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Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club
Archives for The Olive Oil Hunter Page 112

Towpath Olive Oil Cake

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

This recipe was recommended to us by a talented baker who pronounced it a keeper, one of the best cake recipes in her files. 

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 3/4 cup best quality extra virgin olive oil
  • 3/4 cup whole milk
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
  • Juice of 1 orange 

Directions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter the sides of a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. 

Step 2

In a small bowl, stir the flour and baking powder together. 

Step 3

Place the sugar and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium speed until thick and pale yellow, about 3 to 5 minutes. 

Step 4

Add the olive oil, milk, orange zest, and orange juice and beat for another minute or two. Turn off the machine and fold in the flour mixture by hand. 

Step 5

Scrape into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack completely before serving. 

Makes one 9-inch cake, serving 8 to 10 — Recipe from The London Cookbook by Aleksandra Crapanzano, Ten Speed Press (2016) 

Vegetables’ health benefits increase when cooked with extra virgin olive oil

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Adapted from an article from the University of Barcelona, June 13, 2019 

Cooking the vegetables in sofrito (the traditional Spanish sauté of garlic, onion, and tomato) with extra virgin olive oil increases the absorption and release of the bioactive compounds in the vegetables, according to a study conducted by a research team from the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences at the University of Barcelona (UB), from the Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition Networking Biomedical Research Centre (CIBERobn), and the Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Diseases Networking Biomedical Research (CIBERDEM), led by Rosa M. Lamuela-Raventós. These results, published in the scientific journal Molecules, allow for insight into the mechanisms by which gastronomy could play a relevant role in the health-improving effects of the Mediterranean diet.

The Mediterranean diet, which involves a high consumption of phytochemicals from vegetables, fruits, and legumes, has been correlated to health-improving effects in cardiovascular and metabolic health. This correlation has largely been established by findings from the extensive PREDIMED study, a multicenter clinical trial carried out from 2003 to 2011 with more than 7,000 participants.

However, the healthful effects of the Mediterranean diet have been challenging to reproduce in non- Mediterranean populations—possibly, according to the researchers, because of differences in cooking techniques. With this study, researchers have attempted to assess whether the Mediterranean gastronomy imputes its health benefits not only via its food components but also via the way those foods are cooked.

The objective of the study was to assess the effect of the extra virgin olive oil on bioactive compounds in tomato, onion, and garlic—the traditional ingredients in sofrito, one of the key cooking techniques in the Mediterranean diet. According to the researchers, this sauce has forty different phenolic compounds and a high amount of carotenoids, and its consumption is associated with an improvement of the cardiovascular risk parameters and insulin sensitivity.

“The main result of the study is that cooking vegetables with extra virgin olive oil [allows] the bioactive compounds, such as carotenoids and polyphenols, that are present in vegetables we find in sofrito to move to the olive oil, which enables the absorption and bioactivity of these compounds,” says Lamuela -Raventós, director of the Institute for Research on Nutrition and Food Safety (INSA-UB).

The study also identified a new property of olive oil. Previous researchers had noted that the combination of olive oil and onion produces isomers of certain carotenoids. These isomers are more bioavailable and have a higher antioxidant content. This study found that olive oil facilitates this process not only with carotenoids but also with polyphenols, which are transferred from the vegetables to the oil.

These results could explain earlier findings by this research group that the presence of olive oil increases the anti-inflammatory effects of sofrito. “We saw that this increase can occur due to the migration of bioactive compounds (carotenoids and polyphenols) from the tomato, onion, and garlic to the oil during the cooking process, which [improves] the absorption of these compounds,” concludes José Fernando Rinaldi de Alvarenga, INSA-UB member and lead author of the paper.

Reference: de Alvarenga JF et al. Using extra virgin olive oil to cook vegetables enhances polyphenol and carotenoid extractability: a study applying the sofrito technique. Molecules. 2019;24(8): DOI: 10.3390/molecules24081555.

Grilled Shrimp with Deconstructed Pesto After-Marinade

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

We’ve been known to marinate shrimp before grilling, but giving the already-grilled shrimp a romp in this flavorful marinade is pure genius. (We’re grateful to longtime Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club member Steven Raichlen for the idea.) It’s equally good with scallops. 

Ingredients

For the shrimp:

  • 2 pounds jumbo shrimp or prawns, peeled and deveined
  • Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Hot red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 

For the deconstructed pesto after-marinade: 

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil plus 3 tablespoons, divided use
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
  • Finely grated zest and juice of l lemon
  • 1 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 

Directions

Step 1

Prepare the pesto after-marinade: Place half the olive oil (1/4 cup) in a small saucepan and heat over a medium flame. Add the pine nuts and garlic and fry until golden, 2 minutes. Do not let the garlic chips burn. Pour the mixture into a large heatproof mixing bowl. Stir in the lemon zest and juice and the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. Set the cheese in a small bowl. Right before serving, stack and roll the basil leaves (work in batches), and thinly slice crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide ribbons. 

Step 2

Generously season the shrimp on all sides with salt, pepper, and hot red pepper flakes, if using. Toss with the olive oil. If grilling large shrimp, you can arrange them directly on the grill. For smaller shrimp, use a grill grid or grilling basket, or thread them on bamboo or metal skewers. (It’s easier to turn 5 kebabs on the grill than it is 30 small shrimp.) 

Step 3

Set up your grill for direct grilling and heat to high. Brush and oil your grill grate. 

Step 4

Arrange the shrimp on the grate and grill until sizzling and browned on the outside and cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. 

Step 5

Stir the hot shrimp into the pine nut-garlic-lemon mixture in the large bowl and toss to mix. Add the slivered basil and toss. Stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. Transfer the hot shrimp to a platter or plates and sprinkle with the cheese. 

Serves 4 — Recipe courtesy of Steven Raichlen, host of Project Fire 

Broccoli Frittata

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

This easy frittata is a great choice for either breakfast or lunch. 

Ingredients

  • 1 garlic clove, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 3 1/2 cups broccoli florets
  • 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano- Reggiano cheese (1 1/2 ounces) 

Directions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a 10-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook over moderately high heat for 30 seconds. Add the broccoli and crushed red pepper and cook for 1 minute. Stir in 2 tablespoons of water, season with salt and pepper, and cover. Cook over moderate heat until the broccoli is crisp-tender, 2 minutes; let cool. 

Step 2

In a bowl, whisk the eggs with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and black pepper. Stir in the broccoli. Return the skillet to the stovetop and heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Pour in the eggs and cook over moderately low heat until set around the edge, 3 minutes. Sprinkle the frittata with the cheese. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake the frittata until the center is just set, about 12 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature with extra olive oil for drizzling. 

Serves 6 — Recipe adapted from Food and Wine, March 2012