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The Olive Oil Hunter News #57

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The Ultimate Thanksgiving Day Stuffing Recipe, Spotlight on Mushrooms, How to Shop for Sausage and the Healthy Benefits of The Great Outdoors

When it comes to Thanksgiving feasts, for me it’s all about the sides, starting with the stuffing! I’m sharing a stuffing recipe that can be a meal in itself—it makes the perfect lunch the day after, with or without leftover turkey. One of the ways you can customize stuffing is with mushrooms, so I’m giving you the lowdown on the tastiest varieties. Plus: Here’s why communing with nature is so good for you.

The Ultimate Thanksgiving Day Stuffing

  • The Ultimate Thanksgiving Day Stuffing Recipe The Ultimate Thanksgiving Day Stuffing

    The blend of sweet and hot sausage means a taste explosion in every bite. (Of course, if you prefer your stuffing to be on the milder side, you can use 2 pounds of sweet sausage only.) Though we still call it “stuffing,” the safest and tastiest way to bake it is in its own dish—you’ll get the crispy top that everyone loves over the greatest surface area too. 

    Ingredients

    • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the baking pan
    • 2 large onions, peeled and diced
    • 3 stalks celery, trimmed and sliced thin (leaves are OK)
    • 1 pound mushrooms, thickly sliced
    • 1 pound each, sweet and hot sausage
    • ½ cup pine nuts
    • ½ teaspoon dried thyme or the leaves of a sprig of fresh thyme
    • ½ cup sweet vermouth
    • 1 French baguette or crusty Italian bread, cut into small cubes
    • 3 to 4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
    • 3 large eggs, beaten
    • 8 tablespoons salted butter, cut into half-inch cubes

    Directions

    Step 1

    Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil and then the onions and celery, sautéing the vegetables until soft. Push them to the outer rim of the pan, and sauté the mushrooms in batches to avoid crowding them. Next add the sausage, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. Continue cooking the meat until no pink is visible. Add the pine nuts and thyme, and cook for another minute. Pour in the vermouth, stir, and cook for another minute or two, loosening any bits on the bottom of the pan.

    Step 2

    Place the bread cubes in a very large mixing bowl, and fold in the sausage and vegetable mixture. Moisten with the broth, adding one cup at a time—the mixture should be very wet but not runny. Fold in the eggs. 

    Step 3

    Grease a deep 13″ by 9″ baking pan with olive oil, and pour the stuffing mixture into the pan, leaving about 1″ clearance from the top—it will bubble up as it bakes. (Use two baking dishes if necessary.) Dot the surface of the stuffing with the butter cubes, and cover with foil, making a fairly tight seal. Bake at 350 degrees for 90 minutes, taking the foil off for the last 15 minutes to brown the top, if needed. The stuffing will keep warm out of the oven with the foil back in place for up to an hour.

Healthy Kitchen Tip: How to Shop for Sausage

Healthy Kitchen Nugget

Shopping for sausage

I like to buy sausage meat that’s been spiced but not put into casings because it’s easier to sauté for stuffing or form into patties for breakfast sandwiches. Ask for it from the butcher at your favorite store if you don’t see it in the meat section. If links are the only option, squeeze the meat out of each sausage, working from the middle out to the two sides, and then discard the casings. 

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Flavorful fungi

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Flavorful fungi

White mushrooms, whether button or jumbo size and primed for filling and baking, are versatile and delicious, but there are other varieties that can enhance many dishes with their earthy flavors. 

Portobellomushrooms are large, dense, and highly flavorful—they can be the star of many meatless dishes. They’re great grilled, thanks to their toothsome, steak-like texture, and wonderful when sliced and sautéed for pasta dishes.

Crimini mushrooms are young portobellos—you might see them labeled “baby bellos.” Use them to elevate most any recipe that calls for white button mushrooms. These are great for my stuffing recipe.

Shiitake, oyster, and enoki mushrooms are uniquely shaped varieties, popular in many Asian dishes. You can often find dried shiitakes and can easily rehydrate them by soaking them in water; they are an essential in stir-fries. Enokis are more delicate than other varieties and are often used in broths.

Native to the US, hen-of-the-wood mushrooms grow in wide clusters with overlapping light brown and somewhat frilly-looking caps. 

Many French and Italian recipes feature wild mushrooms, such as golden chanterelles and brown-toned porcinis and morels, all prized as delicacies. Because they are often foraged, they can be quite expensive, but some are available dried, which makes them more affordable and gives them a longer shelf life.

For Your Best Health: Magic of mushrooms

For Your Best Health

The magic of mushrooms

Despite being very low in calories, mushrooms have a variety of nutrients as well as key antioxidant and anti-inflammatory substances such as polyphenols and carotenoids. According to experts at Harvard Health, these fungi also have a substance called ergosterol that can turn into vitamin D when exposed to UV light. Mushrooms grown in dark conditions have very little of the substance, but fresh wild mushrooms such as chanterelles and morels may develop up to 1,200 IUs of vitamin D in a 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving. Button mushrooms that are exposed to sunlight can produce up to 400 IU (about two-thirds of the recommended daily amount), but some producers actually expose their mushrooms to light before packaging to increase their D content, so check labels. (There’s vitamin D in dried varieties as well.) Mushrooms also deliver some of the B vitamins and such minerals as copper, phosphorus, and selenium.

Fitness Flash: The great outdoors

Fitness Flash

The great outdoors

Leif Hass, MD, a family medicine doctor and hospitalist at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland, California, and a clinical instructor with UCSF, wrote a wonderful post in Greater Good Magazine online, pointing out how science has finally caught up with what years of human experience have demonstrated—that being outside amid greenery is healing and that trees, like exercise, is free medicine. What’s more, we should take our cue from Japan, where forest bathing—spending time taking in awe-inspiring forests and allowing their sights, sounds, and smells to wash over you—is practiced by nearly a quarter of the people. Its proven benefits include lowering blood pressure, heart rate, and stress levels; improving mood and immune function; better sleep; and increased creativity. 

How much outdoor exposure is enough? Dr. Hass reported that researchers from Finland suggest a minimum of five hours every month to get lasting effects (being out on water or even in a city park can be healing too). He wrote that he often gives “nature prescriptions” to his patients: “For those with the resources, I prescribe breaks to a quiet cabin or tent for at least three days, once or twice a year. I also recommend house plants for home and office, microbreaks where you stop work to look out the window, or a couple short walks even if it is in an urban environment. If all else fails, there are always nature videos, which have been shown to have positive effects. A walk with a friend outside is a Greater Good ‘three-fer’: exercise, friendship, and nature all at once.” 

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The Olive Oil Hunter News #50

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Calabrian Pumpkin Soup Recipe, Spotlight on Croutons, Benefits of Homemade Meals and How to Set Achievable Goals for Exercise

As still-warm days give way to cooler evenings, my kitchen turns into “soup central.” Add a salad, and dinner’s ready. This week’s recipe is a twist on the traditional squash soup, and it comes from one of my favorite places in the world, Calabria, in the southernmost part of Italy—picture the big toe of the boot. I like to top it with fresh croutons, so I’m also sharing my easy recipe for making your own. This fits right in with a new study on the health advantages of eating homemade meals as much as possible. There’s also a new finding to help you reach exercise goals, important at this time of year, when you may be spending less time outdoors and more time on the couch!

CALABRIAN PUMPKIN SOUP

  • Calabrian Pumpkin Soup Recipe with Homemade Croutons Calabrian Pumpkin Soup

    Simple but sublime is the pumpkin soup my Merry Band of Tasters and I were served when visiting the Librandi family, one of Calabria’s outstanding olive oil producers. “Mama” Librandi shared the recipe with me.

    Ingredients

    • 1 3-pound pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled, with seeds and membranes removed 
    • 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
    • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
    • 2 tablespoons water 
    • Sea salt
    • Croutons for garnish (see the “Healthy Ingredient Spotlight” below) 

    Directions

    Step 1

    Using a sturdy knife, cut the pumpkin or butternut squash into roughly 1.5” cubes. Do the same with the potatoes.

    Step 2

    In a medium saucepan, combine the pumpkin, potatoes, the 3 tablespoons of olive oil, and the water. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until tender—50 to 60 minutes.

    Step 3

    Transfer to a blender jar and purée until smooth (don’t fill the blender more than half full—work in batches if necessary). Salt to taste.

    Step 4

    Divide the soup between warmed soup bowls. Drizzle generously with additional olive oil, and garnish with croutons. 

    Yields 6 appetizer or 4 main course servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Quick Croutons to garnish homemade meals

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Quick Croutons

Packages of croutons aren’t just highly processed, but they also don’t taste all that terrific! Making your own is a snap, and you can customize them to the dish they’ll be used in—toss in rosemary, sage, or thyme for the Calabrian pumpkin soup or sprinkles of Parmesan and crushed red pepper flakes for Caesar salad. Here’s my simple technique: Take two or three slices of hearty day-old bread or baguette and rub all sides with a halved garlic clove. Cut the bread into uniform cubes and place them on a baking sheet that will be big enough to hold them in a single layer. Sprinkle them with extra virgin olive oil, your choice of herbs and/or cheese, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper, and toss well. Spread them out and bake in a preheated 400°F oven until browned and crispy, between 10 and 15 minutes. Keep your eye on them so they don’t burn. 

Healthy Kitchen Tip: Storing Squash

Healthy Kitchen Nugget

Storing Squash

One of the many things I love about pumpkins and squashes is the long shelf life their thick skins give them. The best way to store them is in a cool, dry location, like a pantry cabinet, where they’ll keep for up to three months. So, when you see them at the store or farmer’s market, stock up on a few different varieties and have fun experimenting with recipes. Hint: They’re a great alternative to sweet potatoes, and roasting will bring out extra sweetness. 

For Your Best Health: Homemade meals and your health

For Your Best Health

Home for Dinner

A study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics looked at the eating habits of 35,000 Americans over the course of 15 years and found new evidence that eating more homemade meals you make yourself leads to better health. Mortality rates among those who dined out two or more times per day were 50% higher than for people who ate out less than once a week. 

“Emerging, although still limited, evidence suggests that eating out frequently is associated with increased risk of chronic diseases, such as obesity and diabetes and biomarkers of other chronic diseases,” explained lead investigator Wei Bao, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the department of epidemiology at the College of Public Health of the University of Iowa in Iowa City. “This is one of the first studies to quantify the association between eating out and mortality.” 

The takeaway from the researchers: “Frequent consumption of meals prepared away from home may not be a healthy habit. Instead, people should be encouraged to consider preparing more meals at home.” While findings based on questionnaires and personal recall have limitations, cooking for yourself certainly puts you in control, enabling you to focus on the best ingredients including fruits and veggies, heart-healthy extra virgin olive oil, and whole grains. 

Fitness Flash: Setting Achievable Exercise Goals

Fitness Flash

Setting Achievable Exercise Goals

Need a boost to get on track with exercise? A study done at the University of Pennsylvania and published in JAMA Cardiology found that when you set your own goals (as opposed to having someone else—a trainer, a doctor, or even an exercise buddy—do it for you) and take steps to meet them right away, you’re more motivated to follow through with them and create lasting change.  

Then the question becomes how to create the right goals for you. Start by choosing an activity you like that fits your lifestyle—swimming is great, but if you don’t have regular access to a pool, it won’t be achievable. Your choice should also fit into your daily routine. Begin at an intensity that matches your ability—if you don’t yet exercise regularly, walking daily is great. Go easy at first, and then pick up the pace as you improve. And if it helps with motivation, create a reward system for yourself—maybe a new book or fresh flowers as you reach each goal.

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The Olive Oil Hunter News #39

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Shrimp with Pesto Recipe, Spotlight on Basil, Reassessing the Perks of Coffee and How Greenspaces Increase Exercise Motivation

Pesto is one of my year-round food favorites. If you’ve had pesto only at restaurants, which by and large make it just one way, you may not realize that pesto isn’t a specific dish but rather a technique. The name comes from the verb pestare—to crush or pound—and pestos are traditionally made with a mortar and pestle. In Italy, you’re likely to experience different versions, depending on the region you’re in. The one constant is extra virgin olive oil, but the beauty of pesto is that you can customize it to your taste and to what you have available in your pantry and garden. The traditional pine nuts can be replaced with pistachios, walnuts, cashews, or almonds. Enhance or switch out the basil with parsley or oregano, watercress or arugula, or a mix of any or all of the above. Try grated pecorino instead of Parmesan. Then experiment with how to enjoy it—from sandwich spread to a sauce for steak, pesto is not for pasta only.

Shrimp with Pesto

  • The Olive Oil Hunter News #39 Shrimp with Pesto

    This recipe has traditional ingredients, but you can use the proportions as a guide when you want to customize it. For a more filling dish, fold in cooked pasta, rice, or another grain, and/or a variety of bite-sized vegetables such as cherry tomatoes and steamed broccoli florets at the end.

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound raw shrimp, peeled
    • 1 cup of loosely packed basil leaves
    • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
    • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 2 tablespoons pine nuts
    • 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving if desired
    • 1/3 cup fresh-pressed extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving if desired
    • Kosher or sea salt
    • Freshly ground black pepper

    Directions

    Boil the shrimp for 3 minutes, or until they turn pink. Drain, rinse under cold water to stop the cooking, and transfer to a large bowl. Place the basil, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, pine nuts, and cheese in a blender or food processor and pulse until the mixture is finely chopped. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil and process until the pesto is emulsified. If it’s too thick, add more oil, one tablespoon at a time. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour desired amount over the shrimp—you may not need it all, and toss to coat. Sprinkle with additional cheese and a drizzle of olive oil at the table.

    Yields 4 servings.

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Growing Bountiful Basil

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Growing Bountiful Basil

Basil adds wonderful flavor to pesto, pizza, and pasta sauces. Some people like it strongly flavored, but if you want just a hint, pick small, young leaves—the taste intensifies as they grow. It’s not too late to start your own basil plant in an outdoor patio pot or in the garden, but at this point in the season, shop for established plants rather than seeds so you can start using it quickly. Basil does best when the temperature is over 70 degrees and it gets morning sun—choose an area that becomes shady in the mid-afternoon. Make sure to give it plenty of water, especially if it’s in a pot rather than the ground—don’t let the soil dry out between waterings, but don’t drench it either. In the garden, mulch will help retain moisture. As is true for most plants, you want to harvest it regularly because this tells the plant to keep producing. (Pinch off a few top leaves every other day even if you don’t need them.) When the weather gets very hot, basil will bolt, or push out flowers and go to seed. Snip off the flowers as soon as you see them to slow the process, as bolting makes the leaves taste bitter.

Healthy Kitchen Tip: How to Freeze Herbs

Healthy Kitchen Nugget

Herbal Deep Freeze

What can you do with extra basil? Process clean leaves with olive oil, and freeze in an ice cube tray. Transfer the cubes to a freezer bag and you’ll have a stash for the future. You can do the same with pesto.

For Your Best Health: Reassessing the Perks of Coffee

For Your Best Health

Reassessing the Perks of Coffee

Many of us who love our morning coffee enjoy the ritual of brewing it and sipping it to start the day. Caffeine has many health benefits, notably for your liver. But a new study on the impact of caffeine after a night of sleep deprivation, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, & Cognition, found that it can’t make up for missed sleep in all the ways you’d like it to. Research participants were asked to complete a simple task requiring them to pay attention as well as a more challenging “place-keeping” task, the kind that necessitates a series of steps completed in a set order.

