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

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