A Lesson in Tasting Olive Oil!

We had an invitation last week to spend the morning  tasting olive oils and balsamic vinegars. The idea intrigued us, so we happily accepted and headed up the 401 to Toronto, and found ourselves at the olive oil tasting bar, OLIVE THAT, on Bloor St. W.  It was a super experience, learning how to appreciate the smells and flavours of the various premium oils and vinegars carried by Val and her team.

We picked out some favorites to bring home and try out. A favourite was this Hojiblanca Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Spain. It was robust  with a rich, grassy, slightly floral note, creamy and fruity on the palate, with a slight peppery finish. You can see that we did learn a lot! We also purchased some flavoured olive oils and balsamic vinegars, to try out on  simple grilled dishes. It was a lot of fun and we had some very successful results, pairing the various oils and vinegars with meats and vegetables.

Rich, grassy, slightly floral & complex nose -creamy & fruity on the palate with a slight peppery finish & no bitterness - See more at: http://olivethat.ca/product/hojiblanca/#sthash.LgTunLqE.dpuf

The first meal, we paired Mushroom and Sage Oil with Roasted Parsnips and Sweet Potaoes.  We simply cut them into wedges and tossed them in the flavoured olive oil. We placed them on the barbecue, which had been preheated on HIGH, then reduced to MEDIUM. We grilled them for 20 minutes, turning once. To ramp up the flavour, we sprinkled the finished parsnips and sweet potatoes with Olive That Truffle Salt -truly delicious! We also had some fennel in the refrigerator, so decided to grill it as well. This time, we brushed them with Olive Oil, grilled for 8-10 minutes, turning once. We drizzled the fennel with Cranberry and Pear White Balsamic vinegar to finish.

DUKKAH
 We have been using  this wonderful aromatic Egyptian seed and spice mix on our grilled meats all winter long. The flavour is subtle, yet makes simple grilled meats and fish special.  We used it this week on Grilled Pork Chops, but have also used it on grilled salmon fillets and grilled chicked thighs.


1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp dried green or white peppercorns
3 tbsp coriander seeds
1 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp sweet paprika

Toast the hazelnuts on a baking sheet, in an oven preheated to 325° F, for 20 minutes. When cool, wrap the hazelnuts in a clean tea towel, and gently shake, to loosen the skins. Unwrap and discard the skins. Meanwhile, toast the sunflower seeds in the oven for 10 minutes.  In a heavy cast iron skillet, toast the fennel seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns, coriander seeds and sesame seeds, for about 30 seconds.
Place all of the of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse 3-4 times, to create a coarse mixture.  To used when grilling meats, as we did with the pork chops, brush the meat with olive oil and spread a thin coating of Dukkah on top. Grill the meat as directed in our Grilling Guides.

 

Leslie was home with a friend this week, with a desire to cook dinner for us. We never say no to a request like that! She picked up on our plan to use the olive oils and balsamic vinegars in simple grilling recipes. They paired Garlic Infused Olive Oil with salmon cooked on the smoker, and Organic Butter Infused Olive Oil with the grilled asparagus. A little fresh lemon juice to finish both of these dishes off was almost all that was needed to create a perfect healthy spring-time dinner. We say almost, because to finish off that wonderful meal, they drizzled some Dark Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar over vanilla ice cream and fresh strawberries. Simply fantastic!!!!

Thanks a million for coming home!!!