“We found that sleep deprivation impaired performance on both types of tasks and that having caffeine helped people successfully achieve the easier task. However, it had little effect on performance on the place-keeping task for most participants,” says Kimberly Fenn, PhD, associate professor of psychology at the Michigan State University Sleep and Learning Lab. “Caffeine may improve the ability to stay awake and attend to a task, but it doesn’t do much to prevent the sort of procedural errors that can cause things like medical mistakes and car accidents.” While caffeine increases energy, reduces sleepiness, and can even boost mood, it absolutely does not replace a full night of sleep, Dr. Fenn adds. So, whether you use a French press or Nespresso capsules, you still want to prioritize getting nightly shut-eye.

Fitness Flash: Greenspaces Increase Exercise Motivation

Fitness Flash

Greenspaces Increase Exercise Motivation

Want to be more active? Spend more time in nature. That’s one of the important conclusions of the latest research done by the Stanford Natural Capital Project in its pioneering effort to inform city planners on how best to design greenspaces to support good health. We know that spending time in nature benefits cognitive, emotional, and spiritual health. Turns out that it also benefits physical health because being outdoors spurs people, city dwellers included, to exercise more. For instance, a tree-lined street often encourages taking a long walk or even biking to work.

“Nature experience boosts memory, attention, and creativity as well as happiness, social engagement, and a sense of meaning in life,” says Gretchen C. Daily, co-founder and faculty director of the Natural Capital Project and senior author of the study. “It might not surprise us that nature stimulates physical activity, but the associated health benefits—from reducing cancer risks to promoting metabolic and other functioning—are really quite astonishing.”

The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, will ultimately serve as the basis for a new health model in Natural Capital Project software—free, open-source tools that map the many benefits nature provides people. It allows planners to identify where urban nature is missing in communities and then work to fill those gaps.

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The Olive Oil Hunter News #38

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Lamb Loin Chops with Lemon-Mint Gremolata, Spotlight on Gremolata, Why Proteins Need to Rest, Secrets of the World’s Healthiest Country, and Exercise for Your Brain

Lamb is finally having its moment in American cuisine. Many of us didn’t grow up eating lamb, so if you’ve never tried it, you may just think you don’t like it. Or if you’ve only known it as a special occasion or holiday dish, it might not occur to you to shop for it on a regular basis. But lamb has a mild, tender taste that meat eaters will love, and loin or shoulder chops are perfect for the grill any day of the year. Salt, pepper, and a quick rub with extra virgin olive oil, and you’re set to go.

Lamb Loin Chops with Lemon-Mint Gremolata

  • The Olive Oil Hunter News #38 Lamb Loin Chops with Lemon-Mint Gremolata

    Lamb is finally having its moment in American cuisine. Many of us didn’t grow up eating lamb, so if you’ve never tried it, you may just think you don’t like it. Or if you’ve only known it as a special occasion or holiday dish, it might not occur to you to shop for it on a regular basis. But lamb has a mild, tender taste that meat eaters will love, and loin or shoulder chops are perfect for the grill any day of the year. Salt, pepper, and a quick rub with extra virgin olive oil, and you’re set to go.

    Ingredients

    • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
    • 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
    • 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
    • Zest of 1 lemon
    • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
    • 1/4 cup shelled hazelnuts
    • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing on the lamb chops
    • Kosher salt to taste
    • Coarsely ground black pepper to taste
    • 8 lamb loin chops

    Directions

    Step 1

    Make the gremolata: In a blender or mini food processor, combine the garlic, mint, parsley, lemon zest and juice, and hazelnuts. Pulse several times, and then slowly add the 1/4 cup of olive oil. Process until relatively smooth. If the mixture seems stiff, add a small amount of water. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve.

    Step 2

    Preheat your grill to medium-high. Brush the lamb chops on both sides with olive oil, and season well with salt and pepper. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. After letting chops rest for 5 minutes, plate two chops per person with a healthy dollop of the gremolata and pass the rest.

    Yields 4 servings.

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Red Pepper Flakes

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

The Greatness of Gremolata

If you’re a sauce maven like me, you need gremolata in your repertoire. Traditionally used as a garnish for osso buco, the slow-braised veal shank dish from the Lombardy region, this classic Italian mixture is a masterful garnish for all types of foods, from grilled meat, chicken, and fish to roasted vegetables and creamy soups. Always use the freshest parsley, mint, and garlic, and make it as close to mealtime as possible for the best flavor.

Healthy Kitchen Tip: Why Proteins Need to Rest

Healthy Kitchen Nugget

Why Proteins Need to Rest

I always say it about grilled meats, but the same goes for roasts: Proteins need to rest and redistribute their juices before you cut into them. Otherwise, those juices will pour out—and will often be lost—as you make your first slice. Of course, this is more essential, and the rest time is longer, for a large flank steak than for individual lamb chops. Keep in mind that during this time out of the oven or off the grill, the food continues to cook, and its internal temperature will rise anywhere from a few degrees in a small portion of meat to 10 or 15 degrees in a turkey. Consider these additional degrees when testing food with your instant-read thermometer, and take it off the heat source accordingly, to avoid going beyond the level of doneness you desire.

For Your Best Health: Secrets of the World’s Healthiest Country

For Your Best Health

Secrets of the World’s Healthiest Country

Members of the Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club know that I’ve been working with artisanal olive growers in Spain for my extra virgin olive oil since 2005. Olive oil courses through daily life in Spanish towns—when people hear you are interested in olive oil, they brighten, invariably promising to put you in touch with their cousin or neighbor who grows olives. Olive oil is such an integral part of the Mediterranean diet of healthy fats, legumes, fruits, and vegetables, which Spaniards elevate to great heights with their fabulous cuisine. So it was no surprise to me when Spain ranked #1 in the last Bloomberg Global Health Index report.

The index uses a group of factors to rank the countries of the world on a scale from 0 to 100, with 100 being the ideal. The factors are life expectancy, malnutrition, causes of death, the availability of clean water, and health risks like tobacco use, high blood pressure, and obesity. With a score of 92.75, Spain took top honors. It boasts a life expectancy projected to rise to 85.8 years by 2040—the highest in the world. In addition to its signature healthy diet, Spain is also a country of walkers, which is so great for fitness. And guess what country came in second? Its close neighbor on the other side of the Mediterranean: Italy!

Fitness Flash: Exercise is Good for your Mind

Fitness Flash

Exercise: Good for the Mind

A recent report in ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal crystallized what health experts have been saying for years: Beyond its benefits for physical health, exercise is great for mental health, with both short- and long-term advantages. Across your life span, the more you engage in physical activity, the more you can reduce the risk of depression and anxiety, two crippling mental illnesses. And should you develop one of these issues, the cumulative effects of regular exercise can help you cope better.

Just having a bad day? An exercise session can get you out of a blue mood and defuse anger, stress, and tension. Get in a brisk walk at lunch, and you may find that you have better concentration and renewed enthusiasm in the afternoon.

Scientists don’t have a magic formula for the type, intensity, or length of a mental health-boosting workout, but that’s not really a problem. Sticking with a workout plan is what’s most important, and the secret to doing that is to go with your individual preferences—there’s no point in forcing yourself to run for five miles if what you really like to do is play tennis. Know that mind-body exercises like yoga, tai chi, and qigong can improve symptoms of depression and anxiety as well as other forms of exercise do, and put together a menu of choices that appeal to you. Even though fitness guidelines for heart health look at weekly totals—150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise per week (plus resistance and flexibility exercises), the more you can spread out those minutes, the better: 10 to 20 minutes each and (almost) every day is most helpful to regulate mood.

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