Olive Nation Blog

Balsamic Vinegar and Parmigiano-Reggiano

Posted by John Rusnak in Balsamic Vinegar, Oct 14 2008

When most people think of Parmigian-Reggiano (Parmesan Cheese), often described along with Brie and Stilton as one of the three great cheeses of the world, they do not think of it as a cheese for eating. It is most often thought of as a grating cheese suitable for sprinkling on pasta or used for cooking. What a surprise it is when chunks of Parmigiano-Reggiano are sprinkled with balsamic vinegar (aceto balsamico). Of course the finer the quality of the balsamic vinegar, the better this delicious treat combination. All it takes is a few drops of quality balsamic vinegar sprinled over chunks of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Try it as a final course before dessert. Of course the true aceto balsamico (balsamic vinegar) from OliveNation.com is the perfect complement.

Extra Virgin olive oil contains peroxide!

Posted by John Rusnak in Olive Oil, Oct 14 2008

In ancient times people used olive oil in many different ways. It was used as fuel in lamps, as a skin balm and of course as a food ingredient.  An explanation for its widespread use as a skin balm was probably unknown to them. The fact that peroxide, a naturally occurring component in olive oil, might have been one of the reasons for olive oil’s wide-spread use as a soothing skin balm might have accounted for its popularity as a healing agent.  After all, peroxide is still widely used as a topical solution for cuts and scrapes.

 

Extra virgin olive oil is one of the few oils that do not require any processing or chemical additions before consuming

Posted by John Rusnak in Olive Oil, Oct 09 2008

Most oils require some sort of processing before being consumed. Practically every vegetable oil is refined using steam or solvents before it is ready for consumption. On the other hand, freshly pressed extra virgin olive oil can be consumed immediately. Extra virgin olive oil retains all the natural flavors, vitamins and healthy attributes of ripe olives.

How important is the color of extra virgin olive oil?

Posted by John Rusnak in Olive Oil, Oct 03 2008

It is often noted that deep green-colored extra virgin olive oils are superior to pale yellow-colored ones. Is this true? Not necessarily since unscrupulous extra virgin olive oil producers have been known to press some of the leaves of the olive trees along with the olives in order to impart a deep green color to their extra virgin olive oils. Truth be known, color really doesn’t play that major a role in the quality of extra virgin olive oils.

Why is estate bottled extra virgin olive superior?

Posted by John Rusnak in Olive Oil, Oct 02 2008

To make extra virgin olive oil it takes a flower - an olive flower

Posted by Chiara in Olive Oil, Jul 26 2008

One of the most beautiful things you may not have seen are olive flowers. While I was taking these pictures of my parents’ blossoming olive trees, I rembered an old children’s song by Sergio Endrigo. It really says it all. Here’s a quick translation:

“To make a table it takes some wood; to make the wood it takes a tree; to make the tree it takes a seed; to make the seed it takes a fruit; to make the fruit it takes a flower. To make everything it takes a flower.”

It always comes back to the flower.

The New York Fancy Food Show

Posted by Chiara in Food Industry, Jul 26 2008

July is my favorite month because we get to go to The Fancy Food Show in New York City. The Food Show may be the reason we started the OliveNation website. It has to be the most fun you can have with your palate. Three full days of tasting the best the world has to offer–from North and South America, to Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia, all gastronomical countries have booths. We are a bit partial to Italy, France and Spain, but we feel it is our duty to you, our OliveNation customers, to leave no food untasted, and in many cases, to try some foods twice, especially olive oil and cheese.

Maybe some day we will be able to offer burrata (a type of mozzarella from Apulia that is so creamy it almost tastes like butter,) prosciutto (we love San Daniele, of course, but La Quercia, a domestic brand is just as delicious, possibly even sweeter, ) big chunks of Parmigiano, bresaola, and Amit’s favorite, sheep ricotta. So for three straight days we roamed the Javits Convention Center and visited the Italian booths first, and then all the others. Sometimes we felt exausted, but we kept on, and in the process made friends with all the espresso vendors. I should also thank the chocolate booths, who made a great point: sipping chocolate is not only a winter treat (and here in Boston we appreciate that) but a fantastic summer party in a glass. We tasted several chilled chocolate martinis (shake sipping chocolate with ice and vodka) and smoothies (blend with ice) and those, too, kept us focused on our mission.

Our friend John Rusnak, of www.jrmushrooms.com, who was also attending the show, helped us to stay on track and introduced us, among many other delicacies, to new truffles and vanilla beans (he has the best ones from Madagascar.) My cousin Edoardo Lucia, also met us at the show (he lives upstate) and, after much tasting and pondering, he remembered some old family recipes that we will post soon. We took some time out to see the soccer final for the UEFA Cup: Spain vs. Germany. The Spanish team was excellent, and won the cup. You should have heard the cheering from the Spanish booths every time their team scored a goal. OLÉ!

Right now we are tasting a stack of exciting new pastas (both durum wheat and gluten-free varieties) we found at the show, as well as pasta sauces, balsamic vinegars, and infused extra virgin olive oils. Mission accomplished. We’ll keep you posted.

Etna - fire and ice

Posted by Chiara in Recipes & Travel, Jul 26 2008

We visited the stunning Etna National Park, and went as far up as we could, since the smoke was getting to be very noticeable and the rangers had left warnings in the middle of the road. We slowly came down the mountain watching the sun disappear behind it. As it got darker, what had appeared as a smoky trail was now clearly a stream of hot red lava.

We stopped in a very small town at the base of the vulcano. The main square looked like a terrace, and all of the residents had brought folding chairs and were sitting there, watching the eruption. Something so hot required a frozen refreshment, so we each an had an enormous Sicilian brioche filled with local gelato. I cannot remember which part of the evening was more impressive–watching the vulcano or biting into the ice-cream. They were both pink. And did I mention they are both Sicilian?

The recipe could not be easier.
Sicilian ice-cream sandwiches: cut your favorite brioche in half and stuff with gelato.
Amit loves the pistachio chocolate combination, but I prefer peaches and custard, and my dad swears by chocolate and whipped cream. Danin is still deciding: strawberry and apricot?

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