Zucchini Gingerbread with California Toasted Almond Oil

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup wholewheat flour
4 large eggs
2 cups freshly grated zucchini and/or carrots
1 cup California Toasted Almond Oil
1 cup molasses 
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated cane sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons dry ground ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Grease two standard loaf pans, or one 9"x13" pan.

Whisk the oil, molasses, sugars, eggs, and zucchini in a large bowl.  Whisk together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.  Add the dry to the wet ingredients and mix just until no dry spots of flour remain. 

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a wooden toothpick or skewer inserted in to the center comes out clean.  Cool and serve with whipped cream.

Shaved Fennel Salad with Milanese Gremolata Viniagrette

Ingredients

2 trimmed, thinly sliced fennel bulbs
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley

1 small finely minced garlic clove
4 tablespoons Ultra Premium Certified extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon sea salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
1/3 cup finely shaved Pecorino Romano
3 Cups mixed baby greens such as arugula for presentation - optional

Instructions

Place the shaved fennel in a resealable Ziplock bag or bowl large enough to hold it.  Thoroughly whisk together the Gremolata Olive Oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and chopped flat leaf parsley.  Pour over the fennel and toss to coat.  Marinate in the refrigerator for two hours.  In a bowl or large platter, arrange a bed of washed mixed baby greens.  Arrange the fennel over the greens, pouring any remaining dressing over the fennel and greens.  Sprinkle evenly with shaved Pecorino and fresh ground pepper.
 

 Serves 4-6 

Crab Stuffed Squash Blossoms Fried To A Delicate Crisp in UP EVOO

Oh yes...

Spring - it's an epic time in the kitchen namely because we have access to remarkable fleeting ingredients like green garlic, ramps, and squash blossoms.  This recipe harnesses several delightful seasonal ingredients and weaves them in to a flavorful and eye-catching culinary tapestry.

As complicated as it may look at the outset, there are really just a handful of ingredients that come together to make this dish shine, and as you would expect, olive oil is a among them.  

Ingredients For the Filling

1 small shallot chopped
1 green onion, chopped
1 tablespoon UP EVOO oil 

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup Mascarpone
1 large egg beaten

8 oz. jumbo lump crab meat (Dungeness, if you can get it), picked through for shells

1/2 teaspoon sea salt or to taste

12 medium to large fresh zucchini squash blossoms 

For the Batter

1 cup seltzer water

1 cup all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

a pinch of salt

 

UP EVOO for frying (I used the Hojiblanca from Melgarejo for this)

 

Combine the shallot, onion, olive oil, lemon juice, mascarpone, egg, and salt in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse a few times to finely chop the ingredients and combine.  Place the filling in a medium size bowl, and with the utmost of care, gently fold in the crab meat being very careful not to break it up too much.  Adjust the seasoning, cover, and refrigerate the filling for 1/2 hour.

In a shallow dish or bowl whisk together the seltzer water, flour, baking powder, and salt.

Heat 2 inches of UP EVOO up to 350 F. in a heavy bottom pot or pan. 

 

To Assemble

Make sure the blossoms are clean of debris.  Gently remove the flower stamens.  Using a spoon, gently fill each blossom with approximately 1 heaping tablespoon of chilled crab filling.  Gently twist the ends of the petals to seal.  Swirl each filled blossom in the batter rotating it in the same direction that you twisted the petals so as not to undo your blossom.  Place in the heated oil and fry each blossom for approximately 2 minutes, turning once until light golden brown on all sides.  

 

Remove the blossoms from the oil to a rack to drain.  Serve warm.   

Caramelized Wild Mushroom & Blue Cheese Flat Bread

I apologize in advance to all you "mushroom-haters" out there, but I'm squarely on "Team Mushroom", as if you couldn't tell.  Here I've layered copious amounts of glorious mushrooms upon even more mushrooms, with a gooey blue cheese.  The results are a simple yet supremely satisfying flat bread that begs to be served alongside a crisp, vibrant salad with a shot of acidity.

Flat Bread Dough

2 1/2 cups of AP unbleached flour
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons UP Certified Olio Nuovo Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 teaspoons active dry yeast 
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Mushroom Topping

1 large shallot, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons UP Certified Olio Nuovo Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 cups fresh sliced mushrooms such as Cremini, Shitake, Oyster, Porcnini, Chanterelle, etc.
sea salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste

To make the flat bread dough, mix together the olive oil, warm water, yeast, and sugar.  Allow to sit for five minutes to bloom. Blend the salt with the flour and mix with the wet ingredients to form a somewhat moist dough.

Knead the dough for about five minutes adding just a bit of flour if it becomes too sticky, until a smooth dough forms.  Divide in to two balls and set aside covered in a warm place to rise until doubled, for about 1 hour.

Meanwhile make the mushroom topping.  In a large saute pan heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the mushrooms and sprinkle with a bit of sea salt to taste.  Saute until they just begin to turn a light golden-brown color.  Add the sliced shallot and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until the shallot is sweet, soft, and also gently caramelized.  Adjust seasoning as desired with salt and pepper, and set aside to cool while the dough rises.  Alternatively, you can use your bread machine or stand mixer to mix and knead the dough.

Preheat the oven to 450 F.

To assemble, roll each flat dough ball in to a very thin circle, approximately 8" in diameter. Place the rolled dough on to a sheet pan or pizza pan either greased with olive oil, lined with parchment, or dusted with cornmeal.

Arrange the caramelized mushroom-shallot mixture evenly over both pieces of dough.  Sprinkle each with equal portions of crumbled blue cheese, and another drizzle UP Certified Olio Nuovo Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and additional fresh ground pepper (if desired).  Slide the flat bread in to the preheated oven and bake for approximately 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and beginning to caramelize and the crust is golden brown and slightly puffed.  Rotate the flat bread half way through the cooking process to ensure that each cooks evenly.

Serves 4-6

Roasted Beet Salad with Fresh Goat Cheese, Arugula Blossoms, & Toasted Pecans

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds fresh beets
1/3 cup arugula blossoms (optional)
8 oz. chevre (fresh goat cheese)
6 cups baby arugula or mixed greens
1 cup whole pecans, toasted
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar or rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon good quality grainy mustard
fresh ground pepper to taste
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons UP Certified Extra Virgin Olive Oil such as Oro Bailen Picual or Melgarejo Hojiblanca

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400.  Trim the beets and wrap in one foil packet drizzled with a tablespoon of water.  Roast for 1 hour or until tender when pierced through with a knife.  Once the cooked beets are cool enough to handle, peel them by rubbing the skin off between paper towels.  Warning:  This will dye your hands bright red so you may want to use gloves or extra paper towels.

Cut the peeled beets in to 1" pieces and toss with 2 tablespoons of white balsamic whisked together with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and set aside.

In a medium size bowl, whisk the remaining white balsamic with the grainy mustard until well combined.  Slowly drizzle in your olive oil of choice, whisking constantly until the mixture is thickened or emulsified.  Add freshly ground pepper and sea salt to taste.

Arrange the greens in a bowl or on a platter and dress with the white balsamic vinaigrette.  Add the marinated roasted beets to the salad, along with the crumbled fresh goat cheese, toasted pecans, and arugula blossoms (if using).

Serves 6-8 generous portions

Shaved Brussles Sprouts with Melgarejo Arbequina, Lemon Agrumato Olive Oil & Parmesan Cheese

My husband hated Brussles sprouts until...

Ingredients
1 pound Brussles sprouts, stem end trimmed off
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
1/4 cup shave Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Melgarejo Arbequina
1 tablespoon Lemon Agrumato (fused) olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
sea salt to taste
fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions
Shave or slice the Brussles sprouts as thinly as possible.  This can be done on a mandolin, using the slicing disk of a food processor, or simply by using a very sharp knife coupled with decent knife skill.

In a large saute pan, heat the arbequina olive over medium-high heat.  Begin by sauteing the shallots until they just begin to caramelize on the edges.   Add the shaved brussles sprouts and saute, stirring frequently until they are just barely softened, and begin to caramelize on the edges a bit.

