Olive Oil

I will be trying out a new olive oil over the weekend. Not sure what I am going to cook with it. I might just use it in a salad dressing or maybe just simply make a great dipping oil with herbs and balsamic. The website for this olive oil is mostly in French so here are the basics. I will post with comments and hopefully some photos.

To visit their website go here: http://www.tuyya.com/epicerie-fine-2/huile-olive-extra-vierge/

 

 

2011 Vintage - Organic Single Estate Moroccan Extra Virgin Picholine Ollve Oil.

- From olive trees over 100 years old in Fkih Ben Saleh, Morocco.
- It is unfiltered, first cold pressed on a granite mill and bottled within 7 hours after manual picking and sorting.
-Available in Natural and Thyme and Bay Leaf
-Thyme and Bay Leaf - 80 kg of each per 10000 kg of olives.

-The picholine olive is very high in polyphenols which means a longer shelf life and has a proven antioxidant effect.  (US National Library of Medicine - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20209466)

In addition to the effects of the mono-unsaturated fatty acid oleic acid, olive oil and olive extracts contain polyphenols with remarkable health benefits. Of these, extracts concentrated for oleuropein have been shown to lower blood pressure (BP) and cholesterol levels. Michael T. Murray MD 2013-03-18 http://www.naturalfactors.com/caen/blog/2013/03/18/Olive-Polyphenols-Promote-Heart-Health-by-Affecting-Gene-Expression

Pork Chops with Balsamic Sauce

Tried out this new recipe Pork Chops with Balsamic Sauce. It was very good. Oh and just thought I would throw in a photo of my duck fat fries. This batch was particularly good. Recipe  from cbc.ca Best Recipes Ever.

2 tbsp (25 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp (10 mL) dried italian herb seasoning
Pinch salt
4 pork loin centre chops
2 tbsp (25 mL) balsamic vinegar
1 tsp (5 mL) cornstarch
3/4 cup (175 mL) sodium-reduced chicken stock

In small bowl, mix together oil, Italian seasoning and salt ; brush over chops. In a cast iron skillet, fry chops over medium-high heat until browned and just a hint of pink remains inside, about 4 minutes per side.

Transfer to plate; keep warm. Drain off any fat in pan.

Add balsamic vinegar to pan; simmer over medium heat for 30 seconds. Whisk cornstarch into stock; add to pan and bring to boil, stirring and scraping up any brown bits. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 1 minute. Return chops and any juices to pan; heat through, turning to coat.

 

 

 

Cast Iron Pan Pizza

 

This was my first attempt at pizza in a cast iron pan. Looks pretty good but the bottom was burned. Started it on the stove top and then transferred to the oven. The crust that was not burned was great. I am going to work on this in the future. The toppings: Prosciutto, hot Genoa salami, onions, green pepper, mushrooms and mozzarella. Once I get it right I will post the process and dough recipe that I use.