I was intrigued to see one of my favorite restaurants in the San Francisco Bay area, César, is branching out in a new direction, beyond Spain and the Mediterranean. Executive Chef Maggie Pond has developed a new menu for the Oakland eatery showcasing the foods of South and Central America. César’s other location, in Berkeley, will continue to serve great authentic Spanish cuisine.

My wife and I have always enjoyed Chef Pond’s cooking. I’ve written about her roasted butternut squash salad and her phenomenal Marcona almonds, which are lightly fried in extra virgin olive oil.

Chef Pond is a big proponent of extra virgin olive oil. (Forget about requesting butter for your bread in her restaurant.) And I want to serve up another César recipe featuring EVOO: escarole salad.

Escarole is a hearty green with a slightly bitter taste. Its background is anything but straightforward. A member of the daisy family, escarole also is one of the chicories, along with Belgian endive, curly endive, and radicchio. And, to top it off, escarole is sometimes called Batavian endive … or Batavia.

In César’s salad, escarole is tossed with a dressing made from Arbequina EVOO, sherry vinegar and chopped garlic cloves.

It’s not your typical dressing. To flavor the EVOO, the garlic is cooked golden brown in half the oil. The rest of the EVOO is whisked in, along with the vinegar as well as salt, pepper, and sugar.

The escarole is tossed with the dressing and topped with black oil-cured olives and croutons. It’s clearly Mediterranean-inspired.

That said, I look forward to trying Chef Pond’s new Latino menu.

Bon appétit,

Claude S. Weiller
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
California Olive Ranch

Mark Estee loves olive oil. He consumes it straight out of the bottle. And he likes to showcase it in recipes such as his extra virgin olive oil soup.

“It’s a good vehicle to get the olive oil flavor,” said Estee, executive chef at Moody’s Bistro & Lounge in Truckee, Calif., about 100 miles northeast of Sacramento, near Lake Tahoe

Moody’s mantra, by the way, is “Fresh. Seasonal. Simple. Local.”  Chef Estee has developed personal relationships with local farmers, fishmongers and ranchers. Many of these purveyors deliver their goods directly to Moody’s kitchen door.

The extra virgin olive oil soup includes chicken stock (or vegetable stock if you want to go vegetarian), garlic cloves, EVOO, and toasted cubes of artisan bread, such as ciabatta or baguette.

The bread helped inspire the dish. “Olive oil and bread together are delicious,” Chef Estee told us.

And the bread serves a practical purpose, acting as a thickening agent.

For the soup, the garlic gloves are simmered in the broth until fork tender. The toasted bread cubes are added. The ingredients are then puréed until smooth. The EVOO is added during the puréeing process.

If you want to go the extra mile, you can top the soup with a dollop of garlic aoli and a sprinkling of freshly chopped parsley.

Bon appétit,

Claude S. Weiller
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
California Olive Ranch

Eating a Mediterranean-style diet can help you lower your risk of stomach cancer by a third, a study from Europe shows.

“The results add to the evidence for the role of the Mediterranean diet in reducing cancer risk and add further support for the need to continue to promote the Mediterranean diet in areas where it is disappearing,” Dr. Carlos A. Gonzalez of the Catalan Institute for Oncology in Barcelona and his colleagues say, according to Reuters.

The results of the study appeared in an online issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The Mediterranean diet – loaded with olive oil, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and fish – has been found to reduce the risk of several diseases and illnesses, including cancer, depression, and Alzheimer’s.

The European study examined gastric cancer, the second deadliest form of cancer worldwide. According to its most recent forecast, the American Cancer Society estimated 21,130 new cases of stomach cancer would be diagnosed in the United States in 2009. The organization also forecast 10,620 deaths from the disease.

The European researchers examined data covering 485,044 men and women aged 35 to 70 from 10 European countries. The data was pulled from a separate, ongoing major study known as the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition, or EPIC.

Subjects in the stomach cancer study were given a score based on how closely their eating habits adhered to the Mediterranean diet.

“People with the highest relative Mediterranean diet scores were 33 percent less likely to develop the disease than people whose eating patterns were furthest from the Mediterranean ideal,” Reuters reported. “Gastric cancer risk fell 5 percent for every one-point increase in a person’s Mediterranean diet score.”

It’s yet another reason to follow a Mediterranean-style diet – if you aren’t doing so already.

Bon appétit,

Claude S. Weiller
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
California Olive Ranch

I’m back from Napa Valley and an amazing conference about healthy dining at the Culinary Institute of America. Chefs demonstrated dishes like farro and mushroom burgers. Avocado cake with figs was served as dessert at a meal. A citrus cucumber puree was offered as a lunch drink. It was inspiring to see and eat the healthy food. And I want to stick with that theme. While this pan-roasted red snapper dish with orange and mango salsa wasn’t on the conference agenda, it could have been.

The recipe comes from Chef Allen Susser. The New York Times has called the chef – who’s a native New Yorker – “The Ponce de Leon of New Florida Cuisine.” He’s won numerous awards, including a James Beard Foundation Award.

