Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club
Pressing Report Page 23

Baby Bok Choy

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Looking for a simple side dish for an Asian-influenced meal? We love baby bok choy. You could substitute rapini or broccoli florets if baby bok choy isn’t available.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound baby bok choy, stalks separated, washed and spun dry
  • 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons natural rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sriracha
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon sliced scallions
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Directions

Step 1

Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add half the baby bok choy and sauté the vegetable for a minute; then add the other half. Cook the bok choy until it’s caramelized, about 3 minutes, then remove to a plate.

Step 2

Deglaze the pan with the orange juice and vinegar, then add the soy sauce. Cook for just a few seconds, then swirl in the sriracha and sugar. Cook for about 45 seconds more, reducing the sauce slightly.

Step 3

Drizzle the sauce around the bok choy and garnish with the sesame seeds and scallions.

Serves 4 — Recipe adapted from L.A. Son by Roy Choi (Anthony Bourdain/Ecco, 2013)

Baked Salmon with Basil and Garlic

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

A quick romp in an olive oil-based marinade for as little as 30 minutes, a brief stint in a hot oven, and dinner is served! If desired, serve with the Braised Fennel and Lentils. Rice or couscous work well with the salmon, too.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets, skin off Coarse salt (kosher or sea)
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dry oregano
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
  • 15 basil leaves, sliced into ribbons
  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, cored, and thinly sliced
  • 2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

Directions

Step 1

Pat the salmon fillets dry and remove any pin bones with kitchen tweezers. Season on both sides with salt and pepper.

Step 2

Place the fillets in a glass baking dish large enough to hold them. Combine the oregano, coriander, paprika, minced garlic, basil, olive oil, and lemon juice in a small bowl and whisk to mix. Pour over the fish, gently turning the fillets to be sure the fish is evenly coated with the marinade. Cover and marinate, refrigerated, for 30 minutes to an hour.

Step 3

Heat the oven to 425°F.

Step 4

Arrange the bell peppers and shallots in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Place the salmon fillets on top and pour the marinade over them.

Step 5

Bake for 15 minutes or until the fish is done and flakes easily when pressed with a fork.

Serves 4 — Recipe adapted from themediterraneandish.com

Zucchini Bolognese

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

No, it’s not a typo. You really do cook zucchini for 4 hours for one of the most unctuous iterations of this vegetable we’ve ever encountered. The foodie website “delish” claims Meghan Markle shared this pasta dish with them before she married into the Royal family. Regardless, we were impressed when we made it for supper recently.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided, plus extra for serving
  • 1 medium white onion, peeled and diced
  • 5 medium zucchini, halved, then sliced crosswise
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 chicken bouillon cube
  • Coarse salt (kosher or sea)
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 3/4 pound rigatoni
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
  • Pinch hot red pepper flakes

Directions

Step 1

In a large pot over medium heat, warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 6 minutes. Stir in the zucchini, water and bouillon cube. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Step 2

Reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Cook for 4 hours, stirring often, until the zucchini is falling apart. (It will be mushy, and that’s good! Add additional water if the zucchini begins to dry out.)

Step 3

When the sauce is almost ready, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente according to the package instructions. Drain and add to the pot with the zucchini, along with 2 additional tablespoons of olive oil.

Step 4

Add the lemon juice, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and pepper flakes to the pasta and stir well to combine. Serve topped with more cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Serves 4 — Recipe from delish.com

Mediterranean Diet Significantly Reduces Depression

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Reprinted from an article in Science Tech Daily, May 26, 2022

Young men with a poor diet saw a significant improvement in their symptoms of depression when they switched to a healthy Mediterranean diet, a new study shows.

Depression is a widespread mental health issue that affects roughly 300 million people globally each year. It is a substantial risk factor for suicide, the largest cause of mortality among young people. The 12-week randomized controlled trial, conducted by experts from the University of Technology Sydney, was recently published in the peer-reviewed American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

According to lead researcher Jessica Bayes, a Ph.D. candidate at the UTS Faculty of Health, the study was the first randomized clinical trial to examine the influence of a Mediterranean diet on depressive symptoms in young males (aged 18 to 25).

“We were surprised by how willing the young men were to take on a new diet,” Bayes said. “Those assigned to the Mediterranean diet were able to significantly change their original diets, under the guidance of a nutritionist, over a short time frame.”

“It suggests that medical doctors and psychologists should consider referring depressed young men to a nutritionist or dietitian as an important component of treating clinical depression,” she said.

The link between food and mood

The research contributes to the emerging subject of nutritional psychiatry, which seeks to investigate the impact of particular nutrients, foods, and dietary patterns on mental health. The study’s diet was rich in colorful vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, as well as oily fish, olive oil, and raw, unsalted nuts.

“The primary focus was on increasing diet quality with fresh whole foods while reducing the intake of ‘fast’ foods, sugar, and processed red meat,” Bayes said. “There are lots of reasons why scientifically we think food affects mood. For example, around 90 percent of serotonin, a chemical that helps us feel happy, is made in our gut by our gut microbes. There is emerging evidence that these microbes can communicate to the brain via the vagus nerve, in what is called the gut-brain axis.”

“To have beneficial microbes, we need to feed them fiber, which is found in legumes, fruits, and vegetables,” she said.

Roughly 30 percent of depressed patients fail to adequately respond to standard treatments for major depressive disorder such as cognitive behavioral therapy and antidepressant medications. “Nearly all our participants stayed with the program, and many were keen to continue the diet once the study ended, which shows how effective, tolerable, and worthwhile they found the intervention,” Bayes concluded.

Reference: Bayes J, Schloss J, Sibbritt D. The effect of a Mediterranean diet on the symptoms of depression in young males (the AMMEND study): a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2022;116(2): 572-580. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqac106