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The Olive Press

Season Ten, Autumn/Winter 2009

« A Quince Essential Christmas

The Olive Press

Every year tons of olives are harvested for the pressing of oil. This week we show you what the presses look like.

Cooking Show Video
How Olive Oil is Made

Olive season typically runs from October to early January. We catch the tail end of the olives this year...  After picking and pruning the olive trees the olives are transported to the local olive press. In ideal circumstances 100 kilos of olives will yield 20 kilos of olive oil.  Typically the press will take 10-12% of the oil as their fee.   

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January 13, 2010   |   0 comments
Tags: Food Production, Mediterranean, Travel
Recipe
Olive Oil Bergamot Shortbread

If you can't find bergamot you can use the zest of whatever citrus you like.

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup sugar

salt to taste (1/4 tsp or so)

2 tablespoons bergamot zest

2 1/2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine the olive oil, sugar, salt and zest until it's all mixed together. Add the flour, stirring until it's all completely integrated. Form into a ball and flatten into your baking tray (it's nice if they are thin- about a 1/2 inch thick). Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the edges become slightly golden brown.  Slice the shortbread in whatever shape you like when it's still warm, then you can take them out of the pan when they've cooled a bit.

 

Discovering bergamot at the farmer's market in Crete, was the beginning of a new obsession and suddenly it became necessary to add it to everything. Since it's the season for fresh olive oil- and we've been on that theme- I used that instead of butter.
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January 19, 2010   |   1 comments
Tags: Cookies, Desserts, Mediterranean
Recipe
Focaccia Sandwiches with Lebne, Olives, and Mint

This sandwich does not have specific instructions, just adhere to the basics: buy a good focaccia bread, use the olive paste sparingly in comparison to the lebne, and just throw in a few mint sprigs.

Focaccia

Lebne (a Lebanese strained yogurt-cheese)

Olive Paste (or sliced black olives)

Fresh mint leaves


Spread a thin layer of olive paste on one slice of the bread.  Spread a thick layer of lebne on the other, and top with a few mint leaves.  Top with the olive-lined slice and close. 

Enjoy!

This sandwich is inspired by one we used to eat in Beirut. The combination of lebne, olives, and mint is simple, yet perfect. This is an easy snack to put together. Slice it in thin strips or squares to serve at a cocktail party.
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January 15, 2010   |   0 comments
Tags: Entrees, Healthy, Mediterranean, Middle East and North Africa, Sandwiches, Vegetarian
Recipe
Grilled Polenta Squares with Olive Paste, Red Peppers & Eggplant

These are attractive and light, making them perfect for a healthy weeknight meal. We like the De La Estancia brand of organic polenta, which is made in Argentina.  http://delaestancia.net/

3 cups broth + 1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup quick cooking polenta

1 baby eggplant

1 jar roasted red peppers

4 tablespoons zeytin ezmesi or another olive tapenade

Olive Oil

a few shards of Parmesan or Pecorino cheese

Bring the broth and oil to a boil, and stir in the polenta.  Whisk until thick.  When the mixture is thick, pour it into a square baking dish, loaf pan, or 2" baking tray lined with wax paper.  Smooth over the top to distribute evenly and allow to cool.  When completely cool and set, flip onto a cutting board, remove the paper, and slice into squares.  The best would be to have 4 thick squares, but you should just make-do with what you have in your kitchen. 

Meanwhile, slice the eggplant across horizontally into 1/2" thick rounds.  Brush lightly with olive oil and bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes, turning over half way through. 

Heat up a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a grill pan (or saute pan if you don't have), and grill the polenta squares on each side.  Top each with a thin layer of olive paste, baked eggplant, a layer of roasted pepper, and a couple shards of cheese.  You can bake these if you want the cheese melted, but we like them as is also. 


Makes 4 polenta squares. 

Note: You can buy Turkish olive paste from http://www.kitchencaravan.com/recipe/whole-wheat-rigatoni-olive-paste

 

 

These polenta squares make a delicious, healthy, and easy meal any night of the week. You can buy the roasted red peppers from the store, which along with the jar of olive paste, make it less work for you.
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January 15, 2010   |   1 comments
Tags: Entrees, Europe, Healthy, Mediterranean, Vegetarian
Recipe
Whole Wheat Rigatoni with Olive Paste

We came up with this dish one night when all that was in the fridge was a jar of Turkish zeytin ezmesi (olive paste).  Its texture seemed similar to that of pesto, and the results were note-worthy.  This is not so much a recipe, as it is instructions on how to make this delicious pasta dish.  The dark and delicious olive paste is like a poor man's squid ink, but not without being fierce competition. 

To put this together, simply boil 100 g of whole wheat rigatoni per person in boiling salted water for the amount of time indicated on the package. 

Before you drain the pasta, scoop about 1 cup of cooking water from the pot.  Drain the pasta of its water and transfer back into the pot.  Slowly moisten with about 1/4 cup of the reserved liquid, and stir in about 1/4 cup of Turkish olive paste (zeytin ezmesi).  Stir to combine, adding more liquid or paste to have a nice, smooth sauce, without it being too runny.  Season with red pepper flakes and top with Parmesan or Pecorino for serving. 

You can purchase Zeytin Ezmesi from http://www.tulumba.com/storeitem.asp?ic=FB248408BE874.

This pasta is so easy to throw together because it involves very few ingredients. The flavor is like an exclamation point. We chose whole wheat rigatoni for its robust texture, but you can use linguine as well.
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January 15, 2010   |   2 comments
Tags: Entrees, Healthy, Mediterranean, Pastas, Vegan, Vegetarian, Whole grain
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