“Medium” extra virgin olive oil, the style that falls somewhere between delicate and robust, can be paired with a variety of foods – from spicy dishes to bitter greens.

The guidelines below come from a presentation given by olive oil aficionado Fran Gage. I heard the talk during a recent conference at the University of California, Davis, Olive Center.

I’ve already written up Gage’s guidelines for “delicate” extra virgin olive oils, such as our Arbequina.

Medium-style EVOO, according to Gage, has a pleasant bitterness and pungency. These oils also “tend to be very versatile,” she writes in her terrific book, The New American Olive Oil (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2009). “The best of these olive oils have characteristics of both delicate and robust oils.”

Some examples of medium-style oils: Those made from French olive varietals such as Aglandau and Bouteillon, or the Spanish varietal Hojiblanca, according to Gage.

Gage noted her pairing suggestions aren’t hard-and-fast rules and other styles of olive oil can be substituted successfully. That said, here are her suggestions for foods that pair well with medium oils:

• Basil pesto which includes garlic
• Red wine vinaigrette
• Bitter greens
• Corn salad
• Spicy dishes, such as the curry-flavored mayonnaise featured in Gage’s book
• Fish dishes which are spicy (Gage calls for a medium oil in her escabeche recipe)
• Sautéed or slow-roasted meat dishes such as lamb shanks

I’ll wrap up soon with a look at robust EVOO.

Bon appétit,

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

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