. According to studies in Phytotherapy Research and other journals, although research is still in the early stages (most has been done only in the lab), one day there could be value well beyond pepper’s great taste for making it an important part of the diet.

  Ingredients

  • 8 cloves garlic, peeled 
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil plus 2 tablespoons for searing 
  • 1 tablespoon freshly cracked black peppercorns
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
  • 1/4 cup fresh rosemary needles from a 3- or 4-inch sprig 
  • 2 tablespoons coarse grain mustard
  • One 3-pound center-cut beef tenderloin, trimmed 

  Directions

  Step 1

  Preheat your oven to 450ºF. In a small food processor, combine the garlic and salt and process until the garlic is finely chopped. Let it rest for 10 minutes for the powerful allicin in the garlic to develop. Add the olive oil, black pepper, thyme, and rosemary, and process until the herbs are evenly chopped. Stir in the mustard.

  Step 2

  Heat a large cast iron skillet or Dutch oven on the stovetop. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat until it shimmers. Sear the beef tenderloin on all sides until nicely browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side, turning with tongs. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and let cool slightly.

  Step 3

  Coat the meat evenly on all sides with the garlic, pepper, and herb mixture. Transfer the tenderloin to a meat rack set in a roasting pan. Roast the tenderloin until the internal temperature reaches desired doneness on an instant-read thermometer, about 20 to 30 minutes (depending on its thickness). So that the juices will redistribute, let it rest for at least 10 minutes before carving.

  Yields 8 servings.

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Black Peppercorns

The origin of black peppercorns (Piper nigrum, part of the Piperaceae family) can be traced to Kerala, a province in southwest India where its written history goes back at least 4,000 years. Once the most coveted spice in the world, peppercorns were the original “black gold.” 

Black pepper has a place in almost every cuisine, as you can tell from the fact that it’s part of spice mixes from Cajun blends to the French quatre épices to India’s garam masala. It’s great on your favorite proteins—beef, pork, duck, game, shrimp, and eggs. And it adds an indelible flavor to terrines and patés, stock and sauces, spicy desserts like gingerbread and poached pears, and even mulled wine. 

It’s important to always grind your own peppercorns fresh as needed. If you require a large amount, place them by the tablespoon in a coffee bean grinder and pulse until just shy of a powder. When using black pepper as a crust, you want to crack the peppercorns into small and large pieces.

Healthy Kitchen Nugget

Dry-aging Beef at Home

My favorite quick hack for dry-aging beef at home is to open the package a day in advance of cooking and place the meat on a rack over a sheet pan on the bottom shelf of your fridge (for food safety). The overnight dehumidification in the fridge concentrates the flavor of the beef and makes it more tender (this works well with skin-on chicken thighs, too). The next day, season and cook the beef according to your recipe.

For Your Best Health

The Many Uses of Peppercorns

Ancient Indian and Egyptian cultures used peppercorns as an anti-inflammatory and analgesic. Rich in antimicrobial compounds, pepper acted as a preservative, too. Contemporary research has found that there’s science to back up those early practices, thanks primarily to the powerful compound piperine, the source of its spicy punch. It has enzymes that help the body better absorb both conventional and herbal medications—turmeric supplements often come with piperine for this reason. There’s even the possibility that it could play a role in the development of medications to combat illnesses as varied as Parkinson’s, cancer, and depression. According to studies in Phytotherapy Research and other journals, although research is still in the early stages (most has been done only in the lab), one day there could be value well beyond pepper’s great taste for making it an important part of the diet.

Get More Recipes In Your Inbox!

Composed Pear Salad With Port Vinaigrette Recipe, Spotlight on Pears, Anti-inflammatory Foods and Hand Workouts

When the results of a heart-health study are announced, it’s time to stop the presses. News that heart disease and stroke are linked to inflammation caused by diet lets me know that we are right on track with The Olive Oil Hunter Newsletter and my commitment to bringing you healthful recipes that taste so good, you’ll almost feel guilty for eating them! 

Details from the research are below, but the main takeaway is that one group of foods increases inflammation, while another group decreases it. This issue’s recipe includes many foods on the “good” list…

Composed Pear Salad With Port Vinaigrette

• Composed Pear Salad With Port Vinaigrette

  This dish is made for the fall, when pears are bountiful across the US. It’s also an effortless way to put together a composed salad for a brunch, a lunch or even a meatless supper with a combination of ingredients that is a little surprising…and totally delicious. While you can use poached pears or even grill pear halves just as you would bell peppers, for an elegant meal in minutes, pick a pear variety that tastes best au naturel (see the Healthy Ingredient Spotlight below to get familiar with varieties besides Bartlett). The vinaigrette is great on everything, so if you have extra, enjoy it on steamed veggies or even as a marinade for chicken breasts.

  Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup good-quality red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons port wine
  • 1 tablespoon honey, preferably eucalyptus honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
  • 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 6 cups salad greens, such as mesclun or a mix of frisée, arugula and mâche, torn if needed
  • 2 ripe, unpeeled pears, such as Bartlett, Anjou, Comice or Starkrimson, halved and cored
  • 4 tablespoons Gorgonzola Dolce or another creamy and mild blue cheese
  • 1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
  • 1/3 cup pomegranate seeds 

  Directions

  To make the vinaigrette, add the vinegar, port, honey, salt and pepper to a blender. Turn on the machine and slowly trickle in the olive oil through the cap in the lid, processing until emulsified. Divide the salad greens among four plates. Center a pear half, cut side up, over the greens on each plate, and fill the center of each pear with a spoonful of the cheese. Drizzle a tablespoon of the vinaigrette over the pears and greens, then sprinkle on equal amounts of the nuts and pomegranate seeds.

  Yields 4 servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Versatile Pears

It’s time for pears to get the recognition that their seasonal cousin apples do. A medium pear has just 100 calories, 5 grams of fiber, vitamins C and K, a smattering of minerals and zero fat. Nearly 90% of the pears grown in the US come from the three West Coast states, but Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania are also producers, along with small farms around the country.

Pears are a wonderful ingredient in many dishes, adding sweetness to a vegetable soup or being the star of a dessert like a tart, but only the firmer varieties can stand up to cooking, whether poaching, baking, grilling, roasting or sautéing. 

Among the most widely available varieties are:

Anjou Green and Red: These are great for snacking and cooking, and they’re available from fall through the following summer.

Bartlett Red and Yellow: Best enjoyed raw, these are the first pears harvested each year, but their season only goes through December. A Bartlett is ripe when the skin color changes: Yellow Bartletts go from green to yellow, and Red Bartletts go from a dark to a brilliant red. 

Bosc: Great for eating and cooking, Bosc pears are sweeter and more flavorful earlier in the ripening process. They stay firm, so they will hold up to cooking. Available until April.

Comice: Though Comice pears are traditionally green, some new strains are completely red. They’re delicious and delicate with a fragile skin—slight bruising shouldn’t affect their taste. Available through February.  

Concorde: A mix of Comice and French Conference pears, Concordes are long, tapered and elegant with dense flesh that holds its shape during cooking. Available until December. 

Forelle: One of the smallest and most limited of commercially grown pears, Forelle pears are too delicate to cook. Their skins turn bright yellow with red freckles when ripe. Available until January.

Seckel: Possibly the only truly American variety of pear grown commercially, Seckel pears are also the smallest. With olive-green skin and a maroon blush, this pear has flesh that is firm enough for cooking. Available until February.

Starkrimson: As it ripens, the distinctive crimson color of its delicate skin goes from dark to bright. Floral and sweet, it is best enjoyed uncooked. Available through November.

Unlike many other fruits, pears need to be picked well before they ripen. Left on the tree to soften, they’ll taste grainy. At home, keep them at room temperature (refrigerate only to slow the ripening process). For pears that don’t typically change color, test for ripeness by gently pressing your thumb near the stem end, or the neck, not the body. The surface should just barely give when ripe. If you want softer flesh for a purée or smoothie, wait for the wider bottom half to become soft to the touch—the inside will actually be overripe.

