Esposito first sampled the dish at an Umbrian restaurant where a friend is the chef and proprietor. Esposito says the memory of the dish “stayed fresh in my mind” after she returned home. “It is a complete meal in terms of a balance of protein with calcium and vegetables,” she adds. (Click here to see the recipe.)

The speedy way to cook farro is to cover it with water the night before. Drain the water the next day and put the farro in a 1-quart saucepan. It takes about 15 minutes to prepare. Farro also can be cooked without presoaking. But it will need a longer cooking time, about 30 minutes.

For the salad, the cooked farro is tossed with extra virgin olive oil to coat the grains. Salt and balsamic vinegar are added. The farro is plated and accompanied by arugula and topped with halved cherry tomatoes and shavings of Parmigiano-Regiano cheese. You can drizzle the salad with additional olive oil.

Then, when you sit down and enjoy this dish, you’ll be getting a taste of Umbria.

Bon appétit,

Your friends at California Olive Ranch

“I like the red in this salad for its vibrant flavor,” writes Getty, author of the book Anna Getty’s Easy Green Organic (Chronicle Books, 2010), where the recipe appears.

You can find red and white quinoa in health food stores and well-stocked supermarkets.

“Make sure you wash the quinoa thoroughly to remove the bitter outer coating,” advises Getty, the great granddaughter of oil tycoon J. Paul Getty.

To make the salad, cook the quinoa and let it cool. Then simply add the toasted pine nuts, chopped cranberries, cut cucumber, cubes of feta, and chopped parsley. The dressing combines lemon and extra virgin olive oil.

See our January eNewsletter for more recipes using foods that taste good and are good for you. (Click here to see the eNews.)

Bon appétit,

Your friends at California Olive Ranch

It’s filled with enticing recipes, including the crispy braised chicken thighs featured here. They’re paired with a tapenade made from olives, fermented black beans, and extra virgin olive oil. (Click here to see the recipe.)

“While I could be perfectly happy with these braised chicken thighs on their own (or even just nibbling the crispy skin), the fun part about this recipe is the olive and fermented black bean tapenade,” she writes.

Salty fermented soybeans are a Chinese product. Izard notes they can provide and “earthy pungent kick to American dishes.”

In this dish, the tapenade can be made up to three days in advance. The chicken, meanwhile, is marinated overnight with sliced orange, onion, garlic, toasted coriander seeds and red pepper flakes, along with salt and sugar. The next day the thighs are browned in a pan and then braised in the oven. When served, they’re topped with a savory pan sauce and the tapenade.

Izard, by the way, is a big fan of chicken thighs, noting “it’s the dark meat that holds all of the delicious flavor.” She used to avoid dark meat, instead buying boneless, skinless chicken breasts “to be a bit more health conscious.

“But the truth is there are only two more grams of fat in six ounces of chicken thigh than there are in the same amount of chicken breast. And for the extra flavor you get, that’s two grams of fat well spent.”

Bon appétit,

Your friends at California Olive Ranch

Photo courtesy of Viviane Bauquet Farre

“The tender-yet-robust chickpeas happily provide protein even as the copious amounts of spinach leaves lighten the load,” says Viviane, who writes the food blog foodandstyle.com, where she publishes beautiful and innovative recipes and photographs inspired by seasonal ingredients and local farmers. (Click here to see the pasta recipe.)

The orecchiette — “little ears” in Italian — gets a good dose of smoked Spanish paprika, or pimentón, that adds a “seductive smokiness.” The dish is finished with shavings of nutty Manchego cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

“Hearty, smoky, savory, this pasta dish delivers heaps of flavor and leaves you feeling utterly satisfied,” Viviane says.

You can also see Viviane’s recipes for linguini with roasted beets and grilled vegetable brochettes. And you can see more flavorful, healthy recipes in our January In Season eNewsletter. (Click here to see the eNews.)

Bon appétit,

Your friends at California Olive Ranch

Radicchio is in season here in California. It’s a colorful and flavorful member of the chicory family.

“When it’s not festooning salad bowls, this indelibly Italian vegetable is sensational grilled or sautéed, mixed into pasta sauces and risottos, or simply dipped in bagna cauda, the celebrated hot anchovy-olive oil dip of Italy’s Piedmont,” Christopher Hirsheimer and Peggy Knickerbocker write in their book The San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market Cookbook (Chronicle Books, 2006), where the pasta recipe appears.

Hirsheimer and Knickerbocker describe radicchio’s taste as “refined and sophisticated.” Similarly, they call the pasta dish “sophisticated, yet simple.” (Click here to see the recipe.)

