Background: Cognitive decline—worsening memory and more frequent memory loss or confusion—affects 10% of all US adults aged 45 and older. Incidence is higher—11.4%—among Hispanic and Latino Americans. In some cases, cognitive decline may be an early sign of dementia.
Close adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MeDi) is associated with a reduced risk of dementia and cognitive decline. The MeDi emphasizes fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, low to moderate amounts of dairy, eggs, fish, and poultry, and olive oil as the primary fat source.
Researchers have attributed the MeDi’s brain benefits to its cardiovascular effects, such as lower blood pressure, reduced diabetes risk, and improvements in blood vessel function and cholesterol levels. The first large-scale study of the MeDi in Hispanic and Latino Americans investigated whether the MeDi’s brain benefits are independent of its cardiovascular effects.
Preliminary findings from this 10-year study of 2,774 participants (44% men, 56% women; average age 64 at follow-up) were presented at the recent conference of the American Stroke Association, February 5–7, 2025.
Methods: At an initial visit, each participant reported their food intake during the previous 24 hours and received a score (0 to 9), indicating how closely their diet corresponded to the MeDi. Average MeDi score was 5. Ten years after the baseline visit, investigators obtained a brain scan via MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) for each participant.
The main outcome evaluated in the study was white matter integrity (WMI) and volume. The white matter of the brain (as opposed to the gray matter) consists of bundles of nerve fibers that, crucially, communicate information to different parts of the brain. WMI and volume are markers of the strength of those connections in the brain. MRI scans provide clear, detailed cross-sections of the brain, showing white matter and gray matter.
To account for the impact of cardiovascular benefits, the study also asked participants about multiple practices associated with heart health: regular exercise; healthy diet; not smoking; weight maintenance; and maintaining healthy blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels.
Results: Participants with higher MeDi scores had stronger connections between regions of the brain (preserved WMI) compared to those with lower MeDi scores. With each point higher in MeDi score, participants’ MRI scans also showed less structural damage to the blood vessels of the brain. After factoring in heart-health practices, the researchers determined that cardiovascular effects alone did not account for all the significant brain benefits of the MeDi.
Conclusion: Eating a Mediterranean-style diet improved brain health and preserved structural integrity in a high-risk population. Even small adjustments in food intake, closer to the MeDi, could help protect against cognitive decline and dementia. The brain benefits of the MeDi extend beyond its well-known cardiovascular effects—more research is needed to identify the brain-protective mechanisms involved.
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 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
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.
Cold Avocado and Cucumber Soup Recipe and The Mediterranean Diet for Longevity
Members of the Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club are well aware of the benefits of extra virgin olive oil as part of the world-famous Mediterranean diet. Dozens of studies have assessed its health effects and its link to longevity, most commonly attributed to its improving heart health. But how the Mediterranean diet works its magic hasn’t been thoroughly understood. Investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston recently published the results of a long-term study that helps unravel this mystery. I’m thrilled to share their findings. And to start, here’s a recipe that highlights the plant-based approach that underscores the Mediterranean way of living.
There’s nothing more refreshing than a chilled soup for lunch or dinner during the dog days of summer, especially when there’s no cooking needed. I like to add a different kind of heat with a fresh hot pepper, but you can omit it if you aren’t a fan!
Ingredients
2 pounds cucumbers, about 2-3 large ones
1 small jalapeño, halved and seeded, optional
2 ripe Hass avocados
2 cups plain nonfat Greek yogurt or skyr
3 large scallions, trimmed
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 cup packed of fresh parsley, dill, and chives
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Optional garnishes: thin slices of avocado, a dollop of yogurt or skyr, more fresh herbs
Directions
Halve the cucumbers lengthwise and use a large spoon to scoop out and discard most of the seeds; leave on the peel. Cut the cucumbers into chunks for easier puréeing. If using the pepper, halve it, scoop out the seeds and veins, and discard them along with the stem. Scoop all the flesh out of the avocados.
Step 2
Working in batches as needed, add the cucumbers, avocados, pepper if using, yogurt, scallions, garlic, herbs, olive oil, water, and vinegar to your food processor bowl or blender and process until puréed—the mixture should be fairly thick. If it’s too thick, add more water, 2 tablespoons at a time, until it’s pourable. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired. Chill in the fridge for about an hour.
Step 3
To serve, ladle portions into soup bowls or glasses, garnish as desired, and drizzle with more olive oil.
Yields 8 servings
For Your Best Health
The Mediterranean Diet for Longevity
The study: “Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Risk of All-Cause Mortality in Women,” JAMA Network Open,2024.
The health benefits of a Mediterranean diet, on its own and when compared to other healthy ways of eating, are so strong that US dietary guidelines have repeatedly designated it as the healthiest recommended diet. It’s also gotten the nod from many health organizations around the globe, including the American Heart Association, European Society of Cardiology, and Australian National Heart Foundation. While these benefits aren’t in doubt, how it achieves them hasn’t been completely understood. This new study sought to better explain the various ways in which the body responds to the diet—how exactly closely following it lowers mortality risk. What’s more, the more than 25,000 participants were American women. In general, women aren’t included in the same numbers as men in most studies, and regarding research on the Mediterranean diet in particular, most studies have been done in the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, where the diet is more of a way of life than in the US.
For the study, researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, followed the women, who were all healthy at the start of the study, for up to 25 years. They found that participants who followed the diet most closely had up to 23% lower risk of all-cause mortality…and found evidence of biological changes to help explain why. They were able to detect and evaluate changes in approximately 40 biomarkers representing various biological pathways and clinical risk factors, both traditional ones and novel ones that hadn’t been used in prior studies. Biomarkers of metabolism and inflammation made the largest contribution, followed by triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, adiposity, and insulin resistance. Smaller contributions were seen from biological pathways relate to branched-chain amino acids, high-density lipoproteins, low-density lipoproteins, glycemic measures, and hypertension.
“For women who want to live longer, our study says watch your diet!,” said senior author Samia Mora, MD, a cardiologist and the director of the Center for Lipid Metabolomics at the Brigham. “The good news is that following a Mediterranean dietary pattern could result in about one quarter reduction in risk of death over more than 25 years with benefit for both cancer and cardiovascular mortality, the top causes of death in women (and men) in the US and globally.”
“Our research provides significant public health insight: Even modest changes in established risk factors for metabolic diseases, particularly those linked to small molecule metabolites, inflammation, triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, obesity, and insulin resistance, can yield substantial long-term benefits from following a Mediterranean diet,” said lead author Shafqat Ahmad, PhD, an associate professor of epidemiology at Uppsala University Sweden and a researcher in the Center for Lipid Metabolomics and the Division of Preventive Medicine at the Brigham. “This finding underscores the potential of encouraging healthier dietary habits to reduce the overall risk of mortality.”
How the Study Was Conducted
At the start of the study, blood samples, biomarker measurements, and dietary information were taken from the participants, who self-reported demographics and filled out a validated food-frequency questionnaire. The data collection period was from April 1993 to January 1996, and data analysis took place from June 2018 to November 2023.
Each participant was given a score for Mediterranean diet adherence, which ranged from 0 to 9. Eating a higher-than-median amount of each of a list of foods—vegetables (excluding potatoes), fruits, nuts, whole grains, legumes, and fish—earned 1 point. So did eating a good ratio of monounsaturated-to-saturated fatty acids such as olive oil compared to butter, a less-than-median amount of red and processed meat, and having an alcohol intake within the range of 5 to 15 grams a day (one 5-ounce glass of wine, a 12-ounce can of regular beer, or 1.5 ounces of liquor). Participants were then categorized into one of three levels: 0-3 or low, 4-5 or intermediate, and 6-9 or high. Women with scores of 6 or greater had a 23% lower relative risk of all-cause mortality than did women who scored 3 or less.
“The health benefits of the Mediterranean diet are recognized by medical professionals, and our study offers insights into why the diet may be so beneficial. Public health policies should promote the healthful dietary attributes of the Mediterranean diet and should discourage unhealthy adaptations,” said Dr. Mora.
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.
4 to 6 cups baby spinach, baby kale, escarole, or other winter greens, rinsed and dried
2 ripe pears, cored and thinly sliced
Block of Parmigiano-Reggiano or 2 ounces mild blue cheese
Directions
Step 1
Make the vinaigrette: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the vinegars, mustard, honey, salt, and garlic. Gradually whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified. Season to taste with pepper and more salt, if desired.
Step 2
Make the salad: Heat a small sauté pan. When hot, add the nuts and toast for 2 minutes until they become fragrant, tossing frequently; set aside.
Step 3
Divide the greens among 4 salad plates and top with equal amounts of pear slices and nuts. If using Parmigiano-Reggiano, use a cheese plane to make long shavings over each salad. If using blue cheese, crumble it. Drizzle a spoonful of vinaigrette over each salad and pass the rest on the side.
One of the most powerful polyphenols in olive oil is hydroxytyrosol. Consuming hydroxytyrosol is linked to benefits in neurological, cardiovascular, and metabolic health, and the compound has demonstrated anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, neuro-protective, and immuno-protective effects. A recently published scientific review in the journal Foods examines the growing body of evidence supporting the characterization of hydroxytyrosol as a “functional food,” with emphasis on its effects on neurological and cognitive processes.
What is it?
Hydroxytyrosol (hi-droxy-TY-roh-sol), abbreviated as HXT, is a phenol, a natural chemical that is both water-soluble and attracted to fats, which means that it can pass through cell membranes. Its chemical structure also explains its strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. HXT occurs mainly in olives—olive oil, fruit, leaves, and pulp—as well as in red and white wines.
What does HXT do in the brain?
HXT interacts with the brain and its vascular (blood vessel) system in 3 ways: 1) as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent, HXT helps prevent damage to cerebral blood vessels and improves their function; 2) lab studies show that, by reducing oxidation and inflammation, HXT helps maintain the proper functioning of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), a crucial filter inside the brain’s blood vessels that controls what substances enter and exit the brain; 3) in studies in humans, consuming HXT in the form of high-phenolic EVOO resulted in less “leakage” across the BBB and, as reflected in participants’ performance on cognitive tests, improved connectivity between brain regions.
HXT and its metabolites (the components of a substance that are formed when metabolic processes, such as digestion, break it down) are able to cross the BBB to interact with specific brain processes, enhancing protective activity and dampening inflammatory activity that is linked to depression and cognitive decline.
How much HXT is needed to obtain its benefits?
In studies in humans, the above benefits were observed with an HXT intake ranging from 7 to 15 mg/day. In terms of EVOO, this translates to a daily consumption of about 25 to 50 ml of high-phenolic olive oil, or ~2 to 3 tablespoons. Table olives—regardless of their color or brining—also provide an excellent source of HXT.
What’s next for HXT?
This body of promising evidence has intensified interest in the development of HXT-enriched foods and other ways of delivering this health-promoting compound. HXT is highly bioavailable, which means that, after it is consumed and digested, it is readily absorbed and transported by the body. So, for now—perhaps for always—the most effective, efficient, and delicious way to obtain the neuroprotective benefits of HXT is “food-first,” via high-phenolic EVOO.
Reference: Martínez-Zamora Z. Foods 2025;14(21):3624.
Fruit and Nut White Chocolate Truffles Recipe, Spotlight on Pistachios, The Scoop on Scoops, Coffee and A-Fib, Walk this Way to Cut Risks to Heart Health
Perfect for your New Year’s Eve celebration or to bring to a party, these luscious white chocolate truffles are a snap to make but look oh so elegant. As you set health goals for the coming year, simple lifestyle habits can have a big impact, especially on your heart. Read how coffee may stave off recurrent A-fib and how just 10 to 15 minutes of sustained walking can prevent many heart conditions.
Fruit and Nut White Chocolate Truffles
Healthy Ingredient Spotlight
Picking Pistachios
Shelled pistachios are the easiest for cooking as well as snacking, but keep in mind that they’re usually roasted and salted—not the best option for sweets. When using pistachios for baking, making truffles, or as a pretty garnish, for instance, look for shelled pistachios marked “raw.” These are in their natural state, unroasted and unsalted.
