Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club
Italian Harvest Page 6

Sicilian-Style Meatballs

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Sicilian-style meatballs can be distinguished from others by the unexpected but delightful addition of currants and pine nuts. While many traditional cooks fry their meatballs on the stovetop before simmering them in tomato sauce, we prefer to bake ours on a wire rack positioned over a rimmed sheet pan. (The meatballs retain their shape and clean-up is easier.) Enjoy as is, or serve over pasta.

Ingredients

  • Two 28-ounce cans peeled Italian tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
  • Coarse salt (kosher or sea)
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 slices of white sandwich bread, crusts removed
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano or basil
  • 2 pounds ground beef chuck
  • 1/2 cup dried currants
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
  • 1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs, or more as needed

Directions

Step 1

Pour the tomatoes into a large enameled cast-iron casserole and crush them. Add the 1/4 cup of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Line a rimmed sheet pan with foil (for easier clean-up) and place an oiled cooling rack on top.

Step 2

Meanwhile, in a bowl, soak the bread in water until saturated. Squeeze out the water and transfer the bread to a large bowl. Mash the bread to a paste and stir in the eggs, garlic, parsley, marjoram, 1 tablespoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Mash until smooth. Add the ground beef, currants, pine nuts, and cheese and mix until combined. Add the bread crumbs,
1 tablespoon at a time, and knead gently until the mixture is firm enough to roll.

Step 3

Form the mixture into balls, tucking in the currants and pine nuts. It helps to wet your hands with cold water before forming the meatballs. Arrange on the wire cooling rack. Refrigerate the meatballs while you preheat the
oven to 375°F. (If desired, you can also freeze the meatballs on the
rack; transfer them to a sturdy resealable plastic bag when they are solid. Thaw before baking. The sauce can also be frozen.)

Step 4

When ready to cook, place the meatballs (still on the cooling rack/sheet pan set-up) in the preheated oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Add the meatballs
to the sauce and simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes. Serve in shallow bowls with additional Parmigiano-Reggiano and olive oil on the side.

Serves 4 to 6 generously — Recipe adapted from Food and Wine, September 2007

Italian-Style Porchetta

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Loaded with flavor, this fancy version of a pork roast looks stunning when served whole on a platter, or it can be sliced thinly for sandwiches. Olive oil keeps it moist as it roasts. (Be sure to buy the larger loin roast, not pork tenderloin.)

Ingredients

  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 1/4 cup packed fresh sage leaves
  • 1/4 cup packed fresh rosemary leaves
  • 2 teaspoons coarse salt (kosher or sea)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cracked black peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 2 strips (each 1/2 by 2 inches) orange zest
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, or more as needed
  • 1 pork loin (3 pounds)
  • 4 slices pancetta, unrolled into long strips

Directions

Step 1

Place the garlic, sage, rosemary, salt, pepper, fennel seeds, and orange zest in a food processor and finely chop them. Add in the lemon juice and enough olive oil to obtain a thick paste.

Step 2

Butterfly the pork loin: Place the pork loin on a cutting board. Using a long slender knife, create a slab about 3/4 inch thick by cutting horizontally from one side of the pork loin to the other, leaving a “hinge.” Roll open the pork and repeat the horizontal slicing. Continue unrolling and slicing until you have a flat piece of pork about 3/4 inch thick.

Step 3

Generously spread the inside of the pork with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the herb paste and roll the loin back together so it’s once again cylindrical. Spread the outside of the loin with more herb paste. Don’t forget to coat the ends. The loin should be coated with a 1/8-inch-thick layer of paste. Set aside any leftover paste for another use.

Step 4

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Step 5

Tie up the stuffed loin: Arrange the 4 pieces of butcher’s string going east to west on a work surface parallel to one another, each 1 inch or so apart. (Both ends of the loin should extend about 1 inch beyond the strings when they’re tied.) Place
1 strip of pancetta down the center of the strings so that it is perpendicular to them (lay it north to south). Arrange 2 more strips of pancetta parallel to and on either side of the first strip. Arrange the loin lengthwise on top of the middle strip of pancetta. Arrange the remaining strip of pancetta lengthwise on top of the loin. Pull the ends of each string up over the loin and tie them tightly together to hold the pancetta and loin in place. Put the pork loin in a roasting pan.