To begin, sauté pancetta or bacon in extra virgin olive oil until browned. Add a chopped onion, followed by the radicchio, which is cooked until wilted. Save a cup of the water used to cook the pasta. Toss the drained pasta with the radicchio mixture and some of the reserved pasta water to make a sauce-like consistency.

The final touch: Drizzle each individual serving with some extra virgin olive oil.

Bon appétit,

Your friends at California Olive Ranch

Photo courtesy of http://pastrystudio.blogspot.com/

You may recall we got these recipes after we challenged some talented food bloggers to create baking recipes using our olive oil and flour from our baking pals at Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods. The bloggers delivered big time, including the recipes below.

Chocolate Rosemary Olive Oil Cake

Blogger Christen Waller, who pens the fine blog life:styled, created this chocolate cake with a savory twist using our Arbosana olive oil (which goes well with chocolate) as well as all-purpose and millet flours from Bob’s Red Mill. She adds 1-1/2 tablespoons of chopped fresh rosemary. Waller gives the cake a crunchy, sugary top by spooning 2 tablespoons of sugar into the bottom of the bundt pan before adding the batter. (Click here to see the recipe.)

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Bread

“I have a standard few things that I make every year during the holidays. My most favorite is … cinnamon bread!” declares Sarena Shasteen, the creative talent behind the excellent blog The Non-Dairy Queen. She says this bread is perfect to “package up for traveling, and it only gets better when it sits over night!” It features Bob’s Red mill white rice, brown rice and buckwheat flours. You can bake the bread in a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan or in mini loaf pans. (Click here to see the recipe.)

Chocolate Almond Olive Oil Cake (Gluten-Free)

This Latin-themed cake packs some heat in the form of cayenne. “The cayenne in the recipe gives this cake a little kick, while the combination of whipped egg whites, olive oil and almond meal flour give this dense, flourless cake an unparalleled moistness and delicate crumb,” says Vanessa Nix, the witty creator of The Groovy Foody blog. She says her travels through Italy inspired this gluten-free cake. There, she came across dense olive oil cakes made with almond meal. For this recipe Nix used Bob’s Red Mill almond meal/flour and our Arbosana oil. (Click here to see the recipe.)

Chocolate Spice Cake with Figs

This rich chocolate cake (in the photo at the top) delivers an intriguing twist: fresh figs. “I found myself wanting to combine the bright fruity flavor of fresh figs along with the earthy depth and acidity of cocoa,” notes the anonymous San Francisco pastry chef who pens the lovely blog pastry studio. “To make a good union even better, I invited some spices to liven up the pairing.” The spices: cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. The pastry chef decided at the last minute to pass on the use of a “gooey” chocolate glaze. “I wanted the gorgeous fruit and the complexity of the spices to take center stage, so this is a very dressed down cake but a beauty nonetheless.” (Click here to see the recipe.)

Bon appétit,

Your friends at California Olive Ranch

]]> http://consumers.californiaoliveranch.com/2011/12/20/baking-a-better-holiday-chocolate-lovers-the-gluten-free-unite/feed/ 0 http://consumers.californiaoliveranch.com/2011/12/16/baking-a-better-holiday-zuke-flatbread-w-tomato-rosemary-bread/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=baking-a-better-holiday-zuke-flatbread-w-tomato-rosemary-bread http://consumers.californiaoliveranch.com/2011/12/16/baking-a-better-holiday-zuke-flatbread-w-tomato-rosemary-bread/#comments Fri, 16 Dec 2011 12:00:02 +0000 consumers http://consumers.californiaoliveranch.com/?p=6346 Continue reading →]]> We’ve been talking a lot about how we like to bake cakes, torts, and cookies made with extra virgin olive oil. But we’ve not yet talked much about how we like to bake savory dishes, too, like bread and flatbread. Well, it’s about time we do!

Photo courtesy of www.artisanbreadinfive.com

Baking aficionados tell us extra virgin olive oil improves the texture of bread, pizza and flatbread dough. “It tenderizes the dough,” Jeff Hertzberg, a best-selling author and doctor who has just released a new book, Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day (St. Martin’s Press, 2011), says

Matthew Kadey, a registered dietitian, recipe developer, and magazine writer whose work has appeared in EatingWell and Men’s Health, says olive oil helps to keep baked goods moist. It also plays a role in the physical sensation a baked good creates in your mouth. “It definitely contributes to moisture and mouthfeel,” says Kadey, the baking guru behind the website Muffin Tin Mania.

