What does an olive oil sommelier have in her pantry?
Recommendations and recipes inside!
Hello!
Earlier this week I taught a public class on mushrooms and a good question came up about cooking with olive oil. A student remarked that she heard that cooking, especially roasting with olive oil is a no-no since it wasn’t a high heat oil. Most of my recipes call for cooking with olive oil and she was curious about my thoughts.
In a nutshell, properly sourced, high quality olive oil can absolutely be used to roast. The fresher the oil is the higher it is in anti-oxidants which offers protection against oxidation. The vast majority of properly made olive oil is low in free fatty acids (FFAs). This is important because there is an inverse relationship between FFAs and the smoke point. Basically, the less FFAs present, the higher the smoke point. Books have been written about olive oil but I’m just going to share a few bullet points that I think would be helpful to you:
Look for oils in dark, semi-opaque or opaque containers. Glass/metal containers are preferred.
Only buy “cold-pressed” & “extra virgin”
Look for the date that it was pressed. This is a better indication of freshness than the “best by” date. Remember that olive oil is really just olive juice. Just as you don’t want a glass of orange juice to hang around indefinitely, you don’t want to have a container of EVOO to last you for 2 years.
Ideally the oil should come from one place. Meaning one farm, one region or at least one country. There are a lot of shenanigans in the olive oil world and often times something labeled “Product of Italy” simply means that subpar oil was shipped to Italy, packaged there and then distributed. I almost never buy Italian olive oil for this reason.
Luckily I know people in high places, like my friend Caroline, who is an olive oil sommelier (yes, this is a real thing). We met up yesterday and spent a good chunk of time gabbing about olive oil. Here are (a few) of Caroline’s recommendations:
Budget Picks
Mid-Range Picks
Premium Picks
Are you wondering how to use your fabulous olive oil beyond sautes and salad dressings? I have two suggestions. Scroll down for an exclusive recipe to beat the heat this weekend: Late Summer Stone Fruit Gazpacho. If you have a sweet tooth, I recommend the Maialino Olive Oil Cake. I’ve played around with the recipe a lot (swapping out orange for whatever fruit is in season) and it always turns out amazing. Caroline still talks about the time I made if for her 3 years ago and insisted that I include it here.
XO,
Marie
P.S. Do you have a favorite olive oil brand that I missed? Or perhaps you use a brand that you are unsure about? Reply to this email and tell me what you have in your pantry.
Late Summer Stone Fruit Gazpacho
Bright, refreshing, simple
South Koreanesque
October 13th, 6-9:30pm
This will be my last public class until 2024. It feels so weird to write that. It’s sold out BUT if you are interested please join the wait-list. Plans change and time and time again I’ve seen people cancel their spots at the last minute.