Step 6

Roast the pork until sizzling and brown on the outside and cooked to taste, 1 to 1 1/2 hours for medium. To test for doneness, insert an instant-read thermometer into the side of the loin; when done to medium the internal temperature should be 160°F, medium-well 175°F. As the loin cooks, from time to time spoon any juices that gather in the bottom of the roasting pan over the meat.

Step 7

Transfer the porchetta to a cutting board and let it rest for about 5 minutes. Remove and discard the strings. Cut the pork crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide slices. Serve the porchetta by itself (more formal) or pile it onto ciabatta rolls along with olive relish and caramelized onions.

Serves 6 to 8 — Recipe adapted from barbecuebible.com

Garden Pasta Alla Di Mercurio

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

My colleague, master miller Duccio Morozzo della Rocca, and I created this dish during a visit to the Di Mercurio farm and mill. The tomato puree we used is called passata. Find it at larger supermarkets or online. Or use another premium tomato puree, such as one made from San Marzano tomatoes.

Ingredients

  • Coarse salt (kosher or sea), to taste
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
  • 1/2 small eggplant, stemmed, peeled, and diced
  • 1/2 small zucchini, stemmed and diced
  • 1 small red onion, peeled, and diced
  • 1/2 pound (8 ounces) uncooked rigatoni
  • 3 cups high-quality jarred tomato purée
  • Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving
  • Crushed red pepper flakes, for serving

Directions

Step 1

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Pour 1/4 cup of olive oil into a cold saucepan. Add the bell pepper, eggplant, zucchini, onion, and a pinch or two of salt. Sauté the vegetables until they’re soft and cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.

Step 2

In the meantime, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al
dente according to the package directions.

Step 3

Stir the tomato purée into the vegetables and simmer over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Purée the sauce with an immersion blender until it’s fairly smooth. Season with additional salt, if desired. Drain the rigatoni and add to the sauce. Gently stir to combine.

Step 4

Transfer to a warmed shallow bowl and serve with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, hot red pepper flakes, and extra olive oil for drizzling.

Serves 4 — Recipe courtesy of the Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club

Italian Chopped Salad

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Like an Italian deli in a bowl, this salad combines colorful greens with crispy roasted chickpeas, salami, and provolone. The original recipe was heavy on radicchio and endive, both of which can be bitter. We tamed them with the addition of romaine hearts and added tangy pepperoncini as an option. Substantial enough to serve as a light lunch or supper.

Ingredients

  • 7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided use
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • One 14.5-ounce can chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and drained again
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled, divided use
  • Coarse salt (kosher or sea)
  • 3 tablespoons good-quality red wine vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 hearts of romaine, cored and sliced
  • 1 head radicchio, cored and sliced
  • 1 head endive, thinly sliced
  • 3 ounces sliced provolone cheese, torn into bite-size pieces
  • 3 ounces cured fennel salami, thinly sliced, then cut into half-moons
  • 6 pepperoncini, stemmed and sliced crosswise (optional)

Directions

Step 1

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until the butter melts. Add the chickpeas and 1 garlic clove; season with salt. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the chickpeas are browned and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes.

Step 2

Meanwhile, whisk the vinegar, honey, mustard, red pepper flakes, and the remaining 5 tablespoons of oil in a large serving bowl to combine. Finely chop half of remaining garlic clove (discard the rest unless you really like garlic) and add to the dressing; season with salt and black pepper.

Step 3

Add the romaine, radicchio, endive, provolone, salami, and pepperoncini, if using, to the dressing and toss to coat; season with salt. Add the chickpeas and toss again to combine.

Serves 4 to 6 — Recipe adapted from bonappetit.com