Horiatiki Salad Recipe and The MIND Diet for Brain Health: More Benefits of Olive Oil

I’m a huge fan of both Greek and Middle Eastern salads, the ingredients of which are not only delicious but also mainstays of the MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) diet, a way of eating designed for brain health. It’s an offshoot of the super-healthy Mediterranean diet and the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet. Why the distinction? Because the latest research on the MIND diet shows it can slow aging as well as reduce dementia risk. Add this to the list of the benefits of olive oil—it’s one of the super foods that MIND suggests including every day.

Horiatiki: The Sequel!

• Pasta with Green Sauce

  This is a tasty yet simple prep for pasta, perfect for a weeknight meal. Roasted garlic adds great depth of flavor—spread any leftover cloves on slices of toasted crusty bread. The garlic can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for about a week (after cooling, squeeze out the softened garlic from each clove and store in a sealed jar). I’ve suggested thin spaghetti for this dish, but choose any shape you like, cooked according to package directions. 

  Ingredients

  • 1 head garlic
  • 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
  • 3 teaspoons coarse sea salt, divided use, plus more to taste
  • 8 ounces spinach, trimmed as needed (see Healthy Ingredient Spotlight in our weekly newsletter)
  • 1 pound thin spaghetti or other pasta
  • 2-ounce chunk Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepperoncini or red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

  Directions

  Step 1

  Peel off the papery outer layers from the garlic while keeping the bulb intact. Slice about a 1/2 inch off the top; you can trim the roots but don’t cut them off or the cloves won’t hold together. Place the garlic cut side up on a piece of parchment paper, then drizzle 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil on the exposed cloves. Fold the long sides of the parchment paper over the garlic, then fold the ends underneath to make a packet. Place on a rimmed sheet pan and roast for 45 to 60 minutes, until the cloves are golden and soft and start to shrink away from the peel. 

  Step 2

  Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and cold water; set aside. Fill a stockpot with 4 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and the spinach. Cook for 2 minutes, then use a spider skimmer or slotted spoon to move the spinach to the ice bath (this chill-down helps retain its color), leaving the pot of boiling water on the stove. 

  Step 3

  Add the pasta to the pot of boiling water and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. When the pasta is half cooked, prepare the sauce. Pare any rind off the cheese, cut it into cubes, place in your food processor, and pulse until the cheese is nearly a powder. Remove 1/4 cup of cheese from the work bowl and set aside. Add in the spinach, 6 cloves roasted garlic, the pepperoncini or red pepper flakes, the remaining salt, and the black pepper. Process until smooth, adding 1/4 to 1/2 cup of liquid from the pasta pot if needed.

  Step 4

  Drain the pasta, transfer it to a large bowl, and toss with the sauce, thoroughly coating it. Serve each portion with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of the reserved cheese.

  Yields 4 servings

• Olive Oil Hunter News #203

  Pistachio Cake with White Chocolate Cream Recipe, Spotlight on Pistachios, Grinding Nuts, Protecting the Brain, and New Stroke Prevention Guidelines

  Looking for a sweet change from that box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day? My cake combines tender pistachio chiffon layers and a rich but not overly sweet cream filling. It’s a showstopper to cap off any celebration. While most of the attention around February 14 is on the heart, I’m sharing important advice for nurturing your brain to stave off two health threats—dementia and stroke.

  Pistachio Cake with White Chocolate Cream

  

  Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

  Pistachios

  With good amounts of protein, fiber, healthy fats, potassium, B vitamins, and assorted phytochemicals, pistachios are great to include in dishes—from baked goods to salads—and make a smart snack. 

  For baking, choose unsalted pistachios and, to bring out their flavor without losing their green color, toast for just a few minutes at a low temperature. Preheat your oven to 300°F. Place the shelled pistachios on a rimmed sheet pan and into the oven for about 5 minutes. Once the nuts cool down a bit, rub them between your hands to remove some of the skins. Wait until the nuts reach room temperature to grind or chop them as needed for your recipe.

  

  

  Quick Kitchen Nugget

  Grinding Nuts

  As with almonds, ground pistachios are easy to make at home in a nut or coffee bean grinder. I prefer a grinder and working in batches to using a food processor, unless the goal is to achieve more of a nut butter. To keep ground pistachios light and powdery for a cake, add nuts until the grinder is about half full and process in spurts. Stop the machine as soon as you no longer hear any chopping noise. It typically takes about 2 ounces of shelled nuts to yield a 1/2 cup of nut flour.

  

  For Your Best Health

  Protecting the Brain

  A recent study supported by the National Institutes of Health and published in Neurology^®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, looked at a new potential harm of processed and unprocessed red meat: negative impacts on brain health.

  “Red meat is high in saturated fat and has been shown in previous studies to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, which are both linked to reduced brain health,” said study author Dong Wang, MD, ScD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. “Our study found processed red meat may increase the risk of cognitive decline and dementia, but the good news is that it also found that replacing it with healthier alternatives, like nuts, fish, and poultry, may reduce a person’s risk.”

  The researchers defined processed red meat as bacon, hot dogs, sausages, salami, bologna, and other processed meat products, and unprocessed red meat as beef, pork, lamb, and hamburger. A serving of red meat is 3 ounces, about the size of a deck of cards.

  The first part of the research involved 133,771 people with an average age of 49 who did not have dementia at the start of the study. Participants completed a food diary every 2 to 4 years, listing what they ate and how often, enabling the researchers to calculate how much red meat each person ate on average per day. They were followed up to 43 years. Of this group, 11,173 people developed dementia.

  To see the effects of processed red meat, they divided the participants into three groups: The low group ate an average of fewer than 0.10 servings per day (think of this as less than 1 serving a week); the medium group ate between 0.10 and 0.24 servings per day (less than 1 to less than 2 servings a week); and the high group, 0.25 or more servings per day (roughly 2 or more servings a week). After adjusting for age, sex, and other risk factors for cognitive decline, researchers found that participants in the high group had a 13% higher risk of developing dementia compared to those in the low group.

  To see the effects of unprocessed red meat, they compared people who ate an average of less than half a serving per day to people who ate 1 or more servings per day; they did not find a difference in dementia risk.

  The researchers also looked at both subjective cognitive decline and objective cognitive function. Subjective cognitive decline is when a person reports memory and thinking problems before any decline is large enough to show up on standard tests. Objective cognitive function, which can identify decline, is how well your brain works to remember, think, and solve problems. To evaluate meat’s potential effects on subjective cognitive decline, they looked at a different group of 43,966 participants with an average age of 78 who took surveys rating their own memory and thinking skills twice during the study.

  After adjusting for age, sex, and other risk factors for cognitive decline, the researchers found that participants who ate an average of 0.25 or more servings per day of processed red meat had a 14% higher risk of subjective cognitive decline compared to those who ate an average of fewer than 0.10 servings per day. They also found people who ate 1 or more servings of unprocessed red meat per day had a 16% higher risk of subjective cognitive decline compared to people who ate less than a 1/2 serving per day.

  To evaluate meat’s potential effects on objective cognitive function, the researchers looked at a third group, 17,458 female participants with an average age of 74 who took memory and thinking tests four times during the study.

  After adjusting for risk factors, the researchers found that eating more processed red meat was associated with faster brain aging in global cognition with 1.61 years with each additional serving per day and in verbal memory with 1.69 years with each additional serving per day.

  Finally, researchers found that replacing 1 serving per day of processed red meat with 1 serving per day of nuts and legumes was associated with a 19% lower risk of dementia and 1.37 fewer years of cognitive aging. Making the same substitution for fish was associated with a 28% lower risk of dementia and replacing with chicken was associated with a 16% lower risk.

  “Reducing how much red meat a person eats and replacing it with other protein sources and plant-based options could be included in dietary guidelines to promote cognitive health,” said Dr. Wang. 

  A limitation of the study was that it primarily looked at white health care professionals, so the results might not be the same for other race, ethnic, and non-binary sex and gender populations. “More research is needed to assess our findings in more diverse groups,” he concluded. 

  

  Fitness Flash

  New Stroke Prevention Guidelines

  Each year, over half a million Americans have a first stroke. According to the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association, up to 80% of strokes may be preventable. Its “2024 Guideline for the Primary Prevention of Stroke” outlines steps that people and their doctors can take to protect against this devastating brain event, including screening people for stroke risk factors and increasing the public’s awareness and knowledge about healthy lifestyle changes to reduce the risk. 

  “The most effective way to reduce the occurrence of a stroke and stroke-related death is to prevent the first stroke—referred to as primary prevention,” said the guideline writing group chair, Cheryl D. Bushnell, MD, MHS, FAHA, professor and vice chair of research in the Department of Neurology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC. “Some populations have an elevated risk of stroke, whether it be due to genetics, lifestyle, biological factors, and/or social determinants of health, and in some cases, people do not receive appropriate screening to identify their risk.”

  The guideline replaces the 2014 version and provides evidence-based recommendations for strategies to support brain health and prevent stroke throughout a person’s life. “This guideline is important because new discoveries have been made since the last update 10 years ago. Understanding which people are at increased risk of a first stroke and providing support to preserve heart and brain health can help prevent a first stroke,” said Dr. Bushnell. 

  Modifiable risk factors for stroke, such as high blood pressure, overweight and obesity, elevated cholesterol, and elevated blood sugar, can be identified with physical exams and blood tests. These conditions, the guideline states, should be addressed with healthy lifestyle and behavioral changes and may include medications. A new recommendation is to consider GLP-1 receptor agonist medications, which are FDA-approved to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in people who are overweight or obese and/or have type 2 diabetes.

  

  The most common lifestyle behaviors that can help reduce stroke risk include healthy nutrition, regular physical activity, avoiding tobacco, getting healthy sleep, being at a healthy weight, controlling cholesterol, and managing blood pressure and blood sugar. The guideline recommends that adults with no prior cardiovascular disease, as well as those with increased risk, follow a Mediterranean dietary plan. Mediterranean dietary programs have been shown to reduce the risk of stroke, especially when nuts and olive oil are eaten.

  The guideline also includes some new specific recommendations for women. Health professionals should screen for conditions that can increase a woman’s risk of stroke, including use of oral contraceptives, high blood pressure during pregnancy, other pregnancy complications such as premature birth, endometriosis, premature ovarian failure, and early onset menopause. For instance, treating elevated blood pressure during pregnancy and within six weeks of delivery is recommended to reduce the risk of maternal intracerebral hemorrhage.

  “Most strategies that we recommend for preventing stroke will also help reduce the risk of dementia, another serious health condition related to vascular issues in the brain,” said Dr. Bushnell.

  According to the American Stroke Association, it’s also important to remember the warning signs of stroke with the acronym FAST: Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, Time to call 911.

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• Pistachio Cake with White Chocolate Cream

  Pistachio and white chocolate are two luscious ingredients whose unique tastes enhance each other. This cake is not only delicious but can also be up made up to two days in advance. For the white chocolate, choose a brand that’s 35% cacao and in bar or disc form, not chips, which won’t melt smoothly.

  Ingredients

  For the cake:

  • 4 large eggs 
  • 1 cup cake flour 
  • 1/2 cup ground unsalted pistachios (see Healthy Ingredient Spotlight and Quick Kitchen Nugget in weekly newsletter)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
  • 1 cup sugar, divided use 
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/3 cup room-temperature water 
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar 

  For the filling and garnish:

  • 4-1/2 ounces white chocolate
  • 1-1/2 cups heavy cream, divided use
  • 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 pints raspberries
  • 1/4 cup unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped
  • Optional: edible dried rose petals 

  Directions

  Step 1

  Make the cake: Separate the yolks from the whites when the eggs are cold and allow them to come to room temperature. 

  Step 2

  Place one of your oven racks in the center of the oven; preheat to 325°F. Line a 17-by-13-inch rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper (do not grease it). 

  Step 3

  In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, ground pistachios, and baking powder; set aside. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg yolks and a 1/2 cup of the sugar at medium speed until pale, about 2 minutes. Mix in the olive oil, vanilla, and water. On low speed, fold in the flour mixture. If you have only one stand mixer bowl, transfer the batter to another bowl and wash the stand mixer bowl and whisk thoroughly—any fat will prevent the egg whites from whipping.

  Step 4

  In a separate large bowl or the cleaned bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium-low speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. Add the salt, cream of tartar, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Slowly increase the speed to high and beat until you achieve a glossy meringue that holds firm peaks, 5 to 8 minutes depending on your mixer.

  Step 5

  Add a 1/4 of the meringue to the batter and mix thoroughly to incorporate (this will lighten it). Add the remaining meringue in 3 batches, gently folding after each addition until only a few streaks of meringue remain (err on the side of undermixing to keep the batter billowy).

  Step 6

  Transfer the batter to the sheet pan and smooth out with a large offset spatula; be sure to get into the corners of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the sheet pan in the oven for more even baking. Continue baking until the top is golden brown and springs back when gently pressed, 10 to 15 minutes more. 

  Step 7

  Remove the sheet pan from the oven and slide the cake and parchment paper onto a wire rack to cool. After 10 minutes, invert the cake onto another rack and gently peel off the parchment paper. Let the cake cool completely. 

  Step 8

  Make the filling: Melt the white chocolate and a 1/3 cup heavy cream in the microwave in 1-minute increments at power 4 until just about melted. Use a small spatula to stir until completely smooth; let cool to room temperature.

  Step 9

  Place the rest of the cream in a large bowl or the clean bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk until thick, then with the mixer running on low speed, add the cooled melted white chocolate. Increase the speed and whip until peaks form. Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes for easier spreading.

  Step 10

  While the cream is chilling, trim the edges of the cake. Sprinkle on the confectioners’ sugar and use your hands or a pastry brush to spread it out. Cut the cake into 3 sections, each about 12 inches long and just over 5 inches wide. Rinse the raspberries and pat them dry. Reserve 20 berries and lightly mash the rest in a bowl. 

  Step 11

  To assemble the cake, place one layer on a rectangular serving plate and spread on 1/3 of the filling, then press in half the mashed berries. Repeat with another layer of cake, another 1/3 of the cream, and the rest of the mashed berries. Top with the final cake layer and spread the rest of the cream on top. Garnish with the whole berries, chopped pistachios, and, if desired, rose petals.

  Yields 8 servings

• Olive Oil Hunter News #202

  Chicken Scallopini with Olives Recipe, Spotlight on Balsamic Vinegar, Making Chicken Scallopini, The Future of Personalized Disease Prevention Plans and Exercise for Better Sleep

  Looking to elevate midweek dinners? This chicken recipe is made with thin slices of cutlets, often called scallopini, which cook up quickly, and it’s finished with a sauce that comes together in just a few more minutes. I’m also sharing a fascinating look at the future of personalized health—how advances in technology may one day pinpoint your unique health risks and help you prevent them. One thing you can do right now is to learn how to get better sleep using exercise as an aid.

  Chicken Scallopini with Olives

  

  Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

  Balsamic Vinegar

  A true balsamic vinegar crafted according to time-honored techniques in Modena, Italy, is the perfect balance of acidity, sweetness from grape must (the juice of freshly pressed grapes—skins, seeds, and stems), and woodiness from aging in special barrels. As a finishing touch, it imparts richness and complexity to savory dishes. And unlike commercial sauces and salad dressings, it has no added sugar—just natural sweetness from the grapes. 

  Because you don’t want to cook it, balsamic is typically added as a last step or a garnish of sorts—it’s perfect drizzled over filet mignon or a fine risotto. It’s also a wonderful way to sauce mature or fresh cheeses, charcuterie, steamed vegetables, and savory tarts. I especially love it over strawberries, ice cream (especially vanilla olive oil ice cream), and flourless chocolate cake. 

  

  Quick Kitchen Nugget

  Making Chicken Scallopini

  

  Slicing chicken into scallops is not as complicated as it sounds. The most important tool is a sharp, non-serrated knife, and the most important part of the technique is placing the palm of one hand straight out on the top of the breast as it lies flat on your cutting board—point your fingers toward the ceiling and away from your knife. With an average-sized breast, make one horizontal cut in the length of the breast to separate it in two. For a very large breast, you might be able to fillet it into 3 pieces—the top slice will most likely have less surface area than the others, and that’s fine. 

  To make the pieces even thinner (the ideal thickness for fast cooking is about 1/4 inch), you can pound them between two pieces of parchment paper with a kitchen mallet or one end of a rolling pin. Start gently to avoid pounding a hole in the scallopini, and go across each piece in a uniform pattern for even thickness. 

  

  For Your Best Health

  The Future of Personalized Disease Prevention Plans

  Most of us know about general guidelines for healthy living, such as eating nutritious foods and getting daily exercise. But what if you could combine these lifestyle habits with a personalized plan that takes into account your unique risks for developing specific diseases in order to help catch and treat them early or prevent them altogether? According to Victor Ortega, MD, PhD, associate director for the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine in Arizona, science is drawing closer to making personal health forecasts possible.

  That’s because of new and sophisticated technologies that capture data spanning entire genomes, Dr. Ortega said. The complex scores are compiled from a combination of data from thousands to hundreds of thousands of a person’s DNA sequence variants. This type of large genome-wide data has the potential to predict disease risks, including heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.

  Each person has millions of genetic variants, each having a small effect. But together, these variants can increase the risk of getting a condition. A polygenic risk score estimates the overall risk someone has of getting a disease by adding up the small effects of variants throughout an individual’s entire genome. 

  “Imagine knowing your genetic predisposition for having a heart attack in your 50s or if you’re in the top 5% of the population for the risk of cancer or diabetes based on data from your whole genome. With this knowledge, you could make informed lifestyle choices and receive enhanced screenings to mitigate that risk,” Dr. Ortega said.

  As a pulmonologist and genomic scientist, Dr. Ortega is leading a charge to breathe new life into precision medicine advancements. His mission is rooted in a deep commitment to health equities and inspired by his grandmother. “My grandmother died of asthma, and that should not have happened. She was Puerto Rican like me, and Puerto Ricans have the highest severity and frequency of asthma of any ethnic group in the world,” Dr. Ortega said. “They also represent less than 1% of people in genetic studies. So, I’ve made it a life mission to develop cures and diagnostics for people like my grandma and for all people.” 

  Some people who don’t have a high risk score for a certain disease can still be at risk of getting the disease or might already have it. Other people with high risk scores may never get the disease. People with the same genetic risk can have different outcomes, depending on other factors such as lifestyle determining one’s lifelong environmental exposures, also called the exposome. Dr. Ortega said that getting to the point where all people know their polygenic risk scores will require a solid foundation of “omics” research and datasets, cutting-edge technologies, and further discoveries of gene-disease links, all of which are within his team’s expertise and capabilities. Omics is an emerging multidisciplinary field of biological sciences that encompasses genomics, proteomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and more.

  “It’s going to take considerable work and planning, but it really is the way of the future,” he said. In the shorter term, Dr. Ortega plans to transition more omics discoveries from research laboratories to the clinic. Omics data can help identify the molecular culprits driving a person’s disease, as well as biomarkers that can lead to the development of targeted treatments and diagnostics.

  Recent omics discoveries at the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine have enabled scientists to predict antidepressant responses in people with depression and discover a potential therapeutic strategy for bone marrow cancer. Scientists have also used omics to pinpoint genetic variations that potentially increase the risk for severe COVID-19, uncover potential clues for preventing and treating gliomas, and unravel the genetic mystery of a rare neurodevelopmental disorder.

  Dr. Ortega is leading the development of a polygenic risk score framework for Mayo Clinic, beginning with interstitial lung disease. This condition, marked by the progressive scarring of lung tissue, is influenced by both rare gene variants and a collection of more common variants, all of which are captured together in polygenic risk scores.

  Drawing from his years of extensive clinical experience in treating patients with severe respiratory illnesses, Dr. Ortega is also working to expand genomic testing to a broader set of diseases. He highlights the center’s collaborative Program for Rare and Undiagnosed Diseases as an effective model that he hopes to amplify. The program proactively engages healthcare teams across Mayo’s clinical practice to conduct targeted genomic testing for patients with a suspected rare genetic disease. Expanding this strategy to more diseases will help build collaborations across Mayo and educate more clinicians on genomics. It may also ensure that the most effective genomic sequencing tests are given to patients, ultimately improving patient care and outcomes.

  

  Fitness Flash

  Exercise for Better Sleep

  “Engaging in winter sports and recreational activities is an excellent way to support cardiovascular health and overall well-being,” said Alexander P. Sah, MD, FAAOS, orthopedic surgeon and spokesperson for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), the world’s largest medical association of musculoskeletal specialists. “However, cold weather brings unique risks that shouldn’t be ignored. Each year, healthcare facilities across the country see an uptick in bone and joint injuries tied to winter activities, many of which are preventable with the right preparation and safety measures.”

  

  When you’re heading outdoors to enjoy your favorite cold-weather activities as well as when snuggling up in front of a roaring fire, consider these safety tips from Dr. Sah and fellow bone and joint health experts at AAOS to keep winter conditions from making routine activities hazardous:

  Protect your back when shoveling snow. Lifting injuries can happen quickly and are very painful. Bend at the knees to use the large leg and glute muscles instead of your back when picking up heavy items. Don’t twist or rotate while lifting, especially when shoveling. Bend your knees and pivot your whole body, not just your torso. 

  Tread lightly and move confidently. If you live in a wintry climate, icy surfaces can lurk anywhere. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that approximately 1 million Americans are injured annually because of falling on ice and snow. Wear shoes with good traction to prevent slipping and falling, or buy slip-on shoe gear that adds traction when walking on ice. 

  Ski smart. Anterior cruciate ligament tears in the knee joint are common among skiers and snowboarders. Many injuries occur from falling backward or twisting the knee. Research has shown that keeping arms forward and hips over the knees can reduce the risk of injury. Adjust your bindings to meet your ability. 

  Don’t get burned. Practice caution with all types of open flames, such as candles and fireplaces, as well as when using your kitchen stove, and keep children and pets far away from them. Know what to do in case of a burn: Treat minor burns with cool running water, a sterile bandage, and an over-the-counter pain reliever. Serious burns require immediate medical attention.

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• Chicken Scallopini with Olives

  Grated hard cheese, like Parmigiano-Reggiano, makes a great addition to panko for breading chicken. Olives and diced tomatoes combine for a zesty sauce. Choose whatever olives you like best. For a milder taste, I love Castelvetrano olives; for a stronger taste, go for Kalamata. 

  Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons whole wheat flour 
  • 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 large eggs, well beaten
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • 1/2 cup panko or fine fresh breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut scallopini-style (see Healthy Ingredient in our weekly newsletter)
  • 4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
  • One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup pitted olives
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
  • 1 tablespoon capers with their brine
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar of Modena, such as Condimento Barili Exclusivi, plus more for drizzling

  Directions

  Step 1

  Set out three glass pie plates or wide bowls. In one, add and mix the flour, salt, and pepper; in another, place the beaten eggs; and in the third, add and mix the grated cheese and breadcrumbs. 

  Step 2

  Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil and, working quickly, dip a chicken piece in the flour, then the egg, and then in cheese-breadcrumbs, and add to the pan. Repeat with as many pieces as will fit without crowding; if necessary, cook in two batches. Sauté until the undersides are brown and crispy, about 5 minutes, then flip and continue to sauté until cooked through, about another 3 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer reads 165°F. Add the mushrooms to the pan and sauté lightly.

  Step 3

  If you cooked the chicken in batches, return them all to the pan. Add the tomatoes with all their juice, the olives, basil, capers, and brine and bring to a low boil. Cook for 5 minutes, using a spatula to scrape up any fond on the bottom of the pan. Drizzle on the vinegar and serve. Pass more vinegar and olive oil for drizzling.

  Yields 4 servings

• Olive Oil Hunter News #201

  Beef Stew à la Française Recipe, Spotlight on Dijon Mustards, Dredging Meat, A Different Kind of Resolution and How to Avoid Injury During Winter Activities

  When there’s a chill in the air, there needs to be something hot and tasty on the stove! My version of beef stew adds a few French touches—notably the Dijon mustards and brandy—for a dish that’s as delicious as it is comforting. For even greater well-being, consider becoming an optimist—it’s a state of mind with unique benefits. And on a practical level, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons has tips for staying safe when conditions are icy.

  Beef Stew à la Française

  

  Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

  Dijon Mustards

  

  Dijon, France, is the capital of the Burgundy region, known not only for its wines but also for its mustards. Traditional Dijon mustard is creamy yet spicy and my go-to for making delicious vinaigrettes and adding pungency to soups and stews, not to mention sandwiches and canapés. I also appreciate Dijon mustard variations, like grainy mustard—which primarily consists of whole mustard seeds—and country style, a mix of creamy and grainy. Dijon mustard’s heat comes from using brown and black mustard seeds—yellow mustards, made with yellow mustard seeds, are a lot milder. Unlike Champagne, which must be made from grapes from the Champagne region to bear that name, Dijon is not a protected term and can be made anywhere as long as it follows a certain recipe. For a true French Dijon mustard, check out the Maille brand, which was started in 1747 and is readily available on supermarket shelves in the US. Traveling? Maille has boutiques in Dijon, Paris, and London.

  

  Quick Kitchen Nugget

  Why Dredge?

  Dredging meat in flour before cooking serves a tasty purpose: It encourages browning and, in turn, enhances flavor. Dredging as part of breading chicken cutlets, for example, helps the egg and then the breadcrumbs adhere. And it helps to thicken stews as they cook. While most recipes call for dregding with all-purpose flour, using whole wheat or white whole wheat flour has the edge—both of these flours retain the nutrients of the whole grain without changing the taste of the finished dish.

  

  For Your Best Health

  A Different Kind of Resolution

  Beyond diet and exercise, there’s another resolution that may be even easier to stick with: embracing optimism. According to Scott L. Rogers, JD, a lecturer at the University of Miami School of Law and director of the Mindfulness in Law Program, there are many advantages to cultivating this state of mind. Here are some of his thoughts:

  Optimism impacts mental and emotional well-being in stressful situations. Optimism shapes how you interpret situations and can often reduce your perceived stress. Even more, optimism can help you navigate rough situations more effectively, leading to better outcomes that enhance your emotional well-being.

  An optimistic mindset can contribute to personal and professional success. When challenges arise, how we perceive and respond to them largely depends on our perspective and outlook for the future. An optimistic mindset—a way of approaching our experiences that recognizes the opportunities within situations and believes in our ability to contribute to positive outcomes—enables us to more effectively identify and pursue paths to achieve desired results. 

  Optimism can enhance physical health. Research suggests that approaching life’s events with a more optimistic outlook can boost health in part because of the release of hormones and neurotransmitters that improve mood and provide protective effects on the body. Additionally, positive emotions associated with optimism may boost the immune system, making the body more resistant to infections, reducing the risk of chronic diseases, and protecting against anxiety and depression. 

  Optimism can positively influence relationships and social connections. Optimism is contagious. Spending time with people who see the glass as half full—and feel empowered to refill it when it’s empty—can positively influence your outlook. Optimistic individuals tend to focus on solutions rather than dwelling on problems. Their hopeful and resilient approach not only models constructive ways of viewing the world but also helps reinforce optimistic thinking patterns while counteracting self-doubt and negative self-talk. 

  Optimism can help you overcome challenges. By focusing on the positive side of things, you’ll be more likely to view challenges as opportunities for learning and growth. You’ll start to see setbacks as external and temporary rather than internal and permanent. Over time, these tendencies become reinforced, building resilience.

  Rogers pointed out that optimism can be cultivated through mindfulness, gratitude, cognitive-behavioral techniques, and spending time with optimistic and supportive people. He also gave two important reminders about optimism: “The first is that all of us can develop a more optimistic mindset. The second is that change takes place over time—a gradual process where little shifts can be rewarding and a gift to both you and those with whom you work and [who you] love.” 

  

  Fitness Flash

  Avoiding Injury During Winter Activities

  “Engaging in winter sports and recreational activities is an excellent way to support cardiovascular health and overall well-being,” said Alexander P. Sah, MD, FAAOS, orthopedic surgeon and spokesperson for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), the world’s largest medical association of musculoskeletal specialists. “However, cold weather brings unique risks that shouldn’t be ignored. Each year, healthcare facilities across the country see an uptick in bone and joint injuries tied to winter activities, many of which are preventable with the right preparation and safety measures.”

  When you’re heading outdoors to enjoy your favorite cold-weather activities as well as when snuggling up in front of a roaring fire, consider these safety tips from Dr. Sah and fellow bone and joint health experts at AAOS to keep winter conditions from making routine activities hazardous:

  Protect your back when shoveling snow. Lifting injuries can happen quickly and are very painful. Bend at the knees to use the large leg and glute muscles instead of your back when picking up heavy items. Don’t twist or rotate while lifting, especially when shoveling. Bend your knees and pivot your whole body, not just your torso. 

  Tread lightly and move confidently. If you live in a wintry climate, icy surfaces can lurk anywhere. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that approximately 1 million Americans are injured annually because of falling on ice and snow. Wear shoes with good traction to prevent slipping and falling, or buy slip-on shoe gear that adds traction when walking on ice. 

  Ski smart. Anterior cruciate ligament tears in the knee joint are common among skiers and snowboarders. Many injuries occur from falling backward or twisting the knee. Research has shown that keeping arms forward and hips over the knees can reduce the risk of injury. Adjust your bindings to meet your ability. 

  Don’t get burned. Practice caution with all types of open flames, such as candles and fireplaces, as well as when using your kitchen stove, and keep children and pets far away from them. Know what to do in case of a burn: Treat minor burns with cool running water, a sterile bandage, and an over-the-counter pain reliever. Serious burns require immediate medical attention.

  Get More Recipes In Your Inbox!
• Beef Stew à la Française

  The aromas wafting from this stew as it cooks are tantalizing! And the finished dish is worth the wait (it gets even better the next day). Enjoy it on its own, over broad noodles, or with a side of creamy mashed potatoes.

  Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more as needed
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided use
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 12 shallots, trimmed and peeled 
  • 12 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed as needed and sliced
  • 2 pounds stew beef, trimmed of external fat and cut into roughly 1-inch chunks 
  • 1/2 cup Armagnac, Cognac, or other brandy
  • 2 cups beef stock, more as needed
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine
  • 1/3 cup creamy Dijon mustard
  • 1/3 cup whole-grain Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
  • 6 carrots, peeled and sliced into 2-inch lengths

  Directions

  Step 1

  In a bowl large enough to hold the meat, whisk together the flour, salt, and pepper; set aside near your stovetop. Heat a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. When hot, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the garlic, and shallots, and sauté until they soften. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking until they’ve browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the garlic, shallots, and mushrooms to a bowl. 

  Step 2

  Add the rest of the olive oil to the pot. Dredge the meat cubes in the flour mixture and add them to the pot (work in batches if needed to avoid crowding). Use tongs to turn them to get a nice sear on all sides. Deglaze the pot with the brandy, using a spatula to get up all the bits of fond on the bottom.

  Step 3

  Add back the vegetables and the rest of the ingredients, stirring to combine. Bring the liquid to a simmer, cover but leave the lid slightly ajar, and cook over low heat for 2 hours. Check periodically to see whether you need to add more stock to avoid scorching. When done, the meat should be so tender that it almost falls apart. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.

  Yields 8 servings

• Olive Oil Hunter News #200

  Ricotta Breakfast Cups Recipe, Spotlight on Local honey, Whole-Milk vs. Part-Skim Ricotta, Managing Pain with Diet and Benefits of A Gradual Exercise Increase

  Welcome to our 200^th Olive Oil Hunter Newsletter, and thank you for being part of our family. This issue’s recipe is a sweet break from breakfast yogurt-and-berry parfaits, as delish as they are. The creaminess of the ricotta, the sweetness of the pears, and the crunch of the nuts add up to a cup of bliss—so tempting you can serve it as dessert! To stay on track with your New Year’s wellness goals, you’ll want to read advice from the University of South Australia about diet quality and pain management and from Hackensack University Medical Center on increasing exercise without injury risk.

  Ricotta Breakfast Cups

  

  Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

  Whole-Milk or Part-Skim Ricotta?

  Taken as a whole, the body of research done on the merits and risks of whole-fat dairy foods—primarily milk, yogurt, and cheese—is still inconclusive. It’s confusing because these foods contain saturated fat, which—unlike the healthy unsaturated fat in extra virgin olive oil—should be limited to 10% of daily calories, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. (If you’re watching your cholesterol, the American Heart Association recommends getting just 5% to 6% of calories from saturated fat.) 

  Some studies have found that dairy fat may not hurt heart health in the same ways the saturated fat in butter and red meat does. But deciding whether to choose whole-milk or part-skim ricotta depends on your unique circumstances, including your cholesterol level, how your body responds to saturated fat, and the guidelines you get from your healthcare provider, according to experts at the Mayo Clinic. What else you eat also matters—if your diet includes the recommended amounts of fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and fish, some full-fat dairy may be just fine, at least on occasion.

  

  Quick Kitchen Nugget

  Local Honey

  

  With more than 300 types of honey available in the US, the art and science of beekeeping have never been more popular, and that means you may see local honey at your farmers’ markets and even in grocery stores. Local honey is strained to remove any impurities from the hive, but it’s not pasteurized and processed the way commercial honey is. Some people think that because it retains more nutrients, like antioxidants, it has health benefits—from easing a cough or sore throat to helping with allergies to healing burns. While the verdict isn’t yet in on all of honey’s powers, you might consider buying local honey just for its taste. 

  

  For Your Best Health

  Managing Pain with Diet

  Researchers at the University of South Australia (UniSA) explored the links between body fat, diet, and pain and found that eating more healthy foods—as outlined in the Australian Dietary Guidelines—was directly associated with lower levels of body pain, particularly among women. (According to the experts at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, these guidelines are similar to those in the US but recommend higher fruit and vegetable intake: 2 to 9 servings of vegetables and 1 to 5 of fruits, compared to the US guideline of 5 to 9 daily servings of vegetables and fruits in total.) 

  Globally, about 30% of the population suffers from chronic pain, with women and people who are overweight or obese experiencing pain at higher rates. UniSA PhD researcher Sue Ward said the study shows how modifiable factors, such as diet, can help. “It’s common knowledge that eating well is good for your health and well-being. But knowing that simple changes to your diet could offset chronic pain could be life-changing,” she said. “In our study, higher consumption of core foods—which are your vegetables, fruits, grains, lean meats, dairy and alternatives—was related to less pain, and this was regardless of body weight. This is important because being overweight or obese is a known risk factor for chronic pain. Knowing that food choices and the overall quality of a person’s diet will not only make a person healthier but also help reduce their pain levels is extremely valuable.”

  The UniSA findings also suggest that diet quality affects pain differently in men and women. 

  “Women with better diets had lower pain levels and better physical function. But this effect was much weaker for men,” Ward said. 

  “It’s possible that the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of the healthier core food groups are what reduces pain, but we can’t yet determine whether poorer diet quality leads to more pain or whether pain leads to eating a poorer quality diet,” added Ward. “A healthy, nutritious diet brings multiple benefits for health, well-being, and pain management. And while personalized pain management strategies should be adopted, a healthy diet is an accessible, affordable, and effective way to manage and even reduce pain.”

  

  Fitness Flash

  A Gradual Increase

  Nearly 4 in 5 people make New Year’s resolutions for better health, according to experts at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. For 32% of Americans, the focus is on improving diet; for 36%, it’s on boosting mental health; and for 48%, it’s on exercise for enhanced fitness. 

  Research shows that only 9% of Americans who make resolutions complete them—23% quit by the end of the first week and 43% quit by the end of January, and the numbers continue to drop from there. One common reason people stop exercising is sustaining an injury. In early January, many people who have not regularly exercised pack gyms or begin new running or weight training routines. Without proper preparation and form, injuries can stop exercise-focused resolutions before they have the needed time to become habits. 

  “When you go from 0 to 100 with your exercise routine, oftentimes, your body can’t handle it, your form is off, and you become prone to injuries,” said Matthew Counihan, MD, orthopedic sports medicine physician at Hackensack. “Muscle strains, shin splints, and joint and tendon injuries are common when going too hard with a new exercise routine. Injuries mean a person has to stop exercising to heal, and oftentimes, the routine isn’t resumed.”

  To avoid injury, sports medicine experts say start slow and build gradually. “You don’t have to run a 5-minute mile on day one. Start with a walk around the block. Then, gradually increase your distance and speed. It’s the same with any exercise routine. Start with lighter weights and build up, for example,” Dr. Counihan said.

  

  Here are more tips from the physicians at Hackensack Meridian Health:

  • Get your doctor’s go-ahead first. It’s important to discuss a significant change in your exercise routine with your physician and address your readiness for physical activity and how to best prepare your body for it.
  • Find activities you love, whether running, cycling, swimming, yoga, weight training, or something else. An exercise routine is only as good as your commitment to it.
  • Stretch before and after working out, and set aside time to increase flexibility. This will prevent common sports injuries and keep you going well into the year. 
  • Focus on your form. Learn to do your chosen exercise properly—doing it wrong will cause injuries. Once you’ve mastered form, start adding distance, speed, or weight gradually. 
  • Mix up your exercise regimen. This promotes a healthy musculoskeletal system, which decreases the risk of an overuse injury. And don’t forget to rest on one day every week or so.
  • Massage sore muscles. When you start a new exercise routine, you’re bound to experience muscle soreness, tightness, or strain. Massaging sore joints and muscles can reduce tension, impact flexibility, increase blood flow, and decrease muscle stiffness.

  Get More Recipes In Your Inbox!
• Ricotta Breakfast Cups

  Giving ricotta a quick whirl in a food processor takes its creaminess to the next level. 

  Ingredients

  • 1 cup whole-milk or part-skim ricotta
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 2 tablespoons sugar or sweetener equivalent
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 ripe pears
  • Lemon wedge
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
  • Honey to taste

  Directions

  Step 1

  Place the ricotta, olive oil, sugar, and cinnamon in the bowl of your food processor and process until completely smooth and creamy—between 2 and 5 minutes, depending on your machine. 

  Step 2

  Halve the pears, scoop out the seeds, and slice them into half-moons; squeeze some lemon juice over the pears to preserve their color. 

  Step 3

  Place a large spoonful of the ricotta cream at the bottom of each of the two glasses or individual bowls. Add a layer of pears and a sprinkling of nuts. Continue layering—you should have enough for three layers each of ricotta, pears, and nuts. Drizzle the tops with honey and olive oil. 

  Yields 2 servings

• Quarter 4—Italian Harvest

  Direct from Bella Italia Three Enchanting Extra Virgin Olive Oils That Will Elevate Every Meal and Seasonal Celebration

  

  • Chosen by your Olive Oil Hunter and meticulously handcrafted with Italy’s leading artisanal producers.
  • Brimming with the polyphenols that confer many of extra virgin olive oil’s health benefits.
  • Certified 100 percent extra virgin olive oil by an independent lab and delivered to the US by jet for the ultimate freshness and flavor.

  ---

  They say that all roads lead to Rome, but, more important, all roads from Rome lead to olives! You can even see olive trees growing in the shadow of the Colosseum along the Appian Way, the ancient thoroughfare that led south.

  I’m always happy to be in the Eternal City and even more excited this year. Early intel was that central Italy was having an olive oil comeback—no weather or harvesting drama, just wonderful olives. Spring rains had led to bountiful blossoms and trees heavy with fruit.

  

  After a hot summer, the hoped-for autumn rains arrived on cue to help promote the right aromas and taste sensations. It’s not hyperbole to say that these were the most glorious looking olives I’ve seen in 10 years.

  Sadly, that was not the scenario in southern regions like Calabria and Sicily. So, this trip found my Merry Band of Tasters and me crisscrossing a relatively narrow west-to-east swath of this glorious country. We visited favored-status farms in regions including Lazio, Umbria, and Abruzzo to sample superlative fresh-pressed oils for you, dear Club member, and decide on the best of the best—this season presented us with an embarrassment of riches!

  

  A Happy Surprise

  As Club members know, I deeply appreciate having international olive oil authority Duccio Morozzo della Rocca on so many of my olive oil hunts. Duccio is skilled in every aspect of making olive oil, from tree cultivation to the extraction process and, most meaningful for the Club, serves as my right hand in creating specific flavor profiles. Each quarter, our goal is to perfect a trio of oils that will dazzle you—we know how much you appreciate having a mild, a medium, and a bold oil to pair with different foods. The band of central Italy where we traveled this quarter is home to a vast number of microclimates, which help create diverse flavors even within the same olive variety. Our attention was focused on crafting exquisite custom blends with the help of master millers.

  Plus, Duccio and I had a surprise for you up our collective sleeve: the debut of an amazing olive oil from northern Puglia, on the Adriatic—specifically, Fratelli Ruggiero, the farm of Nicola Ruggiero and his brother, Mario. Duccio and I began brainstorming months ago for a new way to tantalize your tastebuds, and we decided on Fratelli Ruggiero for multiple reasons, notably, the opportunity to work with a colleague of Duccio’s, Nicolangelo Marsicani. A master miller and olive oil impresario who often advises Nicola, Nicolangelo was particularly thrilled by a very special olive variety, Favolosa—“fabulous” in Italian. The Fratelli Ruggiero oil, our mild selection, more than lived up to the moniker.

  

  And there’s much more deliciousness that awaits you: a spicy medium oil from Claudio Di Mercurio’s Frantoio Mercurius, with an artichoke profile and hints of green almond, and a vibrant bold oil from Colli Etruschi, the collective led by Nicola Fazzi, with its more almond profile and hints of raw artichoke—two oils from the same “flavor family” but with very different personalities.

  Passion You Can Taste

  Each frantoio (mill) has its own unique approach to olive cultivation, harvesting, and milling. What these have in common is the passion of the three men at the helms. Ask what drew them to making olive oil, and each will answer that it’s in their blood, that their earliest memories are of the intoxicating aroma of olio nuovo, “new oil,” of the way it elevated even the simplest meals. They also share a determination to keep their farms thriving in the face of a changing climate and to constantly upgrade their processes to obtain the best olives and rush them to the mill—and then to you—as quickly as possible. This level of dedication results in olive oils you will adore and reach for again and again. Enjoy them on your own favorite foods and in the recipes found below, where you’ll find not only regional dishes but also some of the producers’ family favorites, and two from Duccio himself!

  Happy drizzling!
  

  

  T. J. Robinson 
  The Olive Oil Hunter®

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  This Quarter’s First Selection

  • Producer: Fratelli Ruggiero, Bitonto, Puglia, Italy 2024
  • Olive Varieties: Favolosa
  • Flavor Profile: Mild

  

  Club members know how much I value the longstanding relationships I’ve developed with the top artisanal olive oil makers around the world. Yet I also delight in expanding our global community when the stars align and I find a new producer whose olive oil sends tingles down my spine and, more importantly, on my palate! It’s with great fanfare that I present the first ever Club selection from Fratelli Ruggiero. In fact, it represents a series of firsts: working with Nicola Ruggiero and his brother Mario, creating an Italian extra virgin olive oil made from Favolosa—“fabulous”—olives, and having it crafted to perfection by renowned master miller Nicolangelo Marsicani, who has been collaborating with Fratelli Ruggiero for many years.

  A Modern-Day Renaissance Man

  Over the course of his career, Nicola has been deeply involved in local politics and served as president of the first consortium of Italian olive growers—but don’t expect to find him sitting behind a desk. He’s as hands-on as any producer I’ve ever met, working alongside his team in the grove every day. Nicola, who grew up in the coastal city of Bari but whose parents were raised in the countryside near his main farm, is laser-focused on growing olives of the highest quality and is meticulous about every design detail: how far apart his trees are planted, the perfect symmetry of their rows, even edging sections of the field with herbs. And to protect the flavor of his beautiful olives, he makes sure they get from tree to mill in record time.

  

  An Olive Oil Concerto

  Once our amazing fruit arrived at the mill, it rested on Nicolangelo to turn it into amazing olive oil. With Nicolangelo, I’ve come full circle: he and I first met 10 years ago, at his farm in Cilento National Park in Campania. I had hoped to introduce his own oil to the Club in those early days—I loved the quality, but there just wasn’t enough of it. Also, he might have been a bit apprehensive back then about just who the “Olive Oil Hunter” was, but now he knows we share the same goal of creating the highest-quality olive oil and expanding the audience of people who appreciate it how superior it is to run-of-the-mill (pun intended) products.

  Crafting an oil for the Club was a challenge Nicolangelo embraced. Favolosa was the hands-down varietal of choice, but he knew it had to satisfy our desire for a predominantly green-grass-and-tomato-leaf profile. One of his greatest skills is being able to tune Fratelli Ruggiero’s state-of-the-art milling machinery, just as a concert violinist tunes their instrument, to achieve just the right aromatic balance of bitterness, spiciness, and fruitiness.

  Nicolangelo, whose appreciation for fresh olive oil was born as tantalizing aromas wafted up to his childhood bedroom above his family’s mill, has spent much of his career studying transformative ways of growing, harvesting, and milling olives to create as perfect an oil as possible. Like Nicola, he’s very specific about parameters: his own preference is to harvest olives early, when they’re green and have a 58% humidity content. That signals the right ratio of pulp, water, and oil inside the olive, essential to achieving the right aroma. Our Favolosa olives were harvested at that precise moment, and all their characteristics have been captured in the bottle you have before you.

  

  Impressions and Recommended Food Pairings

  This is a beautiful expression of the Favolosa olive, an exciting and complex mild olive oil. On the nose, it’s grassy, with notes of tomato leaf, celery leaf, kale, thyme, basil, oregano, wheatgrass, green banana, green apple, and cinnamon. A vegetable garden in a bottle and on the palate, we tasted fennel, green tomato, wheatgrass, sweet basil, baby spinach, celery, carrot tops, the sweetness of Asian pear, the bitterness of walnuts, and a hint of the spiciness of Szechuan peppercorns.

  It will elevate insalata Torre a Cona and other greens; salads with fruit; Duccio’s pastina soup, tomato-based soups and pasta sauces; turkey involtini; filetto di pesce in crosta di patate and other delicate fish; spinach and squash lasagna; pizza; carrot, sweet potato, or squash dishes; Caprese salad and other mozzarella dishes; goat cheese; and crusty breads.

  *See the recipe section below for bolded dishes.

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  This Quarter’s Second Selection

  • Producer: Frantoio Mercurius Penne, Abruzzo, Italy 2024
  • Olive Varieties: Dritta, Raggia
  • Flavor Profile: Medium

  

  “When I get an email from America, I know it is from T. J.,” confided Claudio Di Mercurio. The gregarious leader of Frantoio Mercurius, Claudio not only received excited, inquiring emails from me throughout the growing season but also—for an unprecedented seventh year in a row—collaborated on another extraordinary ultra-premium EVOO for our Club.

  How has this tiny, 60-acre family enterprise in central Italy’s Abruzzo region been able to sustain such an extended winning streak? I’d attribute it to a combination of artisanal vision, meticulous planning, geographical specificity, immeasurable sweat equity, and a rare Italian olive, native to Abruzzo, called Dritta.

  Rhymes with Rita

  I had never heard of Dritta when I first visited Claudio’s farm, in 2018. As the Olive Oil Hunter, it is part of my life’s mission to sample and savor as many of the earth’s hundreds of olive varieties as I can, at least 550 of which are indigenous to Italy. Dritta lives up to its name, which translates variously as “consistent, dependable, trustworthy.” Unlike most cultivars, which alternate between years of high production and low, Dritta bears fruit consistently each year. Claudio’s team grows Dritta on about 70% of the land, with the other 30% devoted to an array of Italian varietals. Frantoio Mercurius is nestled in a microclimate, protected from weather extremes by the Apennine mountains to its north and the Mediterranean to the east.

  

  Heart of an Artisan, Mind of an Engineer

  Claudio founded the operation in 2009 with the mission of creating ultra-premium EVOO. A systems engineer by trade, he consulted—before pressing a single drop—with the esteemed Italian olive mill manufacturer Giorgio Mori. It’s no surprise that Frantoio Mercurius operates a state-of-the-art Mori mill with a special knife crusher and a technologically advanced cooling system that keeps the olive paste at a low temperature, helping to preserve the aromas and polyphenols in the EVOO. Frantoio Mercurius brought Abruzzese olive oil into the 21st century, winning regional awards in its very first pressing season.

  

  The Embrace of Family and Food

  When I and my Merry Band of Tasters arrived for the recent harvest, we were thrilled that Claudio and his sister Graziella extended an invitation for us to visit their family home, up in the mountains. In the late 1950s, Claudio explained, his father traveled to the US and worked in New York for a period, earning enough money to purchase land in Abruzzo upon his return. The Di Mercurios’ home took several years to build; they moved in when Claudio was six, in 1970.

  What a joy it was to stroll the narrow, medieval-era streets of Appignano. And, oh mio Dio—the food! I knew Graziella was an outstanding cook, but witnessing her cooking shed, with gigantic pasta pots and wood ovens, and dining in her kitchen, surrounded by jars of fresh tomato passata, beauteous heirloom beans, a giant platter of foraged porcini mushrooms, and strings of dried pepperoncini—it was as though I had died and gone to heaven.

  You may feel similarly transported when you taste this incredible exclusive Club selection. Initially, we had planned on a single-varietal Dritta, but when Claudio brought out samples of just-pressed Raggia, another rare local varietal, we discovered that a tiny amount of it fine-tuned the complexity and food-friendliness for a harmonious blend. From Abruzzo to your table, buon appetito!

  Impressions and Recommended Food Pairings 

  The unique union of Dritta and Raggia olives joins two distinct personalities that enhance each other. We inhaled artichoke, dark leafy greens, radicchio, sweet hay, dark chocolate, and the sweetness of hazelnuts with a touch of pear and wild mint. On the palate, we again noted artichoke as well as spinach and dandelion greens, fresh walnuts and hazelnuts, the spiciness of celery leaves with hints of rosemary and nasturtium, and a persistent bitterness reminiscent of cacao nibs.

  Lavish this oil on salads with nuts, Graziella’s pizza di scarola and focaccia, ancient grains like farro and spelt, brown rice, fave e cicoria, borlotti and other deeply hued beans, braised dark greens, roasted artichokes, shellfish and squid, beef dishes, pasta in walnut cream, recipes with nutmeg, breakfast smoothies, and brownies and other chocolate desserts.

  *See the recipe section below for bolded dishes.

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  This Quarter’s Third Selection

  • Producer: Colli Etruschi, Blera, Lazio, Italy 2024
  • Olive Varieties: Canino
  • Flavor Profile: Bold

  

  Enthusiastic early reports from my scouts made me excited about collaborating once again with Nicola Fazzi and the historic cooperative Colli Etruschi, in the central Italian town of Blera. Veteran Club members will recall that we featured glorious EVOOs from this award-winning co-op in 2022 and 2019. Yet, whenever I’d touch base with Nicola about how the season was going, he’d respond only with an affirmative but tempered, “Good.”

  My own tendency is to reach for superlatives when they’re deserved, but I know why he was cautious. Earlier this season, Colli Etruschi invested in a brand-new, state-of-the-art olive mill—and, as when a professional musician switches instruments or a race-car driver changes cars, Nicola was hesitant to pronounce it a successful upgrade until he had the proof in hand.

  Now, my lucky Club member, you have the proof in hand, this sensational single-varietal Canino—the first official pressing from Colli Etruschi’s beautiful new Haus mill (Haus is a forward-thinking Turkish manufacturer). As soon as my Merry Band of Tasters and I had a hint of this liquid gold on our tastebuds, the unanimous cry was, “We’ve gotta have this oil!” Immediately, Nicola became more animated—it was as though he had been holding his breath, waiting for our approval. His excitement bloomed, and he proudly proclaimed this one of the best oils in his three decades with the co-op.

  

  Local Heroes

  Colli Etruschi was founded in 1965 by 18 local olive farmers who recognized that, with a cooperative model and shared mill, they could combine their talents, labor, and fruit to support one another through both bumper crops and lean harvests. When Nicola entered its ranks, 33 years ago, fresh out of agronomy school, he saw an opportunity to intensify the focus on quality and market the co-op’s EVOO commercially. Now, Colli Etruschi involves hundreds of small-scale olive farmers and continues its multifaceted mission to produce excellent olive oil, pay its members a living wage, practice sustainable agriculture, and give back to the community.

  A Community of Excellence

  Today, Nicola’s daughter, Isabella, works for the co-op in communications and marketing, and his son, Alessandro, is dedicated to rehabilitating a local grove of abandoned olive trees. Nicola, born in Blera, looks forward to retiring “in about 10 years.” Meanwhile, his innovations never cease: with the new mill, Colli Etruschi can prioritize early-harvest pressing of green olives (my preference, as Club members know, for optimizing flavors and polyphenols). I felt like a kid in a candy shop in the late afternoon, as farmers delivered bushels, baskets, and bins of just-picked, perfectly shaped, light-green olives, kilos and kilos of them, which would be rushed to the mill, cold-washed, and pressed into the golden-green elixir I have delivered to you.

  Nicola prizes the herbaceous complexity of this oil, a blend of several separate pressings of Canino olives. This robust, gorgeously aromatic blend radiates dimension and personality greater than the sum of its parts.

  

  Impressions and Recommended Food Pairings 

  A vibrant, full-flavored crowd-pleaser, the aroma of this Canino is beautifully grassy, with notes of chopped culinary herbs, sweet almond, fennel, mint, and whiffs of lemon, vanilla, and arugula. We tasted the sweetness of almond with the spiciness of arugula and white pepper, the intense bitterness of radicchio, and hints of green apple and microgreens, with a lingering spicy finish.

  This oil pairs beautifully with chicken cacciatore alla Romana, carpaccio, tuna and other meaty fish, octopus, risottos, beans, winter soups and braises, roasted root vegetables, wild mushrooms, roasted radicchio, broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables, celery leaf bruschetta and other bruschetta toppings, roasted radicchio, porchetta spread, aged cheeses, millefoglie two ways, vanilla ice cream, and yogurt parfaits.

  *See the recipe section below for bolded dishes.

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  Olive Oil and Health

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  Kudos from Club Members

  Housewarming Gift
  This is the only housewarming gift I give now! Everyone I give a bottle to falls in love with the taste. I’m giving an amazing gift and spreading the word about what quality oil actually tastes like!

  Colleen C.Stamford, CT

  Like a fine wine
  These oils are amazing! Like a fine wine. Each has its own distinctive taste. When I receive mine I can’t wait to open one and pour a little on a teaspoon to savor. Customer service is fantastic too!

  Victoria B.Meriden, CT

  4 year member
  LOVE being a member. Buying for 4 years now. There’s nothing like these Olive Oils. DELICIOUS!

  Candy C.Fort Smith, AR

  So healthy and delicious
  You, and the Band Of Merry Tasters, have spoiled me on olive oil FOREVER! I can no longer stomach the bulk cans I used to buy. I take spoonfuls of straight oil as a treat! It is so healthy and delicious, I go through my order in a fraction of the time before the next installment. You have ruined me! While I prefer the stronger varieties, the milder ones are still better than anything I’ve had before. Like fresh maple syrup, fresh olive oil nourishes the whole being. Many thanks (you rascal!)

  Tim F.Surry, ME

  Waiting for the arrival
  I must tell you that since I first started using your olive oil, I get excited like a child at Christmas time every quarter, waiting for the arrival of my new shipment. It is delicious. I use it for most everything I cook, including eggs. My favorite side— escarole sauteed in your olive oil and chopped garlic. (I call that “Italian collard greens”).

  Bill S. West Columbia, SC

  Blessed
  It really is the best in the world. I feel blessed to have found this club. Not only is it incredibly healthy for you, but so very delicious.

  Deb S.Sugar Land, TX

  I love it!
  T. J., I just had to call and tell you I just received my bottle of Alonso Chilean olive oil, and it’s absolutely delicious and I love it! I’ll very much look forward to receiving many more bottles from you.

  Randal CShreveport, LA

  Magnificent oils!
  What a joy to read your poetic descriptions of your magnificent oils! And even a bigger pleasure is enjoying them. I feel privileged to be able to receive your olive oils and thank you so much for your extraordinary work.

  Gratefully, Marcella B.Syosset, NY

  No comparison
  Hi! I just wanted to leave you guys a stellar review on my excellent olive oils!! I am a newbie to your club, just having gotten the Australian and the Italian offerings from this year, and I must say, for anyone on the fence about why they should enroll, or if it’s worth it—it’s really simple: if you care about the taste of your food, GET ENROLLED!!! There is absolutely NO comparison with ANY store-bought olive oils. You can TASTE and SMELL immediately the difference!! I had both my daughters over for Christmas, and we did a “taste test” and we all loved all three of the Italian oils you sent! We could all tell the difference! My brother is a chef, and I can’t wait to have him try them out; I know he will love them! There really is no comparison—I am so glad I enrolled, and I plan on upping my size bottles to the larger size going forwards! Thanks for all the hard work you do to bring us these superb olive oils!

  Nancy D.Miramar Beach, FL

  Now I know what the good stuff tastes like!
  In the last few days, I have eaten more bread with this Finca Galvez and my fresh herbs than I’ve had in the last 10 years…this stuff is amazing!! Apparently I just didn’t know what the good stuff actually tastes like! I’m in love now. Thanks.

  Kathy M.Charlotte, NC

  

  Recipes

For Your Best Health

The MIND Diet for Brain Health: More Benefits of Olive Oil

According to a new study from researchers at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and The Robert Butler Columbia Aging Center, a very specific brain-boosting diet has been linked to reduced dementia risk and a slower pace of aging. The study, “Diet, Pace of Biological Aging, and Risk of Dementia in the Framingham Heart Study,” published in the Annals of Neurology, also explains how the diet helps slow down the processes of biological aging.

“Much attention to nutrition in dementia research focuses on the way specific nutrients affect the brain,” said Daniel Belsky, PhD, associate professor of epidemiology and a senior author of the study. “We tested the hypothesis that healthy diet protects against dementia by slowing down the body’s overall pace of biological aging.”

The researchers used data from the second generation of the Framingham Heart Study, the Offspring Cohort. Participants were 60 years of age or older and free of dementia and had available dietary, epigenetic, and follow-up data. Follow-up was done at nine examinations, approximately every 4 to 7 years, which included a physical exam, lifestyle-related questionnaires, blood sampling, and, starting in 1991, neurocognitive testing. Of 1,644 participants included in the analyses, 140 developed dementia. 

To measure the pace of aging, the researchers used an epigenetic clock called DunedinPACE developed by Dr. Belsky and colleagues at Duke University and the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. The clock measures how fast a person’s body is deteriorating as they grow older, “like a speedometer for the biological processes of aging,” explained Dr. Belsky.

“We have some strong evidence that a healthy diet can protect against dementia,” said Yian Gu, PhD, associate professor of neurological sciences at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and the other senior author of the study, “but the mechanism of this protection is not well understood.” Past research linked both diet and dementia risk to an accelerated pace of biological aging. “Testing the hypothesis that multi-system biological aging is a mechanism of underlying diet-dementia associations was the logical next step,” explained Dr. Belsky.

The research determined that higher adherence to the MIND diet slowed the pace of aging as measured by DunedinPACE and reduced risks for dementia and mortality. Furthermore, slower DunedinPACE accounted for 27% of the diet-dementia association and 57% of the diet-mortality association.

“Our findings suggest that slower pace of aging mediates part of the relationship of healthy diet with reduced dementia risk, and therefore, monitoring pace of aging may inform dementia prevention,” said first author Aline Thomas, PhD, of the Columbia Department of Neurology and Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain. “However, a portion of the diet-dementia association remains unexplained, therefore we believe that continued investigation of brain-specific mechanisms in well-designed mediation studies is warranted.”

“We suggest that additional observational studies be conducted to investigate direct associations of nutrients with brain aging, and if our observations are also confirmed in more diverse populations, monitoring biological aging may indeed inform dementia prevention,” noted Dr. Belsky.

Exactly What Is the MIND Diet?

MIND is a hybrid of the Mediterranean and DASH diets, tailored to reflect key findings from nutrition and dementia research. It details serving sizes of specific foods to focus on and which to limit, primarily those high in saturated fat, which is known to negatively affect brain health. 

Foods and portions to eat every day: 1/2 to 1 cup green leafy vegetables, 1/2 cup other vegetables, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, and three 1-ounce servings of whole grains. 

Foods and portions to eat over the course of each week: 5 ounces nuts, 2-1/2 cups berries, 1-1/2 cups legumes, two 3-to-5-ounce servings of skinless poultry, and 3-to-5 ounces fish.

Foods to limit to these weekly totals: three or fewer 3-to-5-ounce servings of red and processed meats, 1 ounce whole-fat cheese, 1 fried or fast food, and 4 sweet servings. If desired, no more than 1 teaspoon of butter or stick of margarine a day.

Mini Pistachio Thumbprint Cookies Recipe, For Your Best Health: The Mediterranean Diet (Still No. 1)

Among the most important news items I share in this newsletter are results of scientific studies on the benefits of olive oil and, in a larger context, the Mediterranean diet. I love to report on research that shows how this way of eating—and living—has positive impacts on heart and brain health and can help ward off serious chronic diseases including diabetes and dementia. 

It’s also rewarding to see how the diet has been adopted here in the US and how many of our esteemed institutions, such as the American Heart Association and the Cleveland Clinic, recommend it. An annual survey that so many people appreciate reading is the U.S. News & World Report’s ranking of dietary plans or “Best Diets.” And for the seventh year in a row the Mediterranean diet triumphs in the top spot. I’ll detail the highlights of the magazine’s reasoning right after this delicious recipe for cookies you can enjoy guilt-free—in moderation, of course.

Mini Pistachio Thumbprint Cookies

• Mini Pistachio Thumbprint Cookies

  With a minimal amount of sugar, these cookies pack all the heart-healthy benefits of nuts, a key food—along with extra virgin olive oil—of the Mediterranean diet. Though sweets are the smallest food group on the Mediterranean diet food pyramid, we know that an occasional treat can help us stay on track with this healthful way of eating. This recipe shows that you don’t have to make huge sacrifices to enjoy it.

  Ingredients

  • 1 cup shelled pistachios
  • 1-1/2 cups almond flour
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
  • 1/4 cup raspberry or apricot all-fruit (no sugar added) preserves, such as Polaner or St. Dalfour

  Directions

  Step 1

  Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line two rimmed sheet pans with parchment paper. Use a spice or coffee bean grinder to pulverize the pistachios (you may need to do this is batches). Transfer to a large bowl along with the almond flour and sugar, and mix thoroughly.

  Step 2

  In a stand mixer or large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the egg whites and salt at a low speed until frothy, then increase the speed and beat until you get soft peaks. Briefly whip in the olive oil and the extracts. Fold the whites into the nut mixture with a large spatula until fully combined. The dough will be very firm.

  Step 3

  Using a 1-inch ice cream scoop or melon baller, make dough balls and evenly space them on the parchment-lined pans. Use your thumb to make an indentation in the top of each cookie, flattening the centers and then filling each with a half-teaspoon or so of preserves.

  Step 4

  Bake just until set, about 15 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Wait 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to a rack to cool. When completely cooled, store in an airtight tin. 

  Yields about 44 cookies

For Your Best Health

The Mediterranean Diet: Still No. 1

According to the U.S. News & World Report 2024 rankings, created in partnership with The Harris Poll and with input from a panel of leading health experts, the Mediterranean diet has once again taken the No. 1 spot in the Best Diets Overall category, thanks to its focus on diet quality and primarily plant-based foods. The Mediterranean diet also claimed the top spot in the categories Best Diets for Diabetes, Best Heart-Healthy Diets, Easiest Diets to Follow, Best Diets for Bone and Joint Health, Best Family-Friendly Diets, and Best Diets for Healthy Eating, and the No. 2 spot in the Best Weight Loss Diets and the Best Plant-Based Diets categories. 

One of the reasons it’s both adoptable and adaptable is that there are so many cuisines to choose from when looking for recipes. Dishes that are popular in Turkey and Greece will offer different tastes than those from Italy, France, or Spain or from Morocco and other North African countries. But the unifying elements are the same: the emphasis on vegetables, fruits, extra virgin olive oil, nuts, whole grains, legumes, herbs, spices, and other plant-based foods that leave you feeling satisfied; minimal food processing; and a convivial atmosphere in the kitchen and at the table. 

The Mediterranean diet also ranks high for what it leaves out:saturated fat, added sugars, and excess salt—all so prevalent in the typical American diet and so likely to leave you wanting more because foods with a low-nutrient profile are not truly satisfying. Eating them regularly also poses health risks. Eating a Mediterranean-style diet, on the other hand, translates to a longer life, a higher quality of life, and a lower risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, dementia, and heart disease.

The Mediterranean diet food pyramid is a great way to visualize the foods to focus on and how often to eat them. Whole grains, legumes, vegetables, fruit, and olive oil make up most of your daily intake. Seafood can be enjoyed a few times a week; animal proteins like poultry, eggs, cheese, and yogurt less often; and red meat less often still. But you also have a lot of leeway, so you don’t need to feel guilty about eating foods not on the pyramid. Nothing is totally eliminated, though you’re advised to eat foods like sugary desserts, butter, heavily processed foods like frozen meals, candy, and refined grains and oils sparingly.

To get started on the Mediterranean diet, or to more closely follow it, U.S. News & World Report suggests these tips:

• Think of meat as your side dish and whole grains or vegetables as your main dish. 
• Look beyond Greek and Italian cuisines for inspiration—in all, 22 countries border the Mediterranean Sea!
• As with any diet, do some advance meal planning so you won’t be tempted by convenience foods after a long day at work. For instance, cook up a batch of grains or lentils on the weekend to use for meals throughout the following week.
• Make water your main source of hydration. Wine is considered optional and then only in moderation—one to two glasses per day for men and one glass per day for women.

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