Below are two savory recipes Hertzberg and Kadey shared as part of our Baking a Better Holiday focus on baking with olive oil instead of butter. (Click here to see a chart for how to substitute olive oil for butter in baking.)

Zucchini Flatbread with Roasted Tomato and Pine Nuts

This flatbread (featured in the photo above) would make a great appetizer during the holidays, given its festive red and green colors. The recipe originally appeared as a zucchini flatbread in a baking book Jeff Hertzberg co-authored, Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day (St. Martin’s Press, 2009).

This past September Hertzberg decided to make a variation on the original recipe, which also featured chopped parsley, sliced scallions and pine nuts in addition to the shredded zucchini.

“I wanted something to brighten up the flavor and color of all those soft lovely green things— roasted cherry tomatoes did the trick,” he says. “The tangy acidity was perfect for cutting the softer flavors of the zucchini, parsley, cheese, and nuts.” (Click here to see the recipe.)

The recipe featured here uses a dough made with olive oil. You can also use the dough for pizza, focaccia or olive bread. “The fruitier the olive oil, the better the flavor,” says Hertzberg, a physician by training with 20 years of experience in health care as a practitioner, consultant, and university faculty member. (He’s also a passionate baker: “I’m an amateur who’s taken it to a crazy level.”)

The addition of the roasted tomatoes, by the way, turned out to be a winning combo for the flatbread. Hertzberg’s suggestion: Serve this dish as an appetizer with a crisp dry white wine.

Olive Oil Rosemary Bread

Matthew Kadey likes to use extra virgin olive oil in an herb-infused dinner roll, muffin or bread. “I tend to use it most often for items that are not meant to be overly sweet,” Kadey says. This bread recipe, baked in individual muffin tins, fits the bill. (Click here to see the recipe.)

“These individual olive oil breads are very light and have just the perfect touch of rosemary,” says Kadey, who writes a food blog about his passion for cooking with muffin tins. He adds they would make a “perfect side-kick” for hearty soups or a festive holiday meal.

The recipe is versatile. Kadey suggests you could substitute grated nutmeg for the chopped rosemary to give the bread an altogether new flavor.

Bon appétit,

Your friends at California Olive Ranch

Fran also suggests adding our Arbequina oil to the chocolate for her dipped almond and anise biscotti (photo above), saying it helps “ensure a lovely glossy chocolate coating.” (Click here to see the biscotti recipe.)

Biscotti, you may know, means twice cooked. And these popular Italian cookies boast historical roots dating to the Roman times.

Fran makes her biscotti with whole wheat pastry flour, as well as “heart-healthy” almonds and extra virgin olive oil. She says “you really can feel good about enjoying these not too sweet, not too hard cookies any time of the day, including breakfast.” The cookies stay crisp for at least a week in a tin, and can be frozen up to a month.

Fran also notes the chocolate-dipped biscotti “look good and are simple to make.” We couldn’t agree more. Faith Durand, meanwhile, likes to bake with olive oil so much she even made an olive oil cake for her wedding. “I think that the flavor of olive oil can add something really special to baked goods where you might not expect it,” writes Faith, managing editor of the fabulous food site, The Kitchn.

Her shortbread (photo above) “consists of hazelnuts, olive oil, and a touch of lemon — and very little else.” She used Bob’s Red Mill hazelnut meal. The ingredients can be mixed up in a matter of minutes and baked quickly. (Click here to go to the recipe.)

“They taste delicious too,” Faith adds. “Sweet, nutty, savory from the oil, and salty on the finish.”

We can’t wait to put them in our oven and to smell the lovely hazelnut aroma.

Bon appétit,

Your friends at California Olive Ranch

The recipes, which we’ll be featuring here, are part of our “Baking a Better Holiday” focus this month on using extra virgin olive oil instead of butter in baking.  (Click here to see a table for how to substitute olive oil for butter.) A good extra virgin olive oil delivers wonderful flavor in baked goods and helps ensure they are light and moist. (Click here to see more recipes and baking tips in our December eNewsletter.)

Below is our first batch of blogger recipes. Stay tuned for more later this month, including gluten-free recipes. In the meantime, cruise over to our Facebook page where you can win great prizes by posting your ideas for combining our oil with a fine product from Bob’s Red Mill.

Spicy and Moist Gingerbread Cake “Full of the flavors of the holidays, this gingerbread will bring back memories of your childhood delights,” Jane Evans Bonacci, the talent behind the excellent blog The Heritage Cook, says. She says don’t be intimidated with all the spices in the recipe. “They balance well against the molasses, ginger and olive oil.” Bonacci also says the cake “improves with time. So make it a day or two in advance if you like.” (Click here to see the recipe.)

Almond Cranberry Chocolate Chip Quick Bread “Using almond flour in quick breads provides flavor, but more importantly, a supportive crumb structure,” Marnely Rodriguez , who writes the great blog Cooking with Books, says. “Living in New England, fresh cranberries were an obvious addition to cut the sweet buttery taste and add some tartness.” That buttery taste, by the way, comes from her use of our Artois Ranch Mild & Buttery extra virgin olive oil. We’re confident you can also get great results using our Arbequina or Everyday oils, too. (Click here to see the recipe.)

Iced Sweet Potato and Orange-Spice Loaf

“When I was deciding on a recipe, I knew I wanted to use sweet potatoes and orange zest  to make a loaf cake that was flavorful without being too greasy, too crumbly or too dry,” Lori Twitchell writes in her beautiful blog, Lemons and Lavender. She perfected this loaf, featured in the photo at the top of the blog, after four versions. Twitchell says the cake has gotten two thumbs up from “very discriminating taste testers.” We’re not surprised. “I’ve created something that has the indulgence of a holiday sweet loaf but with a healthier twist,” she adds. (Click here to see the recipe.)

Olive Oil Walnut Brownies Deeba Rajpal, the creative force behind the gorgeous blog Passionate About Baking, whipped up these brownies after sampling them at a New Delhi hotel. She asked the chef for the recipe and promptly went home to bake them herself, making some changes and overcoming a power outage that knocked her oven out of commission temporarily. “The texture was fabulous,” she writes. “BIG HIT with the kids too.” (Click here to see the recipe for olive oil walnut brownies.)

Bon appétit,

Your friends at California Olive Ranch

]]> http://consumers.californiaoliveranch.com/2011/12/06/baking-a-better-holiday-a-trove-of-baking-recipes-using-olive-oil-no-butter/feed/ 0 http://consumers.californiaoliveranch.com/2011/12/02/baking-a-better-holiday-olive-oil-spelt-cake-w-caramelized-apples/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=baking-a-better-holiday-olive-oil-spelt-cake-w-caramelized-apples http://consumers.californiaoliveranch.com/2011/12/02/baking-a-better-holiday-olive-oil-spelt-cake-w-caramelized-apples/#comments Fri, 02 Dec 2011 12:00:07 +0000 consumers http://consumers.californiaoliveranch.com/?p=6282 Continue reading →]]> We’ll be baking cakes, breads, and other goodies during the holidays using extra virgin olive oil. A good olive oil adds a fabulous, nuanced flavor to baked goods. Plus, it’s lower in saturated fat than butter. We’re sharing our passion for baking and olive oil this month with the baking gurus at Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods. They’ve created the fabulous cake featured here: an Olive Oil Spelt Cake with Caramelized Apples.“Extra virgin olive oil produces light and moist baked goods with rich olive oil background notes while letting the accompanying flavors shine through,” says Bob’s Red Mill recipe specialist Sarah House, who developed this multi-grain cake. (Click here to see the recipe for this cake.)

The recipe is part of “Baking a Better Holiday.” Stay tuned here and to our Facebook page for baking tips and recipes featuring extra virgin olive oil – instead of butter. We’ll be featuring recipes from professional bakers, and talented food bloggers.

For this recipe, Sarah told us she wanted to make this cake “as whole grain as possible.”

“Everyone’s go-to whole grain flour seems to be wheat,” she added. “So I decided to use something structurally similar but perhaps not as well known to most bakers.  Spelt has a great mildly nutty flavor.”

Sarah also noted many quick breads contain nuts.  “I wanted to accentuate the nutty flavor of spelt and thought it would be fun to replace nuts with cooked spelt berries,” she said.  “The substitution worked out great, adding a lovely light chew to the cake and increasing the whole grain content for extra nutrition.”

Sarah said the use of olive oil helps to “lighten the otherwise dense and heavy whole grain flours.”

What’s the importance of using an extra virgin olive oil that actually tastes good – in other words, not just any ordinary olive oil. We’ll let Sarah explain. She initially tested the recipe using what she called an “inexpensive, off-the-shelf” olive oil.

“Wow, was it obvious that I had used low-quality oil,” Sarah added.  “The flavor of the oil overpowered the rest of the cake and left a noticeable aftertaste.”

Sarah had much better results using one of our oils. “There was a lighter, more fragrant olive oil flavor that melded nicely with the nuttiness of the spelt and the warmth of cinnamon,” she said. “And the texture was lighter, almost velvety.”

Bon appétit,

Your friends at California Olive Ranch