Over the holidays we received several bottles of artisanal olive oil. It’s too good for cooking and even in a salad dressing you’re hiding the flavor somewhat. In the old days I would dip bread into olive oil and eat it that way.
What’s a good ketogenic way, short of drinking it from a glass (which, honestly, I am not above) of appreciating these fine olive oils?
I don’t use alot of it,but a little drizzle over fish like a nice piece of salmon is good
The Italians have a saying that goes something like: eating is just an excuse to get olive oil into the mouth. That’s how much it is prized…most important part of the meal.
Do you have DOP or PGI (as in protected origin and certified) olive oil? They would also have a unique bottle number stamped on the bottle. This oil is produced and then bottled at the origin. It doesn’t go through a chaotic supply chain of loaded into tanks, barrels, whatever, and get bottled somewhere else in the world. If so, these are the most precious bottle to set these aside…as in these are the most valuable.
Another thing to check for in all your bottles, certified or not, is the date at the back. Find out which one is freshest. I would consume the freshest one first, contrary to logic. Because the freshest olive oil is the most precious…the longer you wait, the more value gets lost…as in exponentially.
When consuming high quality ingredients, I like to follow the philosophy of “what grows together goes together”. So, for example, if you were gifted a PGI oil from Tuscany, think of that region. It is rolling hills, acres of a variety of Tuscan vegetables growing in the fields, wild boar with wild fennel pollen porchetta, Pecorino Toscano sheep milks cheese, dense forests with truffles and mushrooms, …etc. If it is a Sicilian oil, think fresh fish and seafood, etc…you get the picture. That is what you want to drizzle your precious gold olive oil on.
I agree you should not damage the oil by cooking with it. However, after the food is cooked, and placed in a platter or dish, drizzle or drench the food in oil. The hot steaming food will not damage the oil. In fact, it will release its unique bouquet and open the flavour and elevate it to a whole other level. The heat in your mouth is not adequate to open the bouquet fully. You will not experience the deeply encased flavour of the oil if you use it to dip cold crudités only. Coupling the oil with a freshly prepared hot dish helps to do that, and when the warmed oil has it’s bouquet open and hits your palate, it olive oil orgasm waiting to happen.
Hope this helps. Enjoy.
I love infused olive oils, lemon is my favorite. I drizzle it over veggies or a salad with some salt. All of the citrus flavors are nice, some of the other “artisanal” flavors can be a little odd.
My favorite thing on this planet to do with the lemon infused olive oil is to wilt some spinach in regular olive oil and then finish it with some lemon olive oil and salt. HEAVEN!
My husband’s former employer owned a business that made infused olive oils and flavored vinegars, and we had fun (when we could buy at a discount!) mixing vinegar and olive oil flavors for salads, but I mostly stay away from the vinegars because they are “balsamic” which in reality translates to added sugar (Note that I’m not talking about true balsamic vinegar).
BTW, I live in an area in California that produces a lot of wine and olives–if you want to be sure you’re really getting olive oil, buy Californian olive oil. Most of the “artisanal” infused olive oils around in the US are from California, not imported. They are the real deal, but may not be super highest quality virgin olive oils of which Fiorella speaks (those are sold as pure olive oil and speak for themselves)–perhaps not a great harvest or lesser quality olives or a second pressing. That’s OK, if you like the taste, it’s fine–it’s a condiment, not a staple. It’s a way for olive oil producers to wring more profit out of the lesser quality oils and it’s fun to enjoy the different flavors.
These are just olive oil, nothing infused. One is a California oil for sure.
I would make that fathead/carl’s pizza crust and drizzle it over that. yummy.
I love my olive oil and high oleic sunflower oils. I pour them over any green veggies, fish, and meat. I may even chop my cheese into small piece and drench in an oil. We need lots of fat, so don’t be afraid of it. I read somewhere that eating cheese with grass fed organic butter is beneficial somehow in absorbing nutrients from both. I don’t remember the specifics, however, I do each a small bite of cheese with a 1/2 T or more of butter together. They are delicious together!
I just found some olive oil that that was so delicious I came looking for your thread, so I can find more ways to get it into my mouth. 