Chef Susser operates Chef Allen’s in Aventura, north of Miami. The eatery opened in 1986. His cuisine draws on the influences of the Caribbean, Latin America and “modern America.”  The chef works with the bounty of south Florida foodstuffs.

In this recipe, the salsa combines an orange, mango, red onion, half a jalapeño pepper for some heat, as well as fresh lime juice and extra virgin olive oil.

The snapper fillets get a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil before being sautéed. Garlic and fresh orange juice are added to the pan. The cooked fillets are removed to a platter while the juice simmers a few minutes. The snapper is then topped with the juice. The salsa is served on the side.

Bon appétit,

Claude S. Weiller
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
California Olive Ranch

I’ve been attending a conference this week in Napa Valley at the Culinary Institute of America’s Greystone campus in northern California. The topic: healthy dining. Here’s a dish that fits that bill.

The recipe features delicata squash, pictured below. (My computer’s spell checker, which lacks culinary smarts, insists the squash is spelled “delicate.”)

“This is one of the quickest cooking winter squash, yielding a sweet, delicate flavor,” writes Lou Seibert Pappas in an excellent cookbook named A Harvest of Pumpkins and Squash (Chronicle Books, 2008). “The skin is easy to peel.”

In this recipe, the delicata squash is peeled and sliced into thick rings. The rings are sautéed until lightly browned. They’re combined with mixed field greens, persimmon, dried cranberries and feta cheese. The whole dish gets topped with a vinaigrette made from extra virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar, and freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Delicata squash is considered an heirloom variety. And, as Pappas noted, it’s a winter squash. This squash family – which includes butternut, acorn and Hubbard, among others – is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals.  It contains beta-carotene, which packs antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Winter squash also boasts vitamin C, potassium, dietary fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, and different B vitamins.

Pappas, by the way, suggests serving the sauteed squash “slightly warm” along with the “cool salad topping.”

Bon appétit,

Claude S. Weiller
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
California Olive Ranch

Newly published research adds to evidence that olive oil may play a role in fighting Alzheimer’s disease.

A Spanish study found that a diet made up of foods rich in polyphenols such as olive oil, fruits, vegetables, and nuts – as well as polyunsaturated fatty acids from oily fish and vegetables such as corn and soya beans – could delay the onset Alzheimer’s.

Polyphenols are the chemical substances found in plants that may reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. And because it’s unrefined, extra virgin olive oil contains more polyphenols than other grades of olive oil.

I’ve blogged about a U.S. study that said a naturally occurring compound in EVOO , called oleocanthal, could help prevent Alzheimer’s.

In the new Spanish study, which was carried out on mice, researchers found that a diet based on polyphenols and polyunsaturated fatty acids promotes brain cell growth in two key areas of the brain which are greatly damaged in patients with Alzheimer’s.

“These results give support to the hypothesis that a diet made up of foods rich in these antioxidant substances could delay the onset of this disease or even slow down its evolution,” according to a news release issued by the  Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, which is publishing the study.

Foods rich in polyphenols and polyunsaturated fatty acids – including olive oil, fruits, vegetables, grains and beans – are key to the Mediterranean diet. The press release about the Spanish study does not mention the Mediterranean diet. But separate research suggests that food regimen may lower the risk of breast cancer in older women, cut the risk of depression, and help diabetics lead a healthier life and reduce their need for drugs.

Bon appétit,

Claude S. Weiller
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
California Olive Ranch

A friend thought my pair of  olive oil tasting cups would make perfect candleholders. She might just have a point.

We recently saw a “Tweet” about the cobalt blue vessels: “Research shows that the blue EVOO tasting glasses don’t even work!” Australian olive oil expert Richard Gawel declared in a message, or Tweet, on Twitter.

I’ve used the stemless glasses to sample extra virgin olive oils. Trained olive oil tasters use them when judging oil and evaluating whether a particular oil should be classified as “extra virgin” or some lower grade. The tasting cup’s blue tint is meant to mask the oil’s color so it won’t influence a taster’s judgment.

But a recent study in the Journal of the American Oil Chemists’ Society suggests black would be more effective.

In the study, researchers from Spain performed high-tech color measurements on 18 blue-tinted tasting cups. They used 10 commercial olive oils in the process.

“Our main goal was to test whether traditional blue-tinted cups effectively conceal the color of virgin olive oils,” the researchers wrote.

It’s an interesting question. To be certified “extra virgin,” an oil must pass a barrage of tests – some conducted by lab technicians, and others done by a panel of professional olive oil tasters.

It’s the taster’s job to analyze the aroma, taste, and pungency of the oil to see if it passes muster. Color doesn’t indicate the quality of the oil. Hence, the blue-tinted cups.

The Spanish researchers found the cups aren’t fool-proof. It turns out you can tell the color in certain instances, according to their tests.

“Blue-tinted olive-oil-tasting cups reduce, but do not completely conceal, oil color,” the researchers concluded. “The use of opaque tasting cups with black walls is suggested.”

You be the judge. But I’m guessing it won’t be the last we hear on the matter.

