Top 10 Tips on How to Choose Olive Oil

Like many others, I’m making turkey stock and turkey soup today. Fortunately, I don’t have to to go the store to buy any more ingredients because my refrigerator is full of fruit and greens from my Farm Fresh To You  organic delivery of fruits and vegetables that came while I was back East in the winter wonderland of the Berkshires. We had 15 inches of snow for Thanksgiving! Serene and pure white until the snow plowing begins, it is a sight to behold. And one that I haven’t witnessed in years -way too many to recall exactly, but it has to be at least 25 years since I shoveled snow, used a broom to sweep a snowdrift from the hood and roof of my car, and scraped icy windshields before I could start the car!

This year my leftover turkey soup will contain collards, spinach, Nantes carrots, and fresh herbs since that what was delivered and tossed into the crisper by my husband who was left to fend for himself at our beach bungalow. But at least they made it to the refrigerator and weren’t still on the front doorstep when I got home yesterday. But I digress, and you’re probably confused since the opening photo is not one of turkey soup. The point I’m slowly getting to is many soups and stews begin with a base of onions, celery and garlic cooked in olive oil and/or butter. I usually substitute extra virgin olive oil for butter or, depending on the cuisine, use half olive oil and half unsalted butter.

A key ingredient in Shakshuka {or Shakshouka}, an Israeli Tunisian dish of eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce and one of my favorite Middle Eastern specialty dishes, is olive oil. And, when you’re cooking with olive oil, using the best olive oil possible pays off in complex flavor in hearty and robust sauces as well as delicate salad dressings.

This is straight from two, rather three, olive oil specialists. Two of them are the Two Extra Virgins from San Diego, dear friends who authored the gorgeous cookbook Cooking Techniques and Recipes with Olive Oil, and the other is George Menzelos, the gregarious owner and proprietor of Arianna Trading Company in San Francisco. This trio of olive oil experts have been busy educating the public and conducting olive oil tastings  at gourmet food shows, food blogger conferences, and olive oil companies in the West this year, here is what they say:

1. Find a store where you can taste the olive oil.

2. Buy from a store you can trust and has high quality standards.

3. Olive oil is perishable, so buy from a dependable store and use within one year.

4. Store olive oil in a dark bottle or in a cupboard to keep out sunlight which can damage and spoil your oil.

5. Do not buy olive oil based on color – good olive oil comes in all shades of yellow and green. Instead, you should smell and taste it and buy according to your palate.

6. Only buy Extra Virgin Olive Oil, first pressed olives with no additives or chemicals.

7. Read the labels and fine print on the bottles. Look for seals of quality and certification.

8. Do not buy olive oil that lists many countries of origin.

9. Look for “best-by-date” or “harvest date” for freshness.

10. Buy olive oil flavors to match style of cooking, and match your use for your meals.

by Two Extra Virgins: Mary Platis and Laura Bashar, authors of Cooking Techniques and Recipes with Olive Oil

I have several go-to olive oils, some infused, some for everyday cooking, and one that I save for vinaigrettes and dishes like Shakshuka where olive oil is a major ingredient. All of them are organic and excellent quality, but my “special” olive oil is from Arianna Trading Company*, I adore its delicate, fruity taste with a subtly spicy finish that’s perfect for dipping, salad dressings, and any recipe calling for olive oil. Try it in Shakshuka for a bright, spicy start to the day or a warm, satisfying brinner on a busy weeknight!

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Shakshuka with Chickpeas

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

45 mins

 

Shakshuka, or eggs cooked in spicy tomato sauce, is an easy, vegetarian dish to make for breakfast, brunch, or brinner. Chickpeas add texture and fiber and crumbled goat cheese instead of feta for lower sodium.

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Servings: 3 -4 servings

Author: Priscilla

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 1 jalapeno seeded and finely chopped
• 1 15- ounce No-Salt canned chickpeas
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 28- ounce can No Salt diced tomatoes
• 1/8 teaspoon red chile flakes
• freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup crumbled goat cheese
• 6 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• Warm pita bread

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and jalapenos; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 8 minutes. Add chickpeas, paprika, and cumin and cook for 2 more minutes.
3. Add crushed tomatoes and their juices and sprinkle with chile flakes. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Season with salt (if desired) and ground pepper.
4. Sprinkle crumbled goat cheese evenly over the sauce. Crack eggs, one at a time, evenly on top of the sauce. Transfer skillet to oven and bake untikl whites aer just set, but yolks are still runny, about 5 minutes. Garnish with parsley and/or cilantro. Serve with pita for dipping.

Recipe Notes

Adapted from Bon Appetit's recipe for Poached Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Chickpeas and Feta.

*Arianna Trading Company’s Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil is raw and unfiltered, naturally decanted, straight from the tank. 100% unblended USDA certified organic Koroneiki varietal, this liquid gold coms from a single family estate in Kryà village near Sitia on the Isle of Crete in Greece. The olives are gathered by hand as they ripen in the early winter months. The award winning region of Sitia’s Protected Designation of Origin seal appears on the label and Agrocert’s ribbon placed over the cap is serial numbered and printed with the date of harvest.