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
How would you like to make a delicious, light salad with just three ingredients? Cooking this delicious salad will not take you much time. Its lightness and taste will not leave you indifferent.
I suggest you prepare a delicious salad of eggplant, tomatoes and green onions. the salad is very tasty just with fresh bread, you can also fill it with pita or wrap it in a tortilla.
For this salad, I used hot smoked pink salmon, but any baked fish is also perfect, both on an open fire and in the oven. This gas station was once shared by my friend Natalia. for which I thank her very much.
An interesting snack, from the series “fast and tasty, beautiful and healthy”. But this is one of the main conditions when preparing a festive lunch or dinner, and certainly on New Year’s days, because there is not enough time. And this recipe will not require much effort, marinate, put in the refrigerator, fry for 5 minutes before serving. Recommend.
Italian cannelloni has long attracted catalan housewives. on december 26, the day of sant esteve, they are prepared in almost every house in catalonia. according to legend, the basis for the filling was the remains of the roast from the christmas meal. Since then, the recipe has undergone some changes, except for one: the meat is still cooked first and only then scrolled in a meat grinder. Due to this (and not only), the filling turns out very tender, literally melts in the mouth. I offer my own version of this delicious dish.