Tuyya Olive Oil: You Have to Try It.

Experimenting With Pizza and Tuyya Olive Oil

I am by no means an olive oil expert. I use it all the time for cooking but up until now I have just bought the cheaper grocery store versions. Recently I was given a bottle of Tuyya Olive Oil. The specs on the oil are as follows:

 

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

So I thought I would try out a new recipe for pizza dough that called for olive oil to see if it would improve the taste of the dough.  An online friend of mine and pizza maker extraordinaire David Cavanagh said that this was kind of a waste of good olive oil. I have not really used olive oil much for pizza dough but this is what I found online about the use of olive oil in pizza dough.

 

Reasons to Use Olive Oil (from http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=864.0

1) it makes the dough easier to stretch (improved extensibility) by lubricating the gluten and starch molecules; 2) it captures and holds the nice flavors released during baking, and also contributes its own flavor components; 4) it helps to provide a better rise to the dough during baking, as it traps gasses; 5) it produces a good mouth feel when the crust is eaten; 6) it contributes to the browning of the crust, through heat transfer (and oxidation) at high temperatures; and 7) when used on top of the dough, it provides a barrier to migration of liquids from the sauce into the dough, thereby preventing or minimizing a gum line (which is a no-no for professional pizza operators).

Here are my observations:

I really don’t think it would have made much of a difference which olive oil I used in the dough making process. The dough did have a nice flavour, and very nice texture and the crust was a beautiful brown. But I probably would have achieved this with a much cheaper olive oil. So why use Tuyya? Well let me tell you. I made up a small dipping sauce using Tuyya,  added some oregano, a little balsamic, a little garlic and salt. I used it to dip the pizza crust. PURE HEAVEN. Maybe the best part of the pizza tonight.

 

I compared it to the grocery store version. First the smell is fantastic. Wonderful smell of fruit. Smooth velvety taste in the mouth. Definitely worth the extra dollars. I do agree with David though that these olive oils should be used in such a way that you can get the full taste. Save the cheaper stuff for the dough and use Tuyya straight up. I guarantee you will love the taste!

 The Arrogant Chef

 

Fettuccini With Ham and Mushrooms

This is a delicious, easy to make recipe that can be made any night of the week.

1lb of fettuccini (homemade is the best if you can make it)

10 ounces of mushrooms (you can try a mix to make things more interesting.)
3 spring onions chopped
4-6 sliced of cooked ham. (great to use ham leftovers) You can also use pancetta.
2 ounces of butter
1 ¼ cups of heavy cream
Chopped fresh parsley to taste

 Instructions:

 Cook the fettuccini in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and return to pan.

 While the fettuccini is cooking slice the mushroom, spring onions, and the ham. Heat the butter and cook the ham, spring onions for about 3 minutes then add the mushrooms and cook for about another five minutes stirring occasionally. Add the cream, half the parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until sauce thickens. Add the sauce to the fettuccini and toss well. Serve immediately and sprinkle with remaining parsley.

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.

Slow Cooker Ribs

 

Had a friend send me this recipe for slow cooker ribs. They turned out super tender and quite tasty. I know it may not appeal to rib purists, but this was easy to make and had great taste. Served duck fat fries on the side. Great game day meal. Oh and of course goes great with your favourite beverage.

Game Day Ribs

Ingredients for the BBQ sauce

 1 cup ketchup or less, add more water for a thinner sauce, (could also try Diane’s Original BBQ sauce instead of the ketchup

5 tablespoons of water
1/4 stick of butter
3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed.
1-2 or more tablespoons of Frank’s hot sauce
1/4 cup honey or less
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
 1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon of crushed ginger
1 teaspoon of molasses
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 pinch ground white pepper
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 pinch of onion power

In a large saucepan over medium low heat, mix together all the ingredients and get them well incorporated, and bring to a slight boil and simmer. You could make this ahead of time

 

In the Slow Cooker

1 onion sliced to lay on the bed of the cooker

Put that right in the cooker

It's Chili Time

Well it is just a coincidence that I was making Chili when Tupper decided to make Chili this weeks challenge on the Cooler Page. This one was hot. Very hot. Probably not a Texas original recipe, so I am gonna call it the Cornwall Hot Chili recipe. A Cornwall Original. (Adapted from Boilermaker Tailgate Chili by MIGHTYPURDUE22 ) This goes great with some Italian bread and a cold beer.

2 pounds ground beef chuck

1 pound bulk hot Italian sausage

1 (15 ounce) kidney beans

2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1 large yellow onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

4 cubes beef bouillon

1/2 chicken broth

1/4 cup chili powder or more to taste

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 teaspoons ground cumin

4 tablespoons Frank’s hot pepper sauce or more to taste

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon white sugar

1 (10.5 ounce) bag corn chips such as Fritos®

1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese



Directions

1.. Crumble the ground chuck and sausage into a hot pan, and cook until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease and transfer to large slow cooker.

2.Into a large slow cooker pour in the kidney beans, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the onion, celery, green and red bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, bouillon cubes, and beer. Season with chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, cumin, hot pepper sauce, basil, salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, and sugar. Stir to blend, then cover and cook on low heat for at least 5 hours, stirring occasionally.

3.After 3 hours, taste, and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder if necessary. The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste. Remove from heat and serve, or refrigerate, and serve the next day.

4.To serve, ladle into bowls, and top with corn chips and shredded Cheddar cheese