Olive oil adds flavor and even protects against heart disease
By Muy Yam, Special to the Town Crier
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Legend has it that when Athens was founded, a fight broke out between Poseidon, god of the sea, and Athena, goddess of wisdom, over who would be the new city’s patron. Zeus, king of the gods, declared that the city would go to the god who created the most precious gift to humanity. Poseidon struck the ground with his trident, and a horse appeared. Athena struck the ground with her wand, and an olive tree sprang up. Zeus named the city after Athena because it was clear that the olive tree and its fruit would become the lifeblood of humankind.
Latter-day science has backed Zeus’ choice. Loaded with antioxidant polyphenols, olive oil has been found to protect against cardiovascular disease. Women who replace polyunsaturated fat with olive oil’s monounsaturated fat are less likely to get breast cancer. A diet rich in olive oil can even lower levels of some blood fats in diabetics and help control the illness.
Is it any wonder that olive oil has become a virtual religion to its many 21st century enthusiasts?
“A lot of the oils available on the market today are just neutral cooking mediums,” said Gerald Gass, personal chef to Nan McEvoy at her olive ranch in Petaluma. “Olive oil is a flavored component, and it’s vital to my cooking. What I am doing now just wouldn’t be the same without it.”
Alan Moll, one of the chef-owners of Aldo Los Altos, uses olive oil in just about every dish at the restaurant that he co-owns with Donato De Marchi. He even bakes with it. He puts Tenuta di Capezzana on salads and bakes with Aguri at his Good Earth Bakery. Succulent treats like tomato bread, Sicilian pan pizza, herb focaccia, and savory tarts and frittatas are all available daily with olive oil as the key ingredient.
“When we bake we make sure we infuse everything with good quality olive oil,” Moll said.
Olive oil has been beloved for millennia. Some historians date the beginning of olive tree cultivation as far back as the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods, from 3500 B.C. to 5000 B.C. In ancient Greece, cutting down an olive tree drew sentences of death or exile. Homer called the oil “liquid gold.”
There are three main types of olive oils - extra virgin, pure and virgin. The quality of oil is based on how and when it is pressed. Extra virgin is considered the top grade of olive oil because it is the least processed. The oil has less than 1 percent acidity, and its flavor reflects the fruit. This oil is great for salads and garnishes and has a peppery taste. The olives are picked and pressed the same day.
Moll said that extra virgin olive oil should smell and taste just like the ripe olive from which it came. “If you have it in a wine glass, you can close your eyes and smell the richness in the olives,” he said. “You can almost taste the olive in your mouth.”
Pure olive oil has undergone some filtering and refining. It has little color and aroma. Mia Chambers, executive chef at Draeger’s Cooking School, said that pure is great for cooking because extra virgin cannot take high heat. “Hot, peppery olive oils (like extra virgin) are not always best to use for cooking,” she said. Chambers buys Bariani, an Italian producer in Sacramento that uses California-grown olives.
She recommended that people taste a variety of olive oils to find out which they like best. “If it’s your personal taste and you don’t like it, eeeuw, don’t use it, for goodness sakes!” she said. “Use what you like.” Moll suggested Sigona’s Market at Stanford Shopping Center for tasting.
The third category, virgin olive oil, is pressed the day after extra virgin. It has less than 2 percent acidity and a less fruity aroma, taste and color than extra virgin but more than pure. Virgin is used when you don’t want too strong a flavor.
As Mediterranean cooking becomes a hallmark of the healthy California lifestyle, olive oil production continues to expand throughout the state. The Nan McEvoy Ranch in Petaluma boasts 18,000 olive trees on about 80 acres, contributing to some of the 300,000 gallons of olive oil that California produces every year. In Los Altos, the Jesuit Retreat House produced its own olive oil for years until a recent infestation damaged the trees.
Gass, McEvoy’s chef, said buyers should be mindful of standards of quality when choosing California olive oils. Chambers picks her oils based on harvesting and bottling date. “Olive oil is not to be kept indefinitely,” she said. “It does not age like wine.” Oils should be used within one to two years of bottling.
Gass agreed. “Don’t wait for a good occasion to use it,” he said. “Use it up.”
Gass noted that proper storage of olive oil helps maintain its flavor and quality. “Handling of olive oil is damaged by heat, light and air,” he said. “So you want to keep it in a dark, cool place and make sure that it’s tightly corked.”
You may wonder if there is any downside to cooking and baking with olive oil. It’s more expensive than other oils. A 500 ml (17.6 oz) bottle of Terra nostre extra virgin at A.G. Ferrari Foods costs almost $9, and boutique oils go up from there. McEvoy’s oil sells for $20 for 375 ml.
Moll argues in olive oil’s defense that it’s good for any cook to use the finest ingredients. “People often ask us why our food tastes so good,” he said. “It’s because we buy the best quality available. You really can’t go wrong with that.”
He may be right. What’s a few extra dollars to make grilled lamb chops taste like a million bucks?
This recipe comes courtesy of Gass:
Grilled lamb chops marinated in Indian spices with grilled Japanese eggplant
Serves four
For the spice mixture:
1 tablespoon each, black peppercorns, whole cumin seed, whole coriander seed
1 teaspoon whole cardamom seed
1 teaspoon cinnamon stick pieces
¾ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1½ teaspoon ground ginger
Place the first five ingredients in a small sauté pan and toast over medium-low heat until the cumin seeds begin to darken. Place mixture in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle along with the remaining four ingredients and grind to a coarse powder. This will make enough spice mixture to triple the rest of the recipe. Store in a covered jar in a cool, dark place.
For the lamb:
1 large garlic clove, peeled and sliced
1 medium shallot, peeled and sliced
2 teaspoons spice mix
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup yogurt
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
8 lamb rib chops 1¼-inch thick, bones frenched
Pound first four ingredients in a mortar and pestle to form a rough paste. Stir in yogurt, lemon zest and lemon juice. Rub paste onto lamb chops and allow to rest, covered, at room temperature for 1½ hours or in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Allow meat to return to room temperature before cooking.
For the eggplant:
6 small Japanese eggplant
1 tablespoon spice mixture
1½ teaspoons sea or kosher salt
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
Remove the caps from the eggplants. Cut each eggplant in half lengthwise. Using a sharp paring knife, make crosshatch cuts about ¼-inch apart on the cut surface of each eggplant half. The cuts should reach almost to the skin without piercing it. Rub about ¼ teaspoon of the spice mix into the cuts of each eggplant. Just before grilling, brush the cut sides with the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt.
Scrape excess marinade from lamb chops and season with sea salt. Grill chops over a hot fire to desired degree of doneness. Grill eggplants, turning several times, until they are dark golden brown and soft. Serve with raita and herbed cherry tomato salad.
