Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club

Black Bean Dip

We love appetizers that can be assembled quickly. This recipe uses ingredients you likely have on hand. No fresh jalapeños? Pickled ones can be used, too.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 2 small yellow onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 1 to 2 jalapeño chiles, seeded and coarsely chopped
  • Two 15.5-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt (kosher or sea)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
  • Tortilla chips and/or crudités, for serving

Directions

Step 1

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add the onions, garlic, and jalapeños, and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft, about 10 minutes. Do not
brown.

Step 2

Transfer the cooked onion mixture to a blender or food processor and add the black beans, salt, cumin, lime juice, water, and cilantro. Blend until smooth. If the dip is too thick, add more water or lime juice, a tablespoon at a time, to thin it out.

Step 3

Taste and adjust the seasonings, then transfer the dip to a serving bowl. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Serve warm, cold, or at room temperature with tortilla chips and/or crudités.

Serves 6 — Recipe adapted from onceuponachef.com

Avocado Tartine

The word “tartine” is just a fancy name for open-faced sandwiches, which can be served anytime. Merquén is a popular Chilean spice mix that can be purchased in a well-stocked spice store or online.

Ingredients

  • Two 1 1/2-inch slices seven-grain bread, or your favorite rustic bread
  • A large, perfectly ripe avocado, halved, pitted, and peeled
  • 1/2 teaspoon Chilean merquén (optional; see above)
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • About 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
  • Coarse salt (kosher or sea)
  • Hot red pepper flakes

Directions

Step 1

Toast or grill the bread so that it’s dark and firm. Scoop the avocado into a bowl, add the merquén, if using, and lightly mash/chop the mixture with a fork or pastry blender until relatively smooth.

Step 2

Spread the avocado from edge to edge of the toast, mounding it
slightly in the center. Transfer to serving plates. Drizzle olive oil over so that it rolls off the avocado onto the plates.

Step 3

Repeat with the lemon juice. Shake or grind on some salt and sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Slice the toast on the diagonal for serving.

Serves 2— Recipe adapted from smittenkitchen.com

Eggs in Purgatory

Though it’s not clear why the dish is named as it is, we find these eggs, bathed in a savory tomato sauce, more heavenly than hellish

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 5 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
  • Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
  • 20 ounces ripe cherry tomatoes
  • 1 bunch Swiss chard, preferably rainbow
  • 6 large eggs
  • 4 thin slices country-style bread
  • 1 lemon
  • Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, or more coarse salt
  • Handful of fresh basil leaves

Directions

Step 1

Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. When it just starts to shimmer, add the garlic and season generously with coarse salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until garlic is just turning golden around the edges, about 2 minutes. Stir in the hot red pepper flakes, then add the tomatoes and cook, tossing occasionally, until the tomatoes look plumped and some of the skins start to split, about 2 minutes.

Step 2

Reduce the heat to medium. Cover the pan and cook, stirring the tomatoes every couple of minutes, lightly smashing them with a wooden spoon to encourage the release of juices, until the mixture is saucy and the tomatoes are slightly deflated but still hold some shape, 5 to 7 minutes.

Step 3

Meanwhile, strip the leaves off the Swiss chard stems and tear into bite-sized pieces. Reserve the stems for your next sauté or stir-fry. Transfer the leaves to a medium bowl.

Step 4

Reduce the heat under the tomatoes to medium-low (the sauce should be bubbling gently). Carefully crack the eggs into a cup (try not to break the yolks), then slip them one at a time into the tomato mixture, spacing them evenly apart around the perimeter of the pan. Season the eggs with salt and pepper, cover the pan, and cook until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny, 4 to 6 minutes.

Step 5

While the eggs are cooking, toast the bread until crisp. Drizzle with olive oil, then firmly rub the outside of the lemon onto the toasts to release the aromatic oils from the peel (you’ll smell it!). Sprinkle the toasts with flaky salt.

Step 6

Squeeze about 2 tablespoons of lemon juice over the Swiss chard greens, then toss in the basil. Drizzle some olive oil over the mixture and season with kosher salt and black pepper. Toss again to combine.

Step 7

To serve, carefully scoop an egg out of the pan, spooning it up from underneath to keep the yolk intact, and transfer it to a small shallow bowl. Spoon extra sauce around the egg and sprinkle with flaky salt. Repeat with the remaining eggs. Serve with the Swiss chard salad and toasts alongside.

Serves 4 — Recipe adapted from bonappetit.com

Fresh-pressed extra virgin olive oil provides multiple health benefits

Polyphenol-rich extra virgin olive oil, on its own and as part of the well-studied Mediterranean Diet, has demonstrated significant positive effects on the body and mind.

Heart: Consuming more than 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil a day translates to a “14% lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and 18% lower risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Replacing 5 grams a day of margarine, butter, mayonnaise, or dairy fat with the equivalent amount of olive oil was associated with 5% to 7% lower risk of total CVD and CHD.”1

Brain: The Mediterranean Diet has positive effects for “both cognitively impaired and unimpaired older populations, especially on their memory, both in the short and long run.” Plus, boosting the diet with additional intake of foods “such as extra-virgin olive oil…might have a more significant impact on the improvement of cognitive performance among seniors.”2

Gut: EVOO lowers levels of bad bacteria and stimulates good bacteria: “The gut microbiota and health of the intestinal environment are now considered important factors in the development of obesity, metabolic disease, and even certain neurodegenerative conditions via the gut-brain axis. Recently, data are emerging which demonstrate that the health-promoting benefits of EVOO may also extend to the gut microbiota.”3

Biological Aging & Bone: People who stick more closely to the Mediterranean Diet “are on average almost 1 year biologically younger than their chronological age, as compared to those with low adherence,” thanks to its polyphenol-rich foods like extra virgin olive oil. Polyphenols are also linked with higher bone mineral density. “In particular, high consumption of extra-virgin olive oil leads to lower risk of osteoporosis-related fractures.”4

Skin: Olive oil works well in beauty formulas and may enhance your skin because it “provides a safe and stable emulsion delivery system. The antioxidant activity of olives makes them a candidate for moderating the effects of the aging process on the skin by limiting biochemical consequences of oxidation.” Simple translation: It seems to help guard against the ravages of the environment.5

References:

  1. Guasch-Ferré, M., et al. “Olive Oil Consumption and Cardiovascular Risk in U.S. Adults.” Journal of the American College of Cardiology, April 2020; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2020.02.036.
  2. Klimova, B. et al. “The Effect of Mediterranean Diet on Cognitive Functions in the Elderly Population.” Nutrients, June 2021; doi: 10.3390/nu13062067.
  3. Millman, JF, et al. “Extra-Virgin Olive Oil and the Gut-Brain Axis: Influence on Gut Microbiota, Mucosal Immunity, and Cardiometabolic and Cognitive Health.” Nutrition Reviews, December 2021; doi: 10.1093/nutrit/nuaa148.
  4. Esposito, S., et al. “Dietary Polyphenol Intake Is Associated with Biological Aging, a Novel Predictor of Cardiovascular Disease: Cross-Sectional Findings from the Moli-Sani Study.” Nutrients, May 2021; doi: 10.3390/nu13051701.
  5. Gonçalves, S. and Gaivão, I. “Natural Ingredients Common in the Trás-os-Montes Region (Portugal) for Use in the Cosmetic Industry: A Review about Chemical Composition and Antigenotoxic Properties.” Molecules, August 2021; doi: 10.3390/molecules26175255.