Bon appétit,

Claude S. Weiller
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
California Olive Ranch

Justin Wangler likes extra virgin olive oil, honey and oranges, among other ingredients. You may recall that for breakfast this time of year the chef drizzles EVOO and honey on Irish steel-cut oatmeal. Wangler, the executive chef at California winemaker Kendall-Jackson, also likes using freshly squeezed orange juice in his cooking.

His recipe for grilled chicken breasts served with a mixed green salad combines many of these favorite ingredients.

The chicken is marinated in fresh orange juice, honey, garlic, thyme and grated orange peel. The marinade is boiled down to concentrate the flavor and kick up the sweetness of the juice. It’s then drizzled over the thinly sliced grilled chicken.

The chef also uses fresh orange juice to make a dressing for the mixed green salad.

I blogged earlier about Chef Wangler’s seasonal salad topped with carmelized Bosc pears and walnuts, along with proscuitto. That recipe, by the way, also featured freshly squeezed orange juice and EVOO.

Chef Wangler came to Kendall-Jackson in 2005, having worked previously at Syrah Bistro in Santa Rosa, Calif., Saddleback Cellars in California’s Napa Valley, and the Culinary Institute of America’s Greystone campus in Napa. He grew up in Asheville, N.C.

What’s his favorite wine to bring to a dinner party? Pinot noir, because “it’s light, easy and complements a variety of foods.”

Bon appétit,

Claude S. Weiller
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
California Olive Ranch

George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Anniston, and hundreds of other Hollywood A-listers are about to tuck into a meal that makes use of our extra virgin olive oil.

I kid you not. Our Olio Nuovo EVOO will be one of the ingredients used to prepare the dinner at the Golden Globe Awards Show Dinner on Jan. 17, at the Beverly Hilton. The hotel’s executive chef, Suki Sugiura, began planning the menu for the gala bash half a year ago. It’s thrown by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. In the photo – which shows our EVOO – Chef Suki is providing a media preview of the dinner he’ll be serving.

The chef — a veteran of four Golden Globe dinners — is a big fan of our EVOO. And he is no stranger to the appetites of Tinseltown’s heavyweights. “I know what their tastes are because I’ve been doing this many, many years,” he told the Associated Press.

For the dinner, Chef Suki is serving a locally inspired menu showcasing the bounty of California’s agriculture. Every ingredient will come from the Golden State, from our Olio Nuovo to the mozzarella and beef short ribs.

“This is a message from California,” Chef Suki told the AP. “We’re taking advantage of the fact that some of the finest ingredients in the U.S. are right here in California.”

The chef also is adhering to a California theme of “cooking light.”

“There’s not so much butter. And cream — forget it,” he told the AP.

Instead, according to the news agency: “Fresh herbs and local olive oil add flavor to the appetizer salad and the beef and sea bass entree (that comes from Central and Southern California).”

The entree, for example, will pair our EVOO with an aged balsamic vinegar that accompanies the sautéed sea bass and the herb-braised short ribs.

Chef Suki and his kitchen staff of more than 100 have been busy getting ready. Some 1,700 meals are expected to be served at events tied to the Golden Globes. The Jan. 17 gala banquet alone is expected to draw nearly 1,300 movers and shakers. The chef also is responsible for preparing the food for a half dozen parties thrown after the big dinner.

He and his team are prepared to work from 6 a.m. to well past midnight on the 17th.

“It’s the busiest day of the year,” he told the AP.

Bon appétit,

Claude S. Weiller
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
California Olive Ranch

I wish I had fresh produce growing right outside my kitchen door. California chef Jamie West has a two-acre chef’s garden where he can pick seasonal vegetables to serve his restaurant customers. He also shops at the farmers market to stay “in touch with the season and what’s available locally.”

West is the executive chef at the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, located about 80 miles by car northwest of Los Angeles. It’s a beautiful spot surrounded by mountains.

He oversees the culinary operation of four restaurants and a banquet department. I recently blogged about his spice-crusted diver scallops. They’re served atop a butternut squash risotto.

Fresh, seasonal ingredients are a foundation of Chef West’s cooking.

“I remember going to my grandparent’s house, having tomatoes and corn grown in their garden   To this day, whenever I smell a tomato on the vine, I think of that experience,” he told us.  “The corn was so sweet – we would make a mess eating it. But it was delicious.”

The chef agreed to share a seasonally inspired dish with us: grilled chicken breasts with tangerine honey and chipotle glaze. Tangerines are at their seasonal peak.

In this dish, freshly squeezed tangerine juice (or orange juice) is combined with extra virgin olive oil and herbs to make a marinade for the chicken.

Separately, freshly squeezed tangerine juice and honey are simmered on the stove until reduced. Chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce are then added to provide some heat and smoke. The grilled chicken gets brushed with the spicy glaze.

Chef West suggests serving the chicken with his olive oil-crushed fingerling potatoes and  sautéed green beans.

Makes me hungry thinking about it.

Bon appétit,

Claude S. Weiller
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
California Olive Ranch