Olive oil of the highest category (extra virgin) is essentially freshly squeezed olive juice, which professionals call first–pressed oil. This oil is obtained by cold pressing the fruits and separating the excess liquid in a centrifuge. Fresh olive is a capricious product, and within a day after harvesting it begins to oxidize, lose its shape, taste and aroma, so olives are turned into oil as close as possible to the place of collection and never transport fruits over long distances. This means that the first-pressed oil retains the unique aroma of olives of the region where it was made. Notes of flowers and fruits, artichokes and fresh grass.
Such a bright personality requires careful handling: extra virgin olive oil works best in its natural form at room temperature in salads, appetizers, sauces and even in cold desserts. Many manufacturers enrich its notes with additional flavors – basil, lemon zest, garlic, dried tomatoes and truffle. So the oil turns into a ready-made refined dressing. It is enough to dip a piece of ciabatta in olive oil with the aroma of noble white truffle to feel a powerful polyphony of flavors.
Olive Oil for Frying
Many home cooks are sure that frying and stewing in extra virgin olive oil is not right. From the heat, fragile natural flavors are destroyed, the oil changes texture and color, and the piquant bitterness turns into outright bitterness. But this is only partially true. In fact, the so–called “smoking point” (that is, the temperature limit after which all of the above irreversible processes begin to occur in the oil) even in first-pressed oil is quite high – up to 180 ° C, depending on the acidity of the product. In other words, if the dish is slowly languishing or baked in the oven with gentle heating, extra virgin oil releases all its flavor and transmits it to the products, which is exclusively beneficial for fish, meat or vegetables. This is the secret, for example, of the Provencal ratatouille – only mixed vegetables cooked in “virgin” olive oil turn into a luxurious, fragrant southern sun whole.
But if we are talking about high temperatures – deep-frying or frying in a hot frying pan, then the temperature shock will kill all living things. For these purposes, it is logical to use refined olive oil: it is sold both in pure form and mixed with a small amount of extra virgin (usually in a percentage ratio of 80:20). This oil is a workhorse in the kitchen, it is more affordable and absolutely universal, suitable for salad dressings and frying in a frying pan. Due to the high density, olive oil practically does not penetrate into the product during frying. And this is good news for those who want to eat a ruddy steak and observe the principles of a healthy diet: after frying, it is easy to remove excess olive oil with a paper towel.
It is worth considering that due to the high density, olive oil practically does not penetrate into the product during frying. The only thing to avoid is deep–frying and a hot frying pan
Recently we had a rest in the Crimea, and there we tried a wonderful salad from the chef. The cafe is called “Ekaterina”, hence the name. We liked it and we want to share it with you. Maybe someone will also like it.
My recipe is not complicated, but very, very tasty! It looks beautiful on the table and is suitable for any occasion! Squid turned out to be very tender, fragrant, with a pleasant piquant taste.
The recipe for this salad I took from the book of two wonderful chefs Gotama Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. A very spicy salad is served as a Meze appetizer for meat dishes. Crispy kohlrabi in cream sauce with spicy additives.
If you are tired of the usual sandwiches for breakfast, you can try to cook vegetables or fruits in oatmeal breading. A very tasty, hearty and unusual dish. For cooking, you can use not only apples or beets, carrots and pears are perfect.
Today I want to introduce you to a snack that instantly disappears from the table when I have guests. The aroma of dried mushrooms leaves no one indifferent. If you have a handful of dried mushrooms left after the fall, prepare this snack, you will not regret it! It is very easy to cook, and the result is always pleasing. There are a lot of egg casserole recipes on the website, but I haven’t found them yet.
Mashed potato soup with corn and shrimps is a very tasty and healthy dish, as shrimps contain a lot of protein and other substances useful for the body. It will take quite a bit of your time and effort to prepare this soup, since shrimp, like many seafood, are cooked very quickly, the main thing is that they are not digested. The sharpness can be adjusted to your liking.
I propose for the buffet table cheese balls with shrimp, which will be served on chips. It is quick and easy to prepare. Green breading is very similar to a Christmas tree and will look beautiful on the New Year’s table.
Snacks are a special category of dishes that are served either as a separate light snack (for example, a buffet consisting only of various snacks), or served before the main meal. Snack of cheese tortilla with cottage cheese.
A simple but delicious salad. After cooking it, you will enjoy the taste of fresh vegetables and cheese balls. Feel free to prepare this salad for a romantic dinner. You will be happy.
A very juicy and bright vitamin salad that perfectly harmonizes with sour cream dressing! An indispensable ingredient in the preparation of salads is raisins! I recommend it to everyone without exception! It’s really delicious!