Healthy Kitchen Nugget

Preparing Pears

A great way to enjoy pears is to poach them in a highly flavored liquid. The pear will pick up the essences of the other ingredients you use and, once cooked, will keep in the fridge for up to a week in the poaching liquid. The best pears for poaching are the smaller Seckel and Forelle and the larger Bosc and Concorde. Keeping on the stems makes them more elegant if you’re serving them whole.

Here’s the basic technique for poaching pears: Gently peel them with a vegetable peeler, giving each pear a squeeze of lemon juice as you go to avoid browning. Place the peeled pears in a saucepan that will hold them snugly without crowding them. Add your chosen spices and enough liquid to completely cover the pears—you’ll need about 4 cups of liquid for 6 to 8 pears. To protect them further, place a round of parchment paper over the tops of the pears during cooking. Bring the liquid to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, or until a knife easily goes into the flesh. Let cool. You can store the pears in their liquid or, if you’re serving them right away and want a simple sauce, remove the pears and any whole spices from the saucepan and vigorously boil down the liquid until it’s reduced to a syrup.

Experiment with any spices and flavors you like. Here are three combinations to try:

• Mulled Spice: Use 3 cups apple cider or juice, 1 cup water (more if needed), 2 cinnamon sticks, 8 black peppercorns and 1/4 teaspoon each nutmeg and allspice.
• Purple Beauty: Use 3 cups port, red wine or cranberry juice, 1 cup water (more if needed), the peel of an orange or lemon, 2 cloves and 1 cinnamon stick.
• Golden Beauty: Use 3 cups fruity white wine, 1 cup water (more if needed), 1 cinnamon stick and 1 vanilla bean, split, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

For Your Best Health

Anti-inflammatory Foods

You’ve probably heard some foods described as “pro-inflammatory”—they increase levels of unwanted and unhealthy inflammation within the body. A landmark study just published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, one that included 210,000 Americans, has found that a diet high in such foods has been linked to an increased risk for our number one killer: cardiovascular disease, or CVD. Inflammation lays the groundwork for high blood fats and deposits on artery walls, clogging those arteries and setting the stage for heart attacks and strokes. 

Turns out that people who ate a more pro-inflammatory diet—lots of red, processed and organ meats; refined carbohydrates, including sugars; and sweetened drinks—had a 38% higher risk of CVD compared with people who ate an anti-inflammatory diet. The findings held true for men and women, including people who were at a normal weight.  

Eating more anti-inflammatory foods can be a winning strategy to help prevent CVD. Reviewing this study and other recent studies, an editorial panel writing in the same issue of the journal outlined top foods to put on your menu: green leafy vegetables like kale, spinach, cabbage, watercress, romaine lettuce, Swiss chard, arugula and endive; yellow vegetables such as carrots, pumpkin and yellow peppers; tomatoes and other fruits like blueberries, pomegranates, oranges, cherries, strawberries, apples and pears; whole grains, including wheat, oat, rye, buckwheat and millet; walnuts; extra virgin olive oil; fatty fish; and coffee, tea and wine, all rich in antioxidants.

Fitness Flash

Hand Workouts

Do you take your hands for granted? Think of all they do—cooking included!—and show them a little TLC. Exercises from Keck Medicine at the University of Southern California can help with stiffness and pain, too. Here are two to get you started: 

Hold a soft ball in one palm, squeezing as hard as you can without causing pain. Hold 3-5 seconds, then release and switch hands. Work up to 10-12 reps with each hand. Repeat every other or every third day. 

Make a gentle fist with each hand, wrapping your thumb across your other fingers. Hold up to one minute, then release and open your fingers, spreading them as wide as you can. Repeat 3-5 times with each hand. 

If these exercises cause discomfort or if you have chronic hand pain, check in with your doctor for an evaluation.

Get More Recipes In Your Inbox!