Quick Kitchen Nugget
The Scoop on Scoops
Scoops with a spring-loaded handle are great for dishing out ice cream as well as for forming truffles, cookies, and even meatballs! You might already have one or more in your tool drawer. But if not or if you’re looking to expand the range of sizes you have, know that cookie scoops and ice cream scoops aren’t 100% interchangeable. Some cookie scoops are sturdier and might have sharper edges. I’ve always found that the spring-loaded handle is the most important feature because it allows you to release the food easily, preserving much of its rounded shape.
Scoops tend to come sized by the volume they hold, such as 1-, 2-, and 3-tablespoon (those measurements roughly correspond to 1.5, 1.75 and 2 inches in diameter), and you can find them all the way up to a 1/2 cup or more. Look for stainless steel and, if you use them often, an ergonomic design with a soft grip that’s easier on your hands.
For Your Best Health
Coffee and A-Fib
New research suggests that drinking coffee may help protect against atrial fibrillation, or A-fib, a common heart rhythm disorder that causes the heart to beat too quickly and irregularly, sometimes leading to stroke or heart failure.
For years, doctors have advised people with A-fib and other heart issues to stay away from caffeine, fearing it could worsen symptoms. But research done at the University of California San Francisco and the University of Adelaide in Australia found just the opposite.
“Coffee increases physical activity, which is known to reduce atrial fibrillation,” explained Gregory M. Marcus, MD, an electrophysiologist at UCSF Health and the senior author of the study, which was published in JAMA. Dr. Marcus added that “caffeine is also a diuretic, which could potentially reduce blood pressure and in turn lessen A-fib risk. Several other ingredients in coffee also have anti-inflammatory properties that could have positive effects.”
Rates of A-fib have been climbing in recent years, largely due to aging populations and increasing obesity. More than 10 million adults in the United States have been diagnosed, and experts estimate that as many as one in three people may experience the condition at some point in their lives.
To explore whether coffee helps or harms, the researchers designed the DECAF (Does Eliminating Coffee Avoid Fibrillation?) study, the first randomized clinical trial to test the relationship between caffeinated (despite the study’s acronym) coffee and A-fib.
The trial involved 200 patients who were regular coffee drinkers and had persistent A-fib or a related condition known as atrial flutter along with a history of A-fib. All underwent electrical cardioversion, a procedure that uses a controlled electrical shock to restore normal heart rhythm. Participants were randomly assigned to drink either at least one cup of caffeinated coffee or an espresso shot each day or completely avoid coffee and other caffeinated beverages for six months.
At the end of the study, the group that drank coffee experienced a 39% lower risk of recurring A-fib episodes. In addition to coffee’s potential anti-inflammatory effects, the researchers proposed that those who drank coffee may have naturally replaced less healthy drinks, such as sugary sodas, with coffee instead.
“The results were astounding,” said first author Christopher X. Wong, PhD, of UCSF, the University of Adelaide, and the Royal Adelaide Hospital. “Doctors have always recommended that patients with problematic A-fib minimize their coffee intake, but this trial suggests that coffee is not only safe but likely to be protective.”
Fitness Flash
Walk this Way to Cut Risks to Heart Health
New research revealed that walking in uninterrupted longer bouts of 10 to 15 minutes significantly lowers cardiovascular disease risk by up to two-thirds compared to shorter strolls of under 5 minutes.
An international team of researchers from the University of Sydney and Universidad Europea found that even people who walk fewer than 8,000 steps daily can see major heart health benefits simply by changing how they walk. Those who took their steps in one or two continuous sessions had lower rates of heart attacks, strokes, and death. Even when covering the same total number of steps, uninterrupted longer walks appear to provide greater benefits for the heart than do scattered short strolls throughout the day.
The work, which was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, explored how walking patterns affect the health of people who are generally inactive. The study involved 33,560 adults between the ages of 40 and 79 who typically walked fewer than 8,000 steps a day and had no history of cardiovascular disease or cancer. Participants wore research-grade wristbands for one week to record both their step counts and how their steps were distributed throughout the day.
The researchers followed their health outcomes for about eight years and found striking differences in cardiovascular risk between those who walked in shorter versus longer bouts:
People who walked continuously for 10 to 15 minutes daily had only a 4% chance of experiencing a cardiovascular event such as a heart attack or stroke compared to a 13% risk among those who walked continuously for just 5 minutes a day.
The benefits were greatest for the least-active individuals, particularly those taking 5,000 or fewer steps. Within this group, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease fell from 15% among short walkers to 7% among those who walked up to 15 minutes at a time.
Among the most-sedentary participants (5,000 or fewer steps a day), the risk of death dropped from 5% for those walking in 5-minute bouts to under 1% for those taking longer walks.
Co-lead author Matthew Ahmadi, PhD, deputy director of the Mackenzie Wearables Research Hub and member of the Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney, explained: “For the most inactive people, switching from brief walks here and there to longer continuous walks may come with some health benefits. There is a perception that health professionals have recommended walking 10,000 steps a day is the goal, but this isn’t necessary. Simply adding one or two longer walks per day, each lasting at least 10 to 15 minutes at a comfortable but steady pace, may have significant benefits, especially for people who don’t walk much.”
Senior author Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis, director of the Mackenzie Wearables Research Hub and physical activity theme leader at the Charles Perkins Centre, added: “We tend to place all the emphasis on the number of steps or the total amount of walking but neglect the crucial role of patterns—for example, how walking is done.”
Cranberries and pistachios pair so well in these creamy white chocolate truffles but have fun experimenting with your own combinations—the technique is exactly the same.
Ingredients
4 ounces dried cranberries
10 ounces shelled pistachios, divided use
1 pound white chocolate, preferably 35% cacao
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Step 1
Coarsely chop the cranberries and 4 ounces of the pistachios; set aside. Chop the rest of the pistachios more finely and transfer to a shallow bowl; set aside.
Step 2
Coarsely chop the chocolate; reserve 2 ounces and place the rest along with the heavy cream in a large microwave-safe glass bowl. Microwave at 30% power for 2 minutes, stir, and repeat until the chocolate is not quite fully melted. Out of the microwave, add the remaining chocolate to the bowl, let sit for 2 minutes, and then stir until smooth.
Step 3
Stir in the olive oil and vanilla, then fold in the coarsely chopped cranberries and pistachios. Turn the mixture onto a parchment paper–lined rimmed sheet pan or cookie sheet and gently flatten it with a spatula. Place in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm up for shaping.
Step 4
Once chilled, transfer the paper with the chocolate to your countertop and line the sheet pan with a clean piece of parchment. Using a 1-tablespoon scoop, make a truffle ball and drop it into the bowl of chopped pistachios. Roll it in the nuts, then place on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the rest of the chocolate.
Step 5
Place the pan in the fridge to firm up the truffles, about 20 minutes. If not serving right away, place them in a tin or covered dish and keep in the fridge. Refrigerated, the truffles will stay fresh for up to 2 weeks.
Lobster Risotto Recipe, Spotlight on Lobster and Handling Lobster Tails, Music and Your Brain, Poor Sleep Doubles Running Injuries
Love to pull out all the stops for the holidays? This lobster risotto is a crowd-pleaser, with simple directions to master the dish. At the time of year when many of us think about improving health, two new studies provide easy-to-adopt lifestyle habits for better living: how music can help avoid cognitive decline and how sleep can help avoid sports injuries.
Lobster Risotto
Healthy Ingredient Spotlight
Lobster
Unlike many other splurges, you can enjoy lobster without any guilt. It does have dietary cholesterol, but the cholesterol in foods isn’t what impacts a person’s cholesterol level—that has more to do with saturated fat consumption, and in that department lobster comes in under many other protein sources. It also has far fewer calories than an equivalent portion of meat. Lobster’s a good source of protein and, while it doesn’t have as much omega-3 fatty acids as a fatty fish like salmon, it has more than other types of shellfish.
Quick Kitchen Nugget
Handling Lobster Tails
Most tails are sold frozen. Let them slowly defrost overnight in a bowl in your fridge. As with all shellfish, whether you steam, boil, or grill it, avoid overcooking, which can make the meat rubbery. When the shells go from blue or brown to orangey red, you know they’re done, typically about 1 minute per ounce (e.g., 6 minutes if the tails weigh about 6 ounces). Use a pair of kitchen shears to cut the length of the undersides and release the meat. If you’re making a cold recipe or not using the meat right away, place it in a sealed glass container in the fridge.
For Your Best Health
Music and Your Brain
Listening to music after age 70 appears to be linked with a meaningful reduction in dementia risk, according to a research team from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. The project, led by Monash honors student Emma Jaffa and Professor Joanne Ryan, examined how both listening to music and playing instruments relate to cognitive health in later years.
The researchers based their work on information from the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) study and the ASPREE Longitudinal Study of Older Persons sub‐study, analyzing data from more than 10,800 older adults.
People who reported always listening to music demonstrated the strongest cognitive advantages, with a 39% lower incidence of dementia and a 17% lower incidence of cognitive impairment, along with higher overall cognitive scores and better episodic memory (used when recalling everyday events). Those who both listened to and played music on a regular basis had a 33% reduced risk of dementia and a 22% reduced risk of cognitive impairment.
The outcomes of the research “suggest music activities may be an accessible strategy for maintaining cognitive health in older adults, though causation cannot be established,” Jaffa said.
Senior author Professor Ryan emphasized the urgency of exploring options to help delay or prevent dementia. “With no cure currently available for dementia, the importance of identifying strategies to help prevent or delay onset of the disease is critical,” she said. “Evidence suggests that brain aging is not just based on age and genetics but can be influenced by one’s own environmental and lifestyle choices. Our study suggests that lifestyle-based interventions, such as listening to and/or playing music can promote cognitive health.” The results were published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
Fitness Flash
Poor Sleep Doubles Running Injuries
If you’re one of the 620 million people who regularly go for a run, you probably like to get an early start. But if you haven’t slept well the night before, you could be putting yourself at greater risk of injury.
A survey of 425 recreational runners was conducted by Professor Jan de Jonge, PhD, a work and sports psychologist at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands and adjunct professor at the University of South Australia, and Toon W. Taris, PhD, of the Department of Social, Health and Organizational Psychology at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. The researchers discovered that participants who reported shorter sleep duration, lower sleep quality, or frequent sleep problems were almost twice as likely to experience an injury compared to those who slept well.
The results, published in Applied Sciences, provide what Dr. de Jonge calls “compelling evidence that sleep is a critical yet often overlooked component of injury prevention” and not just recovery. “While runners specifically focus on mileage, nutrition, and recovery strategies, sleep tends to fall to the bottom of the list,” he explained. “Our research shows that poor sleepers were 1.78 times more likely to report injuries than those with stable, good-quality sleep, with a 68% likelihood of sustaining an injury over a 12-month period. That’s a strong reminder that how well you rest is just as important as how hard you train.”
Recreational running remains one of the most popular sports worldwide, yet it carries a substantial risk of injury. Studies estimate that up to 90% of runners will be injured at some point, resulting in millions of dollars lost each year in medical bills and missed work. Dr. de Jonge’s team took a comprehensive approach, examining sleep not only in terms of duration but also quality and disorders. This broader view helped identify how different aspects of sleep contribute to physical vulnerability.
“Sleep is a vital biological process that allows the body and mind to recover and adapt to the physical and mental demands of training,” said Dr. de Jonge. “When sleep is disrupted or insufficient, the body’s ability to repair tissues, regulate hormones, and maintain focus diminishes, all of which can increase injury risk.”
The study revealed that runners who struggled with falling asleep woke up frequently during the night or who rarely felt rested were the most prone to injury. In contrast, those who maintained consistent sleep schedules and felt well rested reported significantly fewer injuries.
Experts generally recommend seven to nine hours of sleep per night, though athletes often benefit from additional rest, including short naps, to enhance both physical and mental recovery. To improve sleep quality, maintaining consistent bedtimes, limiting screen use before sleep, reducing caffeine and alcohol, and maintaining a quiet, cool bedroom environment are all advised, noted the researchers.
A delicious and festive dish, this can be made quite easily with store-bought lobster broth and a pound of cooked lobster meat. I’m also including directions for making it from scratch, if you prefer, simplified by using only tails. You can get even more flavor from two whole lobsters—after steaming, remove all the claw and tail meat, then use all the shells, legs included, for the stock.
