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
Miladzanya – a very tasty, hearty and healthy dish, which is baked layers of eggplant, tomatoes and cream cheese. And in combination with pesto sauce and the most delicate cream cheese, this is absolutely the most delicious! This dish is sure to be the perfect snack for any festive table, because in addition to the fact that miladzanya is surprisingly delicious, it also looks very impressive! And miladzanya will definitely be appreciated by adherents of a healthy diet, so it can be safely prepared not only for a festive feast, but also in everyday life!
Osso-buko or ossobuco is a very strange and extremely unusual name for our perception, because not everyone knows what exactly is hidden behind it. In fact, it’s very simple: osso-buco is a stewed beef drumstick, a traditional dish of Lombardy cuisine. It is no less readily prepared in other regions of Italy, and each of them has its own peculiarities of cooking osso-buco. The finished dish is usually served with vegetables, polenta, risotto or pasta, and it is difficult to say which option will taste better – they are all good in their own way! And our current version is osso-buco in cheese sauce with vegetables. Aromatic beef with healthy and delicious vegetables, generously flavored with a sauce made on the basis of melted cheese – an excellent option for the upcoming hot holiday feast!
Chicken is a very familiar dish, even traditional. But not a Greek-style chicken! It turns out to be especially tender, juicy and fragrant! And if you add potatoes and spices to it, and then generously flavor it with a wonderful cream made on the basis of cheese, this dish will be quite comparable to expensive restaurant delights! And such a chicken can be safely put at the head of the New Year’s table – this is really one of the best and most worthy options for hot dishes!
Sea bass is a wonderful fish, able to boast not only a weak fish smell and surprisingly tender, juicy and soft meat, but also almost completely devoid of small bones, with which many people do not like to mess around. And, you will agree, it is even more inappropriate to extract the bones from the fish for a few minutes at a time at a festive table! And in its benefits, sea bass is fairly equated with salmon, because it is also very rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. So this is an ideal option in all respects, both for the daily menu and for festive feasts! Try to bake this amazing fish together with vegetables and cheese – this combination will allow you to discover new, hitherto unknown flavors!
Many people have heard about the benefits of halibut – this flounder fish, which lives in the northern seas and oceans, helps to make blood vessels more elastic, effectively fights cholesterol, prevents the formation of blood clots, improves vision, slows down the aging process and suppresses the release of stress hormones. And this is not all the useful properties of halibut! You can cook such fish in a variety of ways, and in all cases it will be perfectly combined with almost any side dishes. And there are very few bones in the halibut, and the excellent taste of this fish is also beyond praise! Try cooking halibut fillet with spinach and Hochland cream cheese sauce – this dish will be a great solution not only for everyday meals, but also for any festive feast!
Juicy vegetable salad with chickpeas is both healthy, and satisfying, and delicious! Legumes just need to be included in your diet, so I suggest that you supplement your menu with such a salad in the post and not only!
