Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club
Spring 2018

Garlic Shrimp (Gambas al Ajillo)

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

We’ve included two tricks to make this the best gambas al ajillo you’ve ever eaten. First, we infuse extra virgin olive oil with slices of garlic, which are later used as a crunchy garnish. Second, we marinate the shrimp with a secret ingredient—baking soda—to make the cooked shrimp extra “poppy.” 

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided use
  • 10 cloves garlic (5 thinly sliced, 5 minced), divided use
  • 1 pound tail-on shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • Coarse salt (kosher or sea)
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, or more to taste
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Spanish sherry vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • Crusty bread, for serving 

Directions

Step 1

About 8 hours before you intend to cook, pour the olive oil into a small bowl. Add the thinly sliced garlic and let sit at room temperature. After 8 hours, strain the oil into another container, reserving the sliced garlic. 

Step 2

Place the shrimp in a medium bowl. Add the minced garlic, 3/4 teaspoon salt, baking soda, hot red pepper flakes, and 3 tablespoons of the garlic-infused oil. Set aside. 

Step 3

Heat the remaining infused oil in a large skillet or cazuela over medium-high heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook just until it is a light golden brown, about 1 minute. Fish the garlic out with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the shrimp mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the shrimp are barely cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes, depending on their size. Do not overcook. Stir in the sherry vinegar, parsley, reserved garlic slices, and salt to taste. Serve immediately with crusty bread for sopping up the juices. 

Serves 2 as a main course; 4 as a tapa — Recipe adapted from seriouseats.com 

Spanish Cod with Celery Salsa Verde

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

We often detect celery leaf–like flavors in the superior-quality oils we deliver to your table and were excited to find the following recipe. It uses celery leaves in a deliciously creative way. 

Ingredients

  • For the salsa:
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup chopped celery leaves
  • 2 tablespoons chopped mint
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 
  • For the cod:
  • 2 skinless cod fillets (6 to 8 ounces each)
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 lemon wedges, seeded 

Directions

Step 1

Make the celery salsa verde: In a small bowl, combine the garlic, lemon zest, mustard, and salt. Stir in the celery leaves, mint, parsley, and 1/3 cup of olive oil. Taste for seasoning and adjust the salt as needed. 

Step 2

Pat the fillets dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper on both sides. In a large skillet, warm the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Carefully lay the fillets in the hot oil and cook until the sh separates into opaque white flakes. Transfer to dinner plates. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon and the celery salsa verde 

Serves 2 — Recipe adapted from Jamesbeard.org 

A More Complete Mediterranean Diet May Protect Against Aggressive Prostate Cancer

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Adapted from an article in Science Daily, January 10, 2018

In a new study published in the Journal of Urology, researchers determined that men who followed a Mediterranean diet—rich in fish, boiled potatoes, whole fruits, vegetables, legumes, and olive oil, and low consumption of juices—had lower risk of aggressive prostate cancer (PC) than those who followed other dietary patterns, like Prudent or Western diets.

Although PC is the most common type of cancer in men and can have a high mortality rate, evidence linking PC to specific environmental, occupational, or dietary exposures has been limited. Recent studies have investigated whether certain dietary patterns impact cancer risks, but the results have been inconsistent.

The study’s authors explored the relationship between the risk of having PC and dietary patterns as part of the MCC-Spain study, a Spanish case-control study that involved 733 patients with histologically confirmed PC and 1,229 healthy men with a mean age of 66 years from seven Spanish regions.

Adherence to the three dietary patterns of Western, Prudent, and Mediterranean, which characterize the dietary habits of the Spanish population, was evaluated.

  • The Western pattern includes consumption of large amounts of fatty dairy products, refined grains, processed meat, caloric beverages, sweets, fast food, and sauces.
  • The Prudent pattern involves consumption of low-fat dairy products, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and juices.
  • The Mediterranean pattern consists of high consumption of fish, boiled potatoes, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and olive oil, and low consumption of juices.

The diets were graded according to the degree of adherence to each pattern and assigned to four quartiles from lower to higher adherence within each pattern.

Only a high adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern appeared to be associated with a lower risk of aggressive PC. Prudent and Mediterranean dietary patterns showed different effects in low- and high-grade tumors.

Results indicated that for more aggressive and more extensive tumors, only high adherence to the Mediterranean diet showed a statistically significant protective effect. All other dietary patterns and tumor characteristics showed little or no correlation and did not achieve statistical significance.

Co-author Adela Castelló, PhD, Cancer and Environmental Epidemiology Unit, National Center for Epidemiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Madrid), commented, “If other researchers confirm these results, the promotion of the Mediterranean dietary pattern might be an efficient way of reducing the risk of developing advanced PC, in addition to lowering the risk of other prevalent health problems in men such as cardiovascular disease. Dietary recommendations should take into account whole patterns instead of focusing on individual foods.”

Reference: Adela Castelló, Elena Boldo, Pilar Amiano, Gemma Castaño-Vinyals, Nuria Aragonés, Inés Gómez- Acebo, Rosana Peiró, Jose Juan Jimenez-Moleón, Juan Alguacil, Adonina Tardón, Lluís Cecchini, Virginia Lope, Trinidad Dierssen-Sotos, Lourdes Mengual, Manolis Kogevinas, Marina Pollán, Beatriz Pérez-Gómez. Mediterranean Dietary Pattern Is Associated with Low Risk of Aggressive Prostate Cancer: MCC-Spain Study.
J Urol 2018;199(2):430. doi: 10.1016/j.juro.2017.08.087

Portuguese Rice and Tomatoes

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

The Portuguese are very talented at creating wonderful combinations from a limited palette of ingredients. Rice and tomatoes is a great example. Serve with roasted meats, especially chicken, and plenty of premium extra virgin olive oil.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon bacon fat or lard
  • 1 small onion, diced (about 1 cup)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 cups fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch dice, with juices
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
  • 1 cup long-grain white rice
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Step 1

In a medium pot with a tight-fitting lid, melt the bacon fat in the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices; cover, then simmer for 30 minutes.

Step 2

Add the stock; increase the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Stir in the rice, salt, and pepper. Lower the heat to achieve a gentle simmer. Cover and cook the rice for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Fluff the rice with a fork before serving.

Serves 4 — Recipe adapted from The Food of Portugal by Jean Anderson (William Morrow, 1994)