This Greek olive variety is certainly up there with Italian Frantoio and Spanish, Picual both of which have been highlighted in this series of posts on the different varieties of olive which are predominantly pressed for oil. It would not be exaggerating to say that the majority of Greek oils that are to be found…
Recipes
It Starts with Veg
This is the title of an imaginative new book from Ceri Jones, Food Educator at the Garden Museum in London and US trained Natural Chef. The subtitle is 100 Seasonal Suppers and Sides but it is the main title which sets the scene. Ceri takes a collection of 40 different seasonal vegetables and makes them…
Tuscany on a plate in Brighton
In the midst of strong December winds and rain I found the sunshine of Tuscany. A great morning hosted in Hampton Place with Tuscan chef Alessandro Piccinini. Alessandro has a cookery school in the small medieval village of Montisi not far from Montalcino in southern Tuscany. Along with his work at the school he holds…
Know Your Olives
I have chosen Frantoio for the second in my series of posts on the olive varieties most frequently pressed for olive oil. This Tuscan varietal, which shares its name with the Italian word for olive mill, has found its way to many parts of the olive oil world. Its popularity is probably linked to the…
KNOW YOUR OLIVES
Wine lovers know all about the major grape varieties that go into their favourite wines but olive oil enthusiasts are not usually so knowledgeable. Yet the different olive varieties, like grapes, give quite different taste and flavour characteristics to their end products and contribute to the diversity of the olive oil world. Accordingly, I am…
2021 Award winners with the producers’ suggested recipes
Details of the winners of the 2021 olive oil awards are beginning to trickle in and so I will be reporting on them as they arrive and pairing them with recipes recommended by their producers. The first of these uses one of the two oils from La Cultivada which have won top awards at the…
Olive Oil and The English Vegetable Year: Spring
Spring is a great time of the year for vegetables; the restricted range of winter vegetables opens up and suddenly a whole host of new vegetables decorate the green grocer’s shelves. I have chosen two of my favourite vegetables on which to concentrate this month. They are the quintessentially English watercress and asparagus. Watercress Watercress…
Olive Oil and The English Vegetable Year: Autumn
This is a new series for my blog, marrying up two of my favourite foods: Vegetables and Olive Oil. The tendency is to think of dishes based on Mediterranean vegetables when cooking with olive oil but in fact this lovely flavoursome ingredient can enhance traditional English vegetables equally well. Autumn sees the beginning of the…
Cooking with Andalucian Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Following my virtual tasting of Andalucian oils last week I immediately started to look for some really authentic recipes from the region to try out. Here are the results: Pipirrana My first recipe comes from Elena Garcia at Spanish Gastro Larder and features their Finca Alamillos del Prior extra virgin olive oil from Jaen. It is…
A Taste of Northern Provence
The best places to try the authentically rustic food of the region are at the Fermes Auberges or farm inns like the Auberge du St Julien at Buis Les Baronnies, the Auberge du Domaine Guilon at Chamaret with its own winery and Moulin de Chateau near Villeperdrix with its 12th century buildings and 16th century…