My Opinion: Olive Crazy Has a Theory and a Recipe for Disaster

 Books, My Opinion, Olives and Olive Oil in General  Comments Off
Jan 012012
 

Lately I have been munching through several books at one time, including my daily diet of olive-related news articles. Most of the books I am reading are of the business, economics, and crime flavor. One of the books in this “meal” is Tom Mueller’s, Extra Virginity … a book I started the week after it was published and am still savoring.

Sometime last week I began to notice relationships among these books, specifically, relationships between business/criminal actions of the past centuries and business/criminal activities of the present. This morning I woke up with a theory. I went to the sources that gelled my idea to verify my understanding of the passages that lead me to that theory. I verified what I could and modified my thoughts a bit.

Here are the books and the article that stimulated my idea, in the order I read or am reading them:

  1. Elements of Shipping by Alan Edward Branch
  2. Paddy Whacked: The Untold Story of the Irish-American Gangster by T.J. English
  3. Sovena USA First Ever Lab to be Certified by International Olive Council in United States: Top Olive Oil Importer Becomes Only U.S. Company to Hold Certification published on December 5, 2011 on PR Newswire
  4. Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil by Tom Mueller also published on December 5, 2011
  5. The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to Use Social Media, Online Video, Mobile Applications, Blogs, News Releases, and Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly by David Meerman Scott
  6. The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis

Here is my theory:

The Mediterranean olive oil adulteration business/criminal activity is moving it’s main operations lock, stock, and bulk shipment to the United States.

I’m going to be kind of a jerk here and not explain how I arrived at my theory, instead I am going to provide you with a list of ingredients for this recipe for disaster. After you prepare this recipe tell me if it tastes the way I think it does.

Whisk together 5 books and 1 article. Slowly fold into this mixture 1 cup of boiling politics, 2 tablespoons of consumer ignorance, 1 dollop of soft regulatory environment, 1 loaf of potential-willing market torn into smaller pieces, and several million tons of “extra virgin olive oil”. Bake, sprinkle dish with 1 bag of EU economy crumbles, and serve. Mmmmmmmmm – nasty!

May the sun shine through your branches.

www.olivecrazy.com

Spaghetti Recipe from “The Pink Ribbon Diet”

 Cooking & Eating, Recipes, Spaghetti from The Pink Ribbon Diet  Comments Off
Aug 062011
 

Mary Flynn’s “The Pink Ribbon Diet” is all about olive oil. I have been reading her study on post-menopausal breast cancer patients and it is fascinating. I will prepare an article about the study soon.

But first! Here is a recipe for an American family meal staple – spaghetti.

Spaghetti with Tomatoes, Feta, and Basil

Serves one, 520 Calories

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup (5 ounces) cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
Salt
1 ounce feta cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
2 ounces whole wheat spaghetti

Heat the olive oil on medium-low in a medium skillet. Add the tomatoes, season with salt, and cook slowly so they absorb the olive oil, about 10 minutes. Add the feta and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until the feta starts to melt. Remove from the heat and add the basil leaves.

While the tomatoes are cooking, bring six cups of water to a boil. Add salt and the pasta, stirring occasionally until the water returns to a boil so the pasta does not stick together. Cook according to directions on the pasta package, tasting a minute before in case the package is wrong. Drain and toss with the sauce.

May the sun shine through your branches.

www.olivecrazy.com

Thomas Jefferson’s Favorite Dessert, Sorry No Olives

 Cooking & Eating, History, Les Ouefs a la Neige, Recipes  Comments Off
Jul 282011
 

This is the first time, but it won’t be the last, when I feature a recipe that doesn’t have a drop of olive oil or a single olive in it. Why would Olive Crazy do that? I am honoring our Olive Crazy President Thomas Jefferson by presenting his favorite dessert – les ouefs a la neige (snow eggs).

When I visited Monticello, the tour guide told us many food facts about Thomas Jefferson: foods he imported and dishes he liked to eat. Les ouefs a la neige was a favorite when I was young. No one makes it anymore and since the 60′s I haven’t seen it on a menu.

I hope you will enjoy this, somewhat tedious to prepare but worth it, old-fashioned meringue and custard treat.

Les Ouefs a la Neige (Snow Eggs)

4 eggs – separate whites from yolks
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup white, granulated sugar
2 pinches salt

Pour milk into a double boiler and place on simmer.

Making the meringue: In a bowl, combine egg whites, and 1 pinch salt. Mix with electric mixer until stiff. Gradually mix in 3 tbsp sugar. Take a large spoonful of meringue and poach in simmering milk. One minute on each side. You can poach more than one at a time. Remove to paper towel.

Making the custard: In a heat-resistant bowl, combine all yolks with sugar (minus the 3 tbsp used in meringue), 1 pinch salt, and vanilla. Beat until smooth and pale-colored. Slowly stir warm milk into mix. Return to double boiler. Cook on simmer (DO NOT BOIL). Stir until custard thickens enough to coat a spoon. Remove from heat. Let cool.

Pour cooled custard into serving dishes. Place meringues on custard. Chill before serving.

A sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg is nice on top.

May the sun shine through your branches.

www.olivecrazy.com

A Quick and Savory Breakfast

 Cooking & Eating, Hot Pesto Oatmeal, Recipes  Comments Off
Jul 172011
 

It is my last day before I head back east. I woke to no food in our hotel kitchenette except a couple of bags of plain oatmeal, a jar of basil pesto, a block of parmesan, a bottle of California Olive Ranch Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and a bag of Oreos.

I guess most folks would brew some coffee or tea and launch into the Oreos, but not me. I can’t start the day without something savory. Nothing is quite right otherwise.

Here is a hearty dish that I made for breakfast this morning. It was delicious.

Hot Pesto Oatmeal

2 packages plain oats
1 tsp basil pesto
parmesan cheese
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare oats as directed. Stir in basil pesto. Drizzle in extra virgin olive oil. Shave or sprinkle parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper.

May the sun shine through your branches.

www.olivecrazy.com

Extra Virgin Olive Oil Turns Kale into a Snack Food: Kale Chips

 Cooking & Eating, Kale, Recipes, Storing  2 Responses »
Jul 042011
 

Kale chip recipes are everywhere these days, but after reading several, before attempting to make some, I became suspicious that these recipes had not actually been tried. The evidence – the use of the term “drizzle” for delivering extra virgin olive oil to the prospective kale chip.

There is no way that olive oil or any oil can properly coat the future chip by drizzling on it. The kale will be either under or over coated. Neither option makes for a tasty kale chip. I have an unorthodox olive oil delivery system which I will mention at the end of the recipe, and I ask your forgiveness in advance. So here’s how Olive Crazy makes kale chips.

1 bunch kale
extra virgin olive oil (perfect opportunity to try a flavored oil here)
salt (I use light salt)
Implements to have at hand: baking sheet, scissors, small spray bottle for olive oil, paper towels.

Wash kale and dry very well with paper towels. Cut off stem and any of the spine that seems too woody. Cut or tear into pieces about the size of a big potato chip. Place on baking sheet (pieces can touch). Spray olive oil over kale, evenly coating. Sprinkle salt over kale. Cook at 350F/177C for about 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool. Get snacking.

One day I decided I needed a way to spray my olive oil without buying a grocery spray can of mystery-olive-oil or going to a fancy store and buying some very expensive, TV-chef-approved glass or stainless steel spray bottle. I pondered for a bit and came up with a solution.

My unconventional olive oil delivery system is a cheap, colorful, plastic spray bottle with a levered spray mechanism. NO! Yes, it is. It’s the kind you find at the pharmacy on a bottom shelf in a basket. I know. I know. This defies some of my previous cautionary tales, but I promise I don’t actually store the oil in the bottle.

When I brought the bottle home from the store I thoroughly cleaned it (including the straw and the spraying part) with dish-washing liquid. I then rinsed it in hot water until most of the soapy residue was gone. Next I rinsed it in cold water. Normally I would have tapped out as much water as I could and let the bottle air-dry but I needed it right away.

I removed as much of the water as possible, poured a bit of the extra virgin olive oil I planned to use in the bottle, and shook it to coat the inside of the bottle. I then did some test sprays on a napkin to clear the straw and sprayer. I disassembled the bottle and turned it upside down on a paper towel – any remaining water runs off first. I added the amount of evoo I needed to use and sprayed. When I was finished. I did not store the oil in the plastic, but went through the above cleansing process again. This time I air-dried it and stored it away until it was needed.

I know it seems like a lot of trouble but the small bottles aren’t difficult to keep clean. Also a small bottle helps prevent users from succumbing to laziness and storing any evoo in the bottle to use the next day – please don’t do it. I’ve thought about it myself, but haven’t given in yet.

May the sun shine through your branches.

www.olivecrazy.com