Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club
Chilean Harvest Page 16

Olive Oil Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

This moist cake proves chocolate and olive oil have an affinity for each other. On its own, the cake itself is vegan, as it contains no eggs or dairy. You can leave off the ganache and simply serve the cake with a dusting of powdered sugar and a few raspberries.

Ingredients

  • For the cake:
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cups cold water
  • For the ganache:
  • 12 ounces good semisweet chocolate chips
  • 2/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla

Directions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking pan lightly with cooking spray. Set aside.

Step 2

Make the cake: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder.

Step 3

In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, vanilla, olive oil and water. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until fully combined. Pour into the prepared pan.

Step 4

Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Set aside on a rack to cool.

Step 5

Make the ganache: In a small saucepan, combine the chocolate, heavy cream, and instant coffee granules in the top of a double boiler. Heat over simmering water, stirring until smooth and glossy. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Pour the ganache over the cake and spread evenly.

Serves 12 — Recipe adapted from themerchantbaker.com

Dry-Brined Peppered Filets Mignons with Cutting Board Sauce

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Feel free to substitute rib-eyes, T-bones, Porterhouses, pork chops, or even skirt steaks for filets mignons. (Cooking times may change, however.) You will love the way the olive oil-enhanced sauce complements the meat.

Ingredients

  • For the meat:
  • 4 filet mignon steaks (each 6 to 8 ounces and at least 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick)
  • Coarse salt (sea or kosher)
  • 1/2 cup cracked black peppercorns, spread out in a shallow bowl
  • For the cutting board sauce:
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled
  • 1/2 cup stemmed flat-leaf parsley or other fresh herbs
  • 2 scallions, trimmed
  • 1 red jalapeño or serrano pepper
  • Coarse salt (sea or kosher) and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/3 cup best-quality extra virgin olive oil, in a small bowl

Directions

Step 1

Arrange the filets mignons in a baking dish. Generously salt each on both sides. Dry-brine the steaks in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, uncovered, turning them once.

Step 2

Set up your grill for direct grilling and heat to medium-high. (Or use a stove-top grill pan.) Brush or scrape the grill grate clean and oil it well.

Step 3

Dip each filet mignon in cracked black pepper to crust the top and bottom. Arrange the steaks on the grill grate. Grill for 1 1/2 minutes, then give each steak a quarter turn, to lay on a crosshatch of grill marks. When the bottom is sizzling and browned (you may see beads of blood start to form on the top), turn the steaks and grill the other side the same way. Grill the steaks on the sides, too, to expose all surfaces to the heat.

Step 4

You’ll need about 3 minutes per side for rare (120° to 125°F); 4 minutes per side for medium-rare (130° to 135°F); 5 minutes per side for medium (140° to 145°F). Use an instant-read thermometer inserted through the side of the steak to check for doneness.

Step 5

In the meantime, make the cutting board sauce: Working on a large cutting board with a well (a juice-catching groove usually around the periphery), finely chop the garlic and parsley. Thinly slice the scallions (both white and green parts) and the pepper crosswise. Season generously with salt and pepper and pour half the olive oil on top. Mix with the blade of the knife.

Step 6

Remove the hot filets mignons from the grill and lay them directly on top of the ingredients on the cutting board. Cut each steak with downward strokes of the knife into 1/4-inch-thick slices. (There is no need to let the meat rest.) Pour the remaining olive oil over the sliced steaks and toss on the board with a spoon and the blade of the knife: The idea is to coat the steak slices with herbs and oil and mix them with the meat juices. Add salt and pepper to taste. The whole process should take less than a minute. Transfer to a platter or plates and serve at once.

Serves 4 — Recipe adapted from Project Fire by Steven Raichlen (Workman, 2018)

Perfect Roast Chicken with Salsa Verde

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Perhaps you have brined poultry in heavily salted water to season and tenderize it. But dry-brining accomplishes the same thing without taking up as much space in your refrigerator. A hot oven promotes crisp, golden-brown skin. The salsa verde (green sauce) is a piquant and colorful accompaniment.

Ingredients

  • For the chicken:
  • 1 roasting chicken, about 4 pounds
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt, or more as needed
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, or more as needed
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • For the salsa verde:
  • 1 bunch scallions, trimmed, white and light green parts thinly sliced
  • 2 cups loosely packed herbs (mint, dill, chives, etc.), finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • Zest and juice from a medium lemon
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds

Directions

Step 1

Remove any giblets from the main cavity of the chicken as well as any large pieces of fat around the opening. 

Step 2

Dry-brine the chicken: Place the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet. Season it generously, inside and out, with salt and black pepper. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 12 to 24 hours. Transfer to a rack in a shallow roasting pan. (Line the roasting pan with foil for easier cleanup.) Tie the legs together with butcher’s string.

Step 3

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 450°F for at least 30 minutes. Place the chicken in the roasting pan on the middle shelf of the oven and roast for 50 to 60 minutes, or until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh registers 165°F. Let the chicken rest for 20 minutes (uncovered).

Step 4

In the meantime, in a bowl combine the scallions, herbs, garlic, lemon (zest and juice), olive oil, salt, pepper, and mustard seeds. Taste, adding more salt, pepper, lemon juice, etc., to the mixture. It should be highly seasoned. Carve the chicken and serve with the salsa verde.

Serves 2 to 3 — Recipe adapted from notwithoutsalt.com

Chilean Empanadas De Pino

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Stuffed meat pies are part of nearly every culture. This very popular Chilean version builds on the pino—sauteed and beautifully seasoned ground beef—by adding a bounty of other flavors to the filling. 

Ingredients

For the dough:

  • 3-3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and kept chilled
  • 1-1/4 cups ice water 

For the filling:

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
  • 3/4 pound of ground beef, preferably chuck 
  • 1 large onion, peeled and finely diced
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano 
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce, or more to taste
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the assembly:

    null
  • 3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered lengthwise 
  • 12 brined large green or black olives, pitted 
  • 3/4 cup golden or sultana raisins
  • 1 egg 
  • 1 tablespoon of water

Directions

Step 1

Make the dough: In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, and salt just until combined. Add the chilled butter and pulse again until the butter bits are about the size of peas—be careful not to overprocess. 

Step 2

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, then add the water, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring and pressing it into the flour mixture with a spatula until you get a cohesive dough (you may not need all the water). 

Step 3

Turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured work surface and divide into 12 portions. Form each portion into a ball, place the balls on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for an hour for easier rolling. 

Step 4

Prepare the filling: Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the garlic, beef, and onion and sauté until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the spices, hot sauce, and salt and pepper and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes until the meat is cooked through. Set aside to cool for about 15 minutes.

Step 5

Assemble the empanadas: Set out two large baking sheets. Working on a well-floured surface with a well-floured rolling pin, roll one of the dough balls into a 6- or 7-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick. 

Step 6

Place 2 heaping tablespoons of the meat mixture in the lower half of the round and arrange an olive, an egg quarter, and a tablespoon of raisins on top of the meat. Fold the upper half of the dough over the filling to create a half-moon shape. To seal it, fold up the edge along the half-moon by about 3/4 inch and crimp all along the way with the tines of a fork for a braided look. Use a large spatula to transfer the empanada to one of the baking sheets. Repeat with the rest of the dough balls. 

Step 7

Bake the empanadas: Preheat your oven to 425°F. Make an egg wash by breaking the egg into a small bowl and whisk it thoroughly with the tablespoon of water. Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the tops of the empanadas with the egg wash. Bake on two racks in the oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes, rotating the pans at the halfway mark for even browning. 

Makes 12 — Recipe courtesy of the Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club