Add the lemon juice and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste, and toss well to combine.  Serve drizzled with the fused lemon olive oil and shaved Parmesan cheese.

Serves 6 as a side

Shrimp & Andouille Over Baklouti Chili Agrumato Olive Oil-White Cheddar Grits

Shrimp & Sausage
1 1/2 pounds 21-25 wild shrimp

1/2 pound Andouille sausage, cut in 1/2" dice

1 large shallot, minced

2 medium cloves garlic, minced 

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons Baklouti Fused Olive Oil

 

Shrimp Stock (optional) 
chicken broth or stock will work here

3 cups water

shrimp shells

2 teaspoons sea salt 

 

Grits 

2 1/2 cups shrimp stock 
1/2 cup heavy cream 

3/4 cup quick grits
sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup) 
Salt and freshly ground pepper 
3 tablespoons Fused Baklouti Chili Olive Oil 

Sauce 
1 tablespoon 
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup shrimp stock 
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon Fused Baklouti Olive Oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme

(Skip this step if using chicken broth or stock)
Peel the shrimp and reserve the shells.  Heat 3 cups of water with shrimp shells in a stock pot and bring to a boil.  Boil for 2 minutes, and then set aside to steep for 5 minutes.  Strain the stock and reserve.

Mix together the garlic powder, salt, smoked paprika, thyme, black pepper and then toss the shrimp in the spice mixture to coat.  

Heat the Baklouti olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add the cut up Andouille sausage and saute until just barely golden brown.  Add the shallots and cook for another minute.  Finally add the garlic and shrimp.  Saute until the shrimp is just barely cooked though, another minute or two.  Do not overcook!!!  Remove the shrimp and sausage mixture and reserve.

In a medium saucepan, bring 2 1/2 cups of shrimp stock and heavy cream to a boil. Whisk in the grits and cook over moderately high heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and the grains are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the cheese, Baklouti Olive Oil, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, and whisk just until the cheese is melted. Cover and remove from the heat.

In the same pan that the shrimp and sausage was cooked in, add a tablespoon of Baklouti Olive Oil, over medium high heat add the flour to the olive oil and whisk until the roux becomes a medium-tan color, scraping up all the caramelized bits from the bottom of the pan.  Add the tomato paste and stir in to the roux, cooking for another minute.  Add the shrimp stock and cream to the pan, and whisk until the mixture is thickened, another minute or two.  Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.  Add the reserved shrimp and sausage mixture to the sauce and stir heating until warmed though.  Do not overcook the shrimp!

Serve the shrimp and sauce over the hot grits with more Baklouti drizzled over the top, if desired.

Serves 6

Dark Chocolate and Mandarin Agrumato Olive Oil Madeleines

These are absolutely mind blowing.  Here's a perfect example of using olive oil not simply because it's amazingly good for the human body, but also because if the right olive oil is used in the proper context, it can dramatically elevate even the most humble of culinary applications. 

The bright, citrus notes of the Mandarin Agrumato (fused) Olive Oil play beautifully with the deep, earthy, rich dark chocolate. The exterior edges are just ever so barely caramelized, while the middles are ethereal and moist.

Ingredients
 1 cup flour + 1/4 cup for pan
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup Mandarin Agrumato (fused) Olive Oil + 1 tablespoon for greasing pan

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375.

Grease a 12 portion madeleine pan with with mandarin olive oil and then dust with flour.

Combine the eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat for 2 minutes until light and thick.  Add the olive oil and beat for another minute.  Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa in another bowl and fold in to the wet ingredients making sure to not leave any dry spots.  

Spoon in the to the prepared madeleine mold(s) and bake in the upper portion of the oven for 10-12 minutes, or just until the tops spring back when lightly touched and the edges begin to darken slightly.

Immediately un-mold the cookies on to a rack to cool.  If you only have one madeleine pan, clean it and repeat the process above a second time as this recipe makes 2 dozen cookies.  

Allow to cool and enjoy.  These are best fresh, the day they're made. 

Makes 2 dozen