Ingredients
For Homemade Lobster Stock:
4 small (4-ounce) or 2 large (8-ounce) lobster tails, defrosted if frozen
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, divided use
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Directions
Step 1
To make the stock: Steam the lobster tails on a rack over simmering water in a large covered pot until they turn a bright red-orange, about 8 minutes. Use tongs to transfer them to a cutting board, then pour the cooking liquid into a 4-cup heatproof measuring cup; if needed, add enough water to make 4 cups.
Step 2
Use kitchen shears to cut through the underside of the shells and remove the tail meat. Slice into 1-inch medallions, place in a dish, and cover; set aside.
Step 3
Heat a large skillet or Dutch oven. When hot, add the olive oil, lobster shells, and all the vegetables. Sauté until the vegetables soften, stirring frequently. Add the tomato paste to the center of the pan and cook it until it darkens in color. Carefully whisk in the reserved liquid, plus another 2 cups of water, the paprika, and the bay leaves.
Step 4
Bring to a boil, then simmer for an hour. Strain the broth into a clean saucepan, pressing down on the vegetables to extract all the liquid. You should have 4 cups; if not, add enough water to make that amount.
Step 5
To make the risotto: Soften the saffron in the vermouth; set aside. Bring the lobster stock to a low simmer in a medium saucepan. Heat a heavy sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil and shallots, sautéing them until soft, but don’t let them brown. Add the rice to the pan and stir to thoroughly coat with the oil. Cook until the rice is slightly translucent, about 7 to 10 minutes, stirring often.
Step 6
Add the vermouth-saffron mix to the pan and cook until the liquid has nearly evaporated. Ladle 1/2 cup of the hot stock into the rice mixture and stir continuously. When the liquid is almost completely absorbed, stir in another 1/2 cup of hot stock. Repeat until the rice is creamy yet al dente, about 25 minutes (you may not need all the stock).
Step 7
Stir in 1/2 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano and the lobster medallions. If the risotto is too thick, stir in any remaining stock or water, 1/4 cup at a time. Season to taste—the risotto might taste salty enough from the cheese but will benefit from a few twists of a pepper grinder. Serve immediately, topping each portion with a drizzle of olive oil and some chives and passing the rest of the cheese on the side.
From the Heart of Il Bel Paese Three Beautiful Extra Virgin Olive Oils To Create Magical Meals with Friends and Family
Enjoy this dazzling trio, hand-selected by your Olive Oil Hunter, with prized varietals from award-winning family farms.
Savor vibrant flavors that reflect bountiful polyphenols, the nutrients responsible for extra virgin olive oil’s many health benefits.
Know that they’re certified 100 percent extra virgin olive oil by an independent lab and were rushed to the US by jet for maximum freshness and flavor.
For millennia, olives have played a part in every aspect of Italian culture, from food to religious observances to medicine. With over 500 olive varieties, the harvest is an especially magical time here. The tourist crowds are mostly gone, the weather is cooler, and the air is perfumed with the green, herbaceous aroma of olio nuovo. But the relaxed pace that a casual visitor might enjoy is a world apart from the intensity with which my Merry Band of Tasters and I move as we hunt for the ultimate extra virgin olive oils for our Club members.
The crafting of olive oil predates the Colosseum, the historic backdrop for the grand tasting organized by international olive oil expert Duccio Morozzo della Rocca as soon as I landed in Rome. We narrowed down our choices to the most promising varietals, all from gold-medal-winning farms, and welcomed the opportunities to strengthen relationships—old and new—that you’ll read about in the following profiles.
“Go South, Young Man”
We had an inkling of what to expect before we landed in Rome, with advance word that it would be a difficult season for many producers in Central Italy—Tuscany, Umbria, Lazio—because of the vagaries of Mother Nature.
This was apparent at the grand tasting organized by international olive oil virtuoso Duccio Morozzo della Rocca, yet we were dazzled by the first batch of samples from other regions. We narrowed it down to our leading contenders and headed east to Abruzzo, then south to Puglia (with a fun side trip to Campania), to create the sensational trio.
In his role as competition panel leader, sensory analysis expert Dr. Marino Giorgetti tastes about 4,000 oils each year! When we met, we formed a mutual admiration society—I expressed my appreciation for everything he has done to deepen the understanding of olive oil’s characteristics, and he graciously acknowledged my decades of work sharing this knowledge through the Club and making exceptional olive oil available to our members.
A Brush with History
In Penne, a town known for its historic brick structures (and the fashion house of Brioni), we worked with Claudio Di Mercurio of Frantoio Mercurius to craft an exquisite Dritta, our medium oil. Dritta means reliable—but never staid—and it lived up to its name once again. We deliciously enhanced it with Leccino and Frantoio. I was equally thrilled when Claudio organized a dinner with Dr. Marino Giorgetti, a groundbreaking figure in the world of extra virgin olive oil.
Dr. Giorgetti’s career started in the early ’80s at the Experimental Institute for Elaiotechnics (the science and technology of olive oil production) in Città Sant’Angelo. He was soon collaborating with Dr. Mario Solinas, the pioneering agronomist who conceptualized the sensory analysis of olive oil. Earlier olive oil assessment had been based purely on chemistry. The organoleptic descriptors used today—including those in our own “Impressions” sections—did not exist. An olive oil could get a pass on paper but completely fail on taste. There weren’t even words to express taste defects that characterize inferior oils. That all changed in 1989, when the International Olive Council adopted the use of sensory analysis, based on the work of Dr. Solinas and his counterparts in five other countries, forever redefining how extra virgin olive oil would be judged.
Since then, Dr. Giorgetti has traveled the world, teaching olive oil professionals how to be panel tasters—the top judges at competitions—using sensory descriptors. For more than 20 years, he has been panel leader and technical director of the Sol d’Oro International Competition, an organization with the foresight to hold separate events for the Northern and Southern hemispheres so that neither is at a freshness disadvantage, given their opposite harvest seasons. This desire to optimize freshness is the same reason that I, each year, divide my olive oil quests between the globe’s halves.
Fratelli Ruggiero’s Nicola Ruggiero, second from left, doesn’t run his groves from behind a desk. Like me, he’s happiest in the field, checking on the olives, watching over the harvest, and enjoying being part of a dedicated team—he’s also pleased to know how much Club members appreciate his olive oils.
The Adriatic Awaits
Our hunt continued in Puglia, where we worked with brothers Nicola and Mario of Fratelli Ruggiero to craft our mild oil, an amazing Favolosa with a touch of Don Carlo. These two olives are modern-era cultivars, celebrated for their divine fruitiness and spiciness—mild, yes, but brimming with amazing aromas and fabulous flavors.
Having reconnected last year with master miller Nicolangelo Marsicani (we originally met over a decade ago!), I was eager to collaborate with him on our exceptional bold selection. I call him the Picasso of olive oil because of his ingenious artistry that went into creating our vibrant and perfectly balanced Coratina.
Puglia also tempted me with its many culinary treasures, from the freshest seafood in coastal Bari to the heartier dishes in storied inland towns like Altamura and Mariotto. I’m thrilled to share some of these delights with you in the recipe section. As always, they—and your own favorite recipes—will be elevated by the delicious oils in this trio.
Happy drizzling!
T. J. Robinson The Olive Oil Hunter®
This Quarter’s First Selection
Producer: Fratelli Ruggiero, Puglia, Italy 2025
Olive Varieties: Favolosa, Don Carlo
Flavor Profile: Mild
After the success of our inaugural Fratelli Ruggiero olive oil last year, I couldn’t wait to reconnect with Nicola and Mario Ruggiero, the fratelli (brothers) creating exquisite liquid gold in Puglia.
From our very first meeting, I felt that Nicola and I were kindred spirits. Just over 20 years ago, while I was starting this Club to bring unmatched fresh-pressed oils to the US, Nicola sensed a growing desire in his country for artisanal EVOO—food-friendly oils with distinctive flavor profiles to lavish on favorite dishes. That was when he decided to add Favolosa to his groves for its herbaceous personality, “with more perfume of green grass,” as he described. Another cultivar, Don Carlo, with notes of Mediterranean herbs, soon followed.
Fast forward to this year’s harvest. Don Carlo was so enchanting when we tasted it at the mill that I decided to create another exciting first for the Club: the combination of Favolosa enhanced with Don Carlo. While most beloved olive cultivars are thousands of years old, these two are making history after mere decades. Both were developed naturally in the late 1980s–early 1990s by the late Giuseppe Fontanazza, director of the Institute of Research on Olive Growing of Perugia and a legend in the field of olive culture. He saw the need for olives that would thrive in the face of growing environmental challenges such as drought and disease while, of course, producing stunning oils.
At dinner with Nicola Ruggiero in the historic town of Altamura, we feasted on frittata with zucchini and mint, zucchini carpaccio with wild arugula, slow-cooked lamb, and pane di Altamura, its namesake crusty bread in a wondrous shade of yellow. “We exert a lot of effort for 12 very tough months,” Nicola told me as we toured the groves. “Sometimes I think, why am I doing all this? But when there is passion, the results are beautiful. It’s also beautiful to have a partner and a friend like you and to know that our oil is so well received by your Club members. I hope they enjoy it in good health.”
The Favolosa and Don Carlo trees are indeed thriving in the Ruggiero groves, thanks in part to genetics but also to key steps Nicola and Mario have taken. Because of less rain each year, they switched to a more targeted irrigation system that uses water more efficiently. They also insist on top-of-the-line milling equipment. When other producers doubted such big investments, Nicola waved them off, knowing that these decisions would all be reflected in the bottle.
As happened to many other producers this year, a good number of blossoms in the Ruggiero groves were lost to frost. In this situation, a tree, despite bearing less fruit, will still provide the same amount of energy for the fruit’s development, causing the existing olives to ripen faster than normal—making it easy to miss the magic window, the perfect time to harvest for optimal flavor. But the Ruggiero team knows when and how to harvest. On hand this season was Dr. Andrea Pezzolla, an agronomist born and raised in Puglia and a highly sought-after miller. Talk about a small world—he spends a month in the Southern Hemisphere during its harvest and often works with our Australia-based friend and producer Leandro Ravetti. We so appreciated Andrea’s input as we perfected the final blend.
My Merry Band of Tasters and I were able to explore more of Puglia on this trip, especially the food! One bite and we knew why Puglia is called the breadbasket of Italy—its locally grown durum wheat gives bread and pasta unique flavor. I’ve translated the most delectable dishes into recipes that you can enjoy, each elevated by this marvelous olive oil.
Lunch at the mill was always a treat with focaccia adorned with fresh tomatoes and onions from Panificio Piscopo, an Old World–style bakery founded in 1900 in the neighboring town of Mariotto.
Impressions and Recommended Food Pairings
This exquisite expression of the Favolosa and Don Carlo olive varieties is both vibrant and rare. Inhale the freshness of green grass and tomato leaf along with baby spinach, Belgium endive, arugula, celery, parsley, basil, green banana, apple, and vanilla. On the palate, it’s bright and persistent, evoking fresh walnut, tomato, and celery leaf, with the lingering bitterness and spiciness of arugula and white pepper and pleasing notes of sweet almond on the finish.
It’s perfect for mild vinaigrettes to drizzle on salads and other greens. It will elevate smoothies, yogurt, eggs, mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, and avocado. It will enhance chicken scarpariello,* turkey, mild fish, and shrimp dishes; pasta sauces; Tuscan braised green beans; root vegetable soups; grains and legumes, especially white beans and lentils; and lingue di gatto and other cookies.
*See the recipe section below for bolded dishes.
This Quarter’s Second Selection
Producer: Frantoio Mercurius, Abruzzo, Italy 2025
Olive Varieties: Dritta, Leccino, Frantoio
Flavor Profile: Medium
An invaluable tip from olive oil expert Duccio Morozzo della Rocca, a charter member of my Merry Band of Tasters, motivated me in 2018 to check out Claudio Di Mercurio’s farm in Abruzzo. Claudio, Duccio said, was milling exquisite olive oil on his 60-acre farm. Though a novice (Claudio produced his first oil in 2010), his oils were already winning awards. We even had a mutual friend—Giorgio Mori—a manufacturer of high-end olive milling equipment, who helped Claudio outfit his state-of-the-art olive mill.
Though I’d made many trips to Italy, I’d never visited Abruzzo until then. This stunning region, pinned between the Apennine Mountains and the Adriatic Sea, is known as the greenest region in Italy. (Incredibly, 70 percent of the European continent’s species of wildlife call Abruzzo home.) When we first met, the genial Claudio introduced me to an Abruzzese cultivar—Dritta (rhymes with Rita). I was positively captivated. I couldn’t wait to share this remarkable oil with my Club members. Unbelievably, this is the eighth consecutive year this vigorous, highly dependable olive has met my rigorous standards. Its record is unprecedented. Most olive cultivars alternate yearly between high and low production, allowing the trees to restore their energy.
There was a bit of “shrinkage” (wink, wink) from the meat board before gifted cook Graziella Di Mercurio served yet another sumptuous feast to my team and me. As you know, gauging an oil’s food-friendliness is a critical step in our selection process. We were especially eager to try Frantoio Mercurius on an Abruzzean specialty: seasoned skewers of cubed lamb—arrostincini—prepared on a trough-like grill called a mangal. The combination was ethereal.
This year, Claudio and his family welcomed my team and me to their hilltop home near Penne with their usual effusive warmth. It’s always great to affirm our strong bond by catching up in person with each other’s lives.
Claudio sprang a delightful surprise on me during my recent visit: He thoughtfully invited the esteemed olive oil expert Dr. Marino Giorgetti to join us for dinner one evening. I was thrilled to meet this olive oil pioneer. Read more about Dr. Giorgetti’s significant contributions to the development of standardized sensory criteria for olive oil above.
Once again, this was a great year for Claudio’s olives—he tends a healthy mix of Dritta and other Italian varietals. No surprise: Abruzzo’s isolation and unique microclimates have favored its olive trees for thousands of years. Its oils were praised by ancient Roman poets like Virgil and Ovid, who, if they could taste the current early harvest of “liquid gold” from Frantoio Mercurius, would faint with joy.
Also swoon-worthy are the magnificent meals Claudio’s sister Graziella prepares in a rustic stonework kitchen/pantry attached to the house. She pays homage to Abruzzo’s fabulous gastronomic heritage by cooking festive dishes like porchetta (slow-cooked spiced pork roll), stracciatella (a brothy soup with pasta), and my new favorite—tacchino alla Canzanese (boned and braised turkey, served with its natural gelatin). I felt supremely honored when Claudio confided that the family prepares these dishes for Easter, Christmas, and “when T. J. visits.”
I predict you will enjoy this extraordinary blend on a multitude of winter dishes. See my specific suggestions below.
A systems engineer by trade, Claudio Di Mercurio added passion to his analytical skills to produce some of the planet’s most exquisite oils. At the farm he’s lived on since he was six, Claudio and his family tend more than 4,000 olive trees, many of them a century old. They are so proud to share with you the blend we created for your winter dining pleasure, featuring the stalwart Dritta, its complexity amplified by a touch each of Frantoio and Leccino.
Impressions and Recommended Food Pairings
Enhanced with Leccino and Frantoio, this Dritta delights. Take in the rich aromas of Tuscan kale and other dark leafy greens, artichoke, rhubarb, hazelnut, dark chocolate, apple, and culinary herbs like thyme, sage, and wild mint. These notes echo on the palate, along with the bitterness of radicchio, the sweetness of vanilla bean, and the spiciness of Szechwan peppercorns.
Drizzle it on salads with nuts and fruits, steamed artichokes, borlotti and other beans, even chocolate ice cream. It enriches frittatas, minestrone, pallotte cacio e uova* and other simmered tomato sauces; crown roast of lamb, pork, and game; salmon, tiella Barese, and other shellfish dishes; whole roasted carrots and other root vegetables; apple spice muffins and other baked treats, like banana and pumpkin quick breads.
Earlier in this report, I refer to Nicolangelo Marsicani as the Picasso of olive oil, for his bold genius. I also think of him as a poet, heeding Emily Dickinson’s rule to “tell the truth, but tell it slant.” Sometimes he speaks in riddles, like the Sphinx.
Even the label on the extraordinary EVOO that bears his name is cryptic. When I ask him what the pentagon figure means, he pauses, then intones, “Perfect balance.” To me, the five-cornered shape looks like a constellation, reminding me that the stars must align when I select a superlative EVOO for my Club. Nicolangelo agrees, and we hone in on five critical factors that go into the production of a perfectly balanced olive oil: cultivar, climate/terroir, weather (Mother Nature), grove, and miller.
Let’s lead with the miller. Asked how he got his start, Nicolangelo quips, “Trapiantato,” “transplanted,” or, colloquially, “born this way.” I chuckle, but it’s accurate—the Marsicani family’s olive mill, in the town of Cilento, in Campania, was registered with the chamber of commerce in 1928. Over time, the farm passed to Nicolangelo. He dismisses his early work in the “traditional old style, with a dusty mill and not taking care of things.” Everything changed when he “discovered tasting,” in the early 2000s. (Read about the science of olive oil tasting in the Pressing Report intro.) “From night to day,” he says; he modernized the mill with state-of-the-art equipment to focus on crafting ultra-premium, high-polyphenol EVOO.
The Marsicani farm is an elite-level hub for quality-obsessed growers and millers across Italy—talented farmers bring their finest fruit to press, inspired millers come to collaborate, and the cross-pollination of expertise and experimentation forms lasting relationships and elevates the quality of Italian EVOO.
Left: Esteemed master miller Nicolangelo Marsicani and I talk shop among fruit-laden olive trees. Nicolangelo’s century-old family farm (named Mill of the Year three times by Gambero Rosso) is in Campania, but he travels throughout Italy and the world as a consultant and teacher, sharing his vision and honing his own skills. Right: We celebrate our collaboration at Zi Filomena, an elegant traditional ristorante in Campania, where Nicolangelo has been a regular for decades. Amid savoring our immensely food-friendly Coratina on the array of delectable seasonal dishes, we toast to you!
Reciprocally, Nicolangelo travels throughout the country, teaching (“learning,” he amends) and consulting at premier olive farms such as Fratelli Ruggiero, where we first collaborated last year. (We’d met more than a decade before, an encounter I recall with fond amusement, as it was clear that he was testing me. Fair enough—as an American in a safari hat, I’m accustomed to proving my bona fides.)
With the paucity of olives in central Italy this year, Nicolangelo and I convened in Puglia, along with Michele Siniscalchi, a gifted technician who works regularly with the master miller. Our sights were set on a field of gorgeous Coratina, a challenging cultivar that, when handled right, makes an exquisite oil: spicy, robust, mind-blowing. Anticipating the “magic window,” we had to wait a few days as the fruit came off the tree in stages; this enabled us to harvest successive batches of the same crop while the weather cooled a bit.
In the mill, Nicolangelo and Michele used “white gloves,” as the former puts it, modulating the crushing speed halfway through, slowing down the process to bring softer, rounder “edges” to the flavors. The different micro-batches combine to create a complex, dimensional, ultra-green-grassy-herbal-nutty, big, bold, fantastic oil.
Left: Behold these gorgeous Coratina olives—although only the dazzling green fruit gets pressed into liquid gold. Early-harvest EVOO, bursting with polyphenols, is also the most flavorful and aromatic. Right: Tasting panel leader Nicolangelo Marsicani and I evaluate the top contenders of the season. As vice-president and head of education of Oleum, an international community of olive oil experts, Nicolangelo leads training workshops to improve olive oil quality worldwide.
Impressions and Recommended Food Pairings
This assertive Coratina is intense and complex on the nose, rich with the aromas of almond, artichoke, green grass, arugula, kiwi, fennel, oregano, rosemary, and black pepper. The intensity continues on the palate, with notes of green almond and wheatgrass; herbs like wild mint, oregano, and sage; the bitterness of chicory and green tea; and the persistent spiciness of black pepper, celery leaves, and watercress.
Lavish it on fried eggs; salads with kale and other dark greens; focaccia con patate,* crusty breads, and pizza; steak, veal, tuna, and sword-fish; curries and other Asian dishes. It will elevate creamy mushroom ragoût; winter veggies like broccoli and Brussels sprouts; hearty braises, bean soups, roasted potatoes, and roasted radicchio; aged cheeses; and double chocolate bundt cake and other dark chocolate desserts.
*See the recipe section below for bolded dishes.
Olive Oil and Health
Kudos from Club Members
Fabulous olive oils AND service I have been a customer for more than 10 years. Their olive oils are fabulous. And they are fabulous. And they are absolutely wonderful to deal with!
Jeffrey S.Louisville, KY
Worth every penny! Every time! Some of the best stuff on earth! Been a member for years! Worth every penny! Every time!
Linda H.Chance, MD.
I love being part of this club! They have such incredible olive oils, stories of their travels, and superb recipes. I love being part of this club!
Tamyra N.Lewisburg, TN
Can't Live without it! My favorite olive oil in the world!!! Can’t live without it!!!
This rich and tender cake is a crowd pleaser. If you’d like to gild the lily for a triple chocolate cake, instead of the confectioners’ sugar, melt 1/2 cup half-and-half with 6 ounces dark chocolate pieces and drizzle over the top. Note: For an easy release, be thorough when you prep the bundt pan.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter, softened
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus 2 tablespoons for the pan
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white or golden whole wheat
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup freshly brewed coffee, cooled to room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla paste or extract
5 ounces coarsely chopped dark chocolate
3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
Directions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly brush the inside of a 12-cup bundt pan with the softened butter, getting into every nook and cranny (the more complex the style, the more thorough you need to be) and all over the center tube. Place the 2 tablespoons of cocoa in a small strainer and tap it around the inside of the pan, sprinkling it evenly over the butter, including the center tube. Invert the pan over your sink and tap it lightly to shake out any excess cocoa; set aside.
Step 2
Into a large bowl, sift the flours, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt through a strainer, then whisk to combine.
Step 3
Place the sour cream in a separate bowl and whisk in the olive oil, then the eggs, coffee, and vanilla. Pour it over the flour mixture and whisk to combine. Fold in the chopped chocolate.
Step 4
Pour the batter into the bundt pan and gently tap it on the counter to level it and remove any air bubbles.
Step 5
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the cake starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and the tip of a sharp knife inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let cool for 20 minutes, cover with a cake plate, and invert. Lift off the pan and let the cake come to room temperature. (If the cake won’t come out, run a small silicone spatula around the inside perimeter of the pan and around the center tube, then invert again.)
Step 6
Before serving, place the confectioners’ sugar in a small strainer and tap the edge with two fingers to dust the top of the cake.
Because of their shape, these cookies are called lingue di gatto, or cat’s tongues. They’re ubiquitous in Italy, enjoyed as a treat with espresso or served as a garnish for gelato and custards (they double as a spoon!). Chilling the piped dough before baking will help the cookies keep their shape, but they do spread out a lot. If you’re a fan of sandwich cookies, spread a layer of melted chocolate on the flat side of a cookie and top with another; let the chocolate harden before serving.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the olive oil and vanilla, then the egg whites, one at a time. Add the flour and salt and mix just until combined.
Step 3
Spoon the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip. Working with one cookie sheet at a time, pipe out rows of 3-inch lengths, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Place in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 350˚F.
Step 4
Pipe out the rest of the batter on the second cookie sheet; place it in the fridge as you take out the first one.
Step 5
Bake the first batch of cookies until the edges turn golden, about 12 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through. Repeat with the second sheet.
This is a zesty alternative to steamed green beans, with ingredients that reflect the colors of the Italian flag.
Ingredients
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound fresh green beans, ends trimmed
4 fresh plum tomatoes, diced, or one
14-ounce can diced tomatoes
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (optional)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Directions
Step 1
Warm a large, deep, lidded skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil, onions, and garlic. Sauté until softened, 4 to 5 minutes.
Step 2
Add the green beans and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the oregano and the hot red pepper flakes, if desired. Cover the skillet, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the green beans are very tender. Taste, adding more salt and pepper if needed.
Step 3
Squeeze the lemon juice over the beans and stir before transferring to a serving dish.
Serves 4
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.
