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Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club
Pressing Report Page 37

Greek Okra Stewed with Tomatoes and Olive Oil (Bamies Ladera)

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

In Greece, stewed okra is colloquially called bamies (pronounced bum-yes) and is a staple in many homes, restaurants, and even the cafeterias attached to gas stations.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds okra, stems trimmed
  • 1/2 cup white or red wine vinegar
  • Coarse salt (kosher or sea)
  • 2 teaspoons coarse salt (kosher or sea)
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • One 15 ounce can good-quality crushed tomatoes, undrained
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh at-leaf parsley
  • 1/2 cup water, plus more as needed
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

Step 1

Add 2 cups of water to a mixing bowl and add the vinegar and 2 teaspoons of salt. Add the okra pods and enough additional water to cover them. Soak for at least an hour before cooking.

Step 2

Drain the soaking liquid off the okra but do not rinse the pods. Dry the okra well on paper towels.

Step 3

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. 1 to 2 minutes.

Step 4

Add the okra, tomatoes, parsley, and water. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until tender, 40 to 60 minutes, depending on the size of the okra pods. Stir occasionally. Monitor the liquid level in the pot and add a bit of water if needed.

Step 5

Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and serve.

Serves 4 to 6 — Recipe adapted from thespruceeats.com

Shaved Fennel Salad

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Fennel is ubiquitous in the Mediterranean, growing wild in many areas. All parts of it are utilized, from the seeds that give Italian sausage its unique flavor to the bulb to the celery-like stalks and fronds. Its anise-y flavor goes well with a medium to bold extra virgin olive oil.

Ingredients

  • 2 fennel bulbs
  • 10 pitted black olives, preferably oil-cured, coarsely chopped
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh orange or lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 ounces coarsely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Step 1

Trim the stalks off the fennel bulbs; reserve some of the feathery fronds for a garnish. (Save the stalks for another use.) Trim the bottoms, then remove the tough and stringy outermost layer from the bulbs. Slice very thinly. (Use a mandolin or meat slicer, if you wish.)

Step 2

Add the fennel to a mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and gently combine. Garnish with the reserved fennel fronds.

Serves 4 — Recipe adapted from simplyrecipes.com

Garden Pasta Alla Hermes

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

My Merry Band of Tasters and I were treated to this colorful dish for lunch at the Di Mercurio family’s farm, and master miller Duccio Morozzo and I liked it so much we decided to recreate it back in his Roman kitchen. The tomato purée we used is called passata. Find it at larger supermarkets or online. Back in the US we also use high-quality crushed tomatoes.

Ingredients

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

Directions

Step 1

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

Step 2

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

Step 3

Stir the tomato purée into the vegetables and simmer over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Purée the sauce with a stick blender until it’s fairly smooth. Season with additional salt, if desired. Drain the rigatoni and add to the sauce. Gently stir to combine. Transfer to a warmed shallow bowl and serve with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, hot red pepper flakes, and extra olive oil for drizzling.

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

Monkfish with Olive Oil and Tomatoes

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Sometimes called “poor man’s lobster,” mild, sweet-tasting monkfish has a pleasantly rm texture. Fancy enough for a dinner party, it simply begs for a drizzle of exquisitely fresh EVOO. Serve with a mixed green salad lightly dressed with olive oil and lemon juice.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds monkfish
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
  • 1 small onion, peeled and diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 2 medium ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil

Directions

Step 1

Slice the monkfish into medallions about 1 inch thick. Place in a dish, sprinkle with lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper.

Step 2

Heat one tablespoon of oil in a heavy skillet, add the bread crumbs, and sauté until they are golden. Remove from the pan and wipe out the pan.

Step 3

Heat another two tablespoons of the olive oil in the skillet. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until tender. Add the garlic and sauté briefly, then add the tomatoes. Stir the tomatoes in with the other ingredients for a minute or two, just long enough to warm them without cooking them through. Remove the vegetables from the pan.

Step 4

Add one more tablespoon of the oil to the pan and cook the monkfish over medium heat, about three minutes on each side, until just cooked through. The monkfish will probably not take on any color. Arrange the monkfish medallions on a warm platter or on individual plates.

Step 5

Return the tomato mixture to the skillet, add the remaining two tablespoons of oil, stir, season with salt and pepper, and add the basil. Pour this mixture around the medallions of fish. Sprinkle the fish with the bread crumbs and serve.

Serves 4 — Recipe adapted from nytimes.com