A new Bread Dipping Dish. As people become more health conscious, many are turning to the Mediterranean Diet in order to eat a healthy diet without feeling like they’re depriving themselves. A great appetizer originating from Italy, and fitting perfectly with the Mediterranean Diet is bread dipping.

Creating a bread dipping appetizer is simple. All that is required is a bread dipping dish, bread and some olive oil and vinegar. Slice or cube your chosen bread (sourdough and foccacia are great for this), and place some extra virgin olive oil or balsamic vinegar in the bread dipping dish. Now all that’s required is to choose a piece a piece of bread and dip it into your desired condiment. Nothing could be more simple.

Our new bread dipping dish provides the perfect dish to use for bread dipping. A simple swirl on the bottom of the dipping dish becomes an artistic focal point when extra virgin olive oil is added. The swirl will appear to get darker as the dipping dish gets deeper.Made from restaurant grade white porcelain, our dipping dish is perfect for any occasion. Elegant and functional, the dipping dish is 4.5 inches wide, and is dishwasher safe, making cleaning a breeze. Should you create your own flavored oils to use in the dipping dish, it is also microwave safe, so oil can be warmed in the microwave to disperse the flavor.

To obtain the best quality flavor, extra virgin olive oil should be used in the dipping dish. While you may already have olive oil in your kitchen cupboard, extra virgin olive oil contains the most flavor, and lends itself perfectly to bread dipping, so it’s worth buying some extra virgin olive oil to use for this purpose. To make your own flavored oils for the dipping dish, simply add some fresh herbs and spices to the oil. Basil, lemon juice, sun dried tomato’s and black pepper all work well. Simply allow the flavors to blend for at least 15 minutes before serving. If you do need to use the oil immediately, place the dipping dish in the microwave and heat for 10 seconds. This will help the flavors to disperse so that you can serve straight away.

If you haven’t already tried it, consider making bread dipping appetizer for your next function. You’re sure to start a trend, and the bread dipping dish makes a wonderful table centerpiece, sure to gain many comments. You can be assured that this is one appetizer that will be devoured by all. Bread dipping is a healthy alternative to many other snacks, and doesn’t have to be saved for special occasions. If the kids are hungry after school, bring out the bread dipping dish along with their favorite bread, and they’ll be satisfied in no time. If unexpected guests drop in, it’s no trouble to quickly throw together a quick platter. Slice up some bread, fill the dipping dish with extra virgin olive oil, and it’s ready to serve.

Next time you need to buy a gift, remember that the beautiful American Porcelain Bread Dipping Dish makes a wonderful present. Classy and useful, it’s suitable to give as an anniversary, birthday, engagement or wedding gift. Team it with a quality extra virgin olive oil and vinegar, or a flavored oil you’ve created yourself, and you’ve got a sure winner. bread dipping dish, oil dipping

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All oils are best kept (or stored) away from heat and light. This is especially so for unrefined oils such as extra virgin olive oil. A cool dark pantry or cupboard is the best location for olive oil when it is not on the prep counter being used as an ingredient.Glass, porcelain, and stainless steel make the best decanters or containers. Glass drizzle cruets are an ideal decanter. Never store olive oil in a plastic or reactive metal container. There are certain gourmet oils that are unstable and should be refrigerated, i.e. walnut and hazelnut oils. Fine gourmet olive oil is not an oil to store in the frig.

Glass oil and vinegar cruets are a perfect gourmet gift selection for any occasion. olive oil storage, olive oil decanter, drizzle cruets

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California-Grown Extra Virgin Olive Oil from California Olive Ranch

Cruets.com recently was featured on California Olive Ranch’s new blog catering to chefs. Based in Oroville, Calif., California Olive Ranch is North America’s largest producer of extra virgin olive oil. It’s aiming to do for California olive oil what Napa Valley winemakers did for California wine back in the 1970s. 

To make the freshest possible extra virgin olive oil, the company uses an innovative system that speeds up the process of harvesting the more than one million Spanish and Greek varietal olive trees it has planted in California. That way, it can rush the olives to the mill and quickly press them to extract the freshest possible flavor. 

More and more top chefs are turning to California Olive Ranch’s award-winning extra virgin olive oil to finish off their dishes. They drizzle the oil on grilled fish, roasted vegetables, salads and much, much more to kick up the flavor of the dish. A chef made the blood orange olive oil cake pictured here using California Olive Ranch extra virgin olive oil. Consumers, meanwhile, also are using the fresh, flavorful, aromatic oils in much the same way. 

California Olive Ranch makes four types of extra virgin olive oil: 

Find unique recipes, tips and information about extra virgin olive oil on California Olive Ranch’s chef blog as well as a new blog for consumers. The company also produces an eNewsletter chock full of information about seasonal vegetables and fruits as well as chefs and recipes.

California Olive Ranch’s extra virgin olive oil is a natural match for the hand-blown cruets offered by Cruets.com.

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Olive Oil’s Rich Flavor

For at least 6,000 years the rich flavor of olive oil has enjoyed world wide acclaim. There are presently dozens of brands of olive oil on grocery stores shelves. Consumers are becoming choosy about which olive oil they will bring home, almost as much as deciding which fine wine to purchase. Like wine grapes, no two olives are alike. It all depends on the soil, climate, olive variety, age and the processing method. Olive oil can be nutty or spicy, delicate or mild and the color can range from clear to pale green, to golden, to deep olive green. When olive oil is properly processed, the flavor, aroma and vitamins are maintained. It is widely believed that the oil obtained from the same variety of olive tree cultivated in the same growing region can very greatly.

There are four basic types of olive oil available.

• Extra virgin in which the oil’s acidity level has to be under 1%. The olives are cold pressed without any refining. Olive oil that is unfiltered is preferred by some people for its full-bodied flavor.
• Virgin is when the oil’s acidity is between 1% and 3%. It has a slightly sharper taste.
• Pure olive oil has a greater than 3% acidity level and must be processed further with chemicals and bleaching clay. It is then mixed with virgin oil to produce “pure” oil.
• Lampante olive oil or “light” olive oil has the same amount of fat and calories as other olive oils. This oil does have a tendency to lack taste.

The natural acidity of the oil at the time of packaging and testing is done by at least eight testers who determine how the olive oil is classified, using smell, sight and taste. The smell test figures the intensity of the oils’ scent while visual analysis clarity, density, and color of the oil. The oil is required to have a good balanced flavor and to note if there is any unpleasant aftertaste.

In many regions, the olives are still picked by hand using wooden tools or the olives are beaten from the trees with poles and caught in large nets. The entire olive is used to make olive oil and they are crushed using stainless steel grindstones. This paste is then mixed with water and placed on circular hemp mats where it is stacked and pressed. Oil and water is produced and later separated. The cold press method allows olive oil to maintain its flavor, color and nutritional value.

In order to remove sediment and produce extra virgin olive oil a filtration process is used. If the oil is more than 1%, extra refining is done to remove almost all traces of color, aroma, taste and acidity. This process results in extra light tasting olive oil. To produce pure olive oil, extra virgin oil is added to the extra light, thereby achieving the desired level of flavor and aroma. Fine wine is graded by tasting and measuring acidity before bottling. So is it with the many varieties of olive oil. 

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Olive Oil has a place in the kitchen

Olive oil was once a very much maligned fat but now has gained honor in the kitchen. Olive oil is healthy due to monounsaturated fatty acids. The oleic acid found in olive oil is very stable at high temperatures. The body processes oleic acid easier than any other fatty acids.

When you buy organic extra virgin olive oil you also are purchasing a product that is high in antioxidants which fight free radicals, preventing premature aging. The oxidation process is neutralized by the antioxidants.

Obviously, the safest vegetable oil for frying is olive oil as it resists oxidation at higher temperatures. When preparing a recipe from the Mediterranean area of the world, frying is very much a common preparation of the Mediterranean cuisines.

When frying, there are some olive oil tips that can be used in the kitchen.

• Use smaller quantities of olive oil when cooking since the oil expands in volume and it is less absorbed by the food being prepared.
• You can reuse your olive oil up to five times. 
• Never fry meat in the same olive oil that you fried fish in. Flavors will blend.
• Even though olive oil looks thicker than other oils, it has no more calories than sunflower oil.

In the 20th century, it was learned that the olive oil based Mediterranean diet reduced cardiovascular disease as noted by the late Dr. Ancel Keys. Since people living in the Mediterranean have better cardiovascular health, the initial medical study was around the use of olive oil. It was proven that the use of olive oil will balance the cholesterol levels, reduce the risk of heart attacks, fight high blood pressure and can prevent arteriosclerosis.

Other areas of the body were researched as to the effects olive oil had. So far, the results have been very positive. With just two tablespoons of virgin olive oil taken daily, the health benefits will be like that of the people living in the Mediterranean.

There are many ways olive oil can be integrated into your diet. Dipping slices of soft bread into olive oil, using it instead of butter and adding olive oil to salads with some salt. Anywhere you go in Europe, you will find people who have their unique ways of instilling the use of olive oil into their dietary habits.

A popular snack is Catalan bruschetta which is bead with tomato. Preparation is very simple. Cut a very ripe tomato crosswise, rub the bread with one half of the tomato on both sides. Drizzle olive oil liberally over the bread, sprinkling with salt. You can add cooked ham, cheese, tuna fish, anchovies, figs and olive for a prosciutto style meal. Include in your meal, salads with olive oil dressing, romesco, a cold sauce and sopa de farigola which is thyme soup.

Recent studies have indicated that the consumption of olive oil is not merely in the olive oil but from the Mediterranean diet as a whole. With this in mind, bon appetite and enjoy Mediterranean way of eating with the liberal use of virgin olive oil.

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Olive Oil and how we can use it for our health.

Olive oil and wine have something in common. We should decide which olive oil to purchase much the same way we purchase wine, by determining the thickness, richness and color of the product.

Olive oil comes in three selections…

• Extra virgin oil which is considered the best and least processed olive oil. The olives are first pressed, releasing this exquisite oil. Extra virgin oil has a peppery taste and coats your mouth like melted butter.
• Virgin oil which is pressed twice. This particular oil is perfect for all purpose cooking.
• Pure oil which has been pressed as well as processed. It has also been filtered and refined. Extra light olive oil has been processed quite a bit and will retain a very mild olive flavor. Olive oil that is organic tends to be light with less flavor and less structure.

There are many uses for olive oil as well as eliminating or reducing many diseases.

Olive oil aids in digestion, therefore sustaining your metabolism. It is rich in vitamins A, B1, B2, C, D and iron. The body’s strong level of vitamin E is maintained by the use of olive oil, thereby delaying the aging process.

Olive oil has no cholesterol. It helps keep “things moving along” in the digestive tract. It also helps the stomach fight ulcers.

Olive oil can be substituted for salad dressing and to fry your favorite fried dishes. When sautéing your vegetables, use olive oil to coat your pan.

Olive oil is also good for your baby’s bottle, so add a few drops. Also, drop a few teaspoons in the bath water or on your lufah.

Many health complications associated with diet can be minimized with the use of olive oil. The Greeks diet, rich in salt and fats, were able to live longer than the Japanese. They also had less heart disease, stomach cancer, strokes and other forms of cancer. All of this because of their use of olive oil. As a pain killer, researchers have found that 50g of extra virgin olive oil was the same as to a 1/10th of a dose of Ibuprofen, an anti-inflammatory medicine.

Olive oil is a monounsaturated fat. Other oils are polyunsaturated fats as well as pure fat. Olive oil’s properties lower the risk of getting colon cancer much the same way as fish oil does. Cholesterol levels are lowered and even weight loss is achieved with the use of olive oil. Excess fats from both the lower and upper body is lost with the use of olive oil as opposed to losing weight primarily in the lower body.

There is one note worth mentioning. Not all olive oils have a high phenolic content. So the health benefits may not be realized. The reason for this is that the ‘extra virgin olive oil’ may be diluted with other oils so the phenolic content is diminished. No substitutes should be accepted when it comes to purchasing olive oil. The taste and the flavor are more than enough reasons to add extra virgin olive oil in your daily diet. 

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Knowing About Olive Oil

Where did olive oil get its start? For thousands of years, the ancient Greeks and Romans told tales of their gods creating olives. Hercules was credited with the birth of olives; he struck the ground and caused an olive tree to sprout according to Roman mythology.

In Greece, olives were created by the goddess Athena and only virgins and chaste men could tend to the groves of olives. To lovers of fine food, olives had become a precious commodity.

Ancient trading ships kept track of their olive oil cargo as they weaved their way through many routes along the Mediterranean. Not only was olive oil used for food, it was also used as a beauty treatment and fuel for lamps. The early Egyptians used olive oil to ease the movement of the great stones used to build the gigantic pyramids.

Civilization was spread by the Roman Empire as was the cultivation of olive groves. The southern regions were built up around oil districts. The collapse of the Roman Empire brought the cultivation of olive groves into a bad light. Only a few places high in the hills of Tuscany could olives be found.

Around 1100 AD, olive groves once again began to flourish and Tuscany became a well known region of numerous olive tree groves. There were strict laws instilled during that time and some of these laws are still in place to this date. Approximately 300 years later, Italy became the largest producer of olive oil in the world. Wars of 1400 AD marked a critical time for oil production but olive oil soon rebounded and became the prime staple on the Renaissance tables of Europe. Because of taxation issues, the olive oil production did slow a bit in the late 1600’s but still maintained its growth due to civilization spreading around the globe. By the 1700’s, Francisca missionaries brought the first olive trees to the new world. In the 1800’s, due to Italian and Greek immigration, olive oil made its commercial entry in America. As an initial ethnic specialty, olive oil soon gained prominence with American chefs.

Now some two hundred years later, olive oil continues to gain in popularity. Already there are over 800 million olive trees around the world and more are being planted each day. In the mid-1970’s, several nutritional diets pointed to the Mediterranean diet and the lessening of health problems. Foods prepared in the Mediterranean region were not only delicious but were good for people. A typical diet is based on fresh vegetables, seasonal fruits, grains and of course, olive oil.

The olive tree is an evergreen and does not bear fruit until it is almost eight years old. The average tree produces up to 44 pounds of olives per year and there are 70 varieties of olives grown throughout the world. Botanists claim that a normal lifespan for an olive tree can be up to 600 years although some claim that in the Mediterranean Basin, there are olive trees 1,000 years old. No wonder longevity is claimed when one incorporates olive oil in their diet.

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A new way to help fight cancer is olive oil, according to new research. Even though extra virgin olive oil is a favorite in Italian cuisine, it can also be beneficial in helping to fight cancer.

There are special chemicals that are known to kill cancer cells: photochemical polyphenols. The chemicals were discovered at the University of Granada and the Catalan Institute of Oncology. These chemicals are found in fine extra virgin olive oils. According to the coauthor Javier Menendez his research has found that the major complex phenols contained in extra virgin olive oil can extremely hold back the rapid growth of HER2, a cancer gene that is found in breast cancer cells.

During lab experiments when researchers separated the parts of oil into fractions and tested those the portions that had extra virgin photochemical polyphenols, it was discovered that they constrained HER2 gene. It was discovered that the polyphenols, found in olive oil, could contribute a safe and great base for the creation of anti-breast cancer medicine.

Source: BMC Cancer, 2008:8:377

Olive oil may be able to fight breast cancer.

Since researchers have discovered that olive oil contains chemicals that keep cancer cells from multiplying, it may become a new way of making new medicines to help fight certain cases of breast cancer. We can protect ourselves against types of cancer by using olive oil, a popular Mediterranean diet.

A group of researchers at the University of Granada, located in Spain, have discovered two isolated chemicals that may be an important component in olive oil, that would block a protein that is linked with certain types of breast cancers.

About one fifth of the tumors that are found in breast cancer patients contain the HER2 protein and can spread more rapidly that any other types of cancer. A drug known as Herceptin, can help to fight these forms of cancer and possibly aid in controlling them if they should return.

A new study according to the journal of BioMed Central shows that secoiridoids and lignans produce the similar result as Herceptin does.

When olives are pressed without the use of chemicals or heat, extra virgin olive oil is the result. Extra virgin oil has phytochemicals that can be lost in the conversion process.

A cancer information officer, Dr Joanna Owens, at the Cancer Research in the United Kingdom concludes that if one uses a Mediterranean diet containing olive oil, and by decreasing the amount of saturated fats contained in Cakes chocolates and other foods then they can help protect themselves against cancer.

The oil used in the lab experiments done by researchers have a lower concentration than those of people who actually consumed olive oil in their diets. Learning more about plant chemicals is still at a beginning stage, but is a good step in the direction for developing medicines that can prevent cancer.

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Selecting the Best Olive Oil

The process of olive oil production, from the tree to the bottle, is probably one of the most breathtaking things to see in your life.

In Canneto, Italy stands the oldest living olive tree –  the oldest in all of Europe. This tree, certified and protected by the European Union, dates back to more than 2,000 years.

Olives, when they start growing, begin with a yellowish green color and, as they reach their fully-grown size, turns in a darker, greener color. Once they are fully ripe, they are already black or purple-black in color, although some turn into a slightly copper-brown shade while others remain green.

Olives are harvested at different stages. Table olives are usually harvested by hand; workers use a fork-like tool to gently remove the olive from the trees. In Sicily, where olives are abundant, there are many family owned orchards in the countryside. Family members all participate during the harvest, with members actually leaving their jobs to help gather the olives during this time. During harvest season, which provides only a very small opportunity or gathering every single olive in the countryside, orchards and hillsides are covered with harvesters gathering the olives from the trees. Huge nets are spread below in order to be able to catch every single piece.

Amazingly, even the elderly participate in the gathering of olives. Most of the olives that are gathered during the harvest are used to make olive oil. Upon harvesting, they are packed and are immediately taken to the olifecio or olive processor.

The processing of olive oil in Sicily makes use of an antique method of using a giant millstone grind, which grinds the seeds and the olive together in order to create a paste. The resulting paste will then be sandwiched in straw mats, and these will be piled one on top of the other. Sometimes, this pile of mates reaches up to more than twenty feet in the air. Next, these mats are pressed together and the liquid that comes through is called the first press olive oil. This is done without ay use of heat. The smell of this first press is exciting – rich, fruity, and even peppery.

This process is completely natural and uses no heat in order to extract the first press of oil from the olives. This first press produces an oil that is foggy in consistency and has a grayish sediment a good grade oil will proudly say that it is “first cold pressed”. Aside from this, there are basically 5 other classifications of olive oil that play important roles in the kitchen.

Extra virgin olive oil, which is very fragrant and flavorful. It has an acidity level of less than one percent. It is great for drizzling over meats, fish, vegetables, and pasta. Virgin olive oil is a less fruity and lighter version of extra-virgin, though with a higher acidity. Refined olive oil, on the other hand, is made from lower quality virgin oils. It is chemically treated in order to remove the flaws in its flavor and aroma and is usually used for frying, cooking, and dressings. Pure olive oil is a low-cost blend of refined and virgin live oil. It has a mild flavor and is used as the al purpose cooking oil in salads and dressings. The fifth grade is pomace, which is made from the olive oil residue of the previous pressings and is treated with solvents to extract any residual oil. It carries a bland flavor and is mostly used for frying.

One tip in storing you olive oil is to keep it in a cool dry place away from the sun. Glass and ceramic containers must also be used to prevent it from turning sour or rancid. Store the oil in glass or ceramic containers as well – the prescribed storage – to prevent it from losing its flavor and aroma. Avoid placing your oil in the refrigerator, as it will result in a cloudy mix; always make sure your olive oil should never be exposed to light, heat, or air. Finally, be sure to use all your olive oil within 2 years to enjoy its maximum flavor and freshness.

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Roasted baby artichokes with drizzled Olive Oil

One vegetable that goes great with olive are baby artichokes. Spring and fall are the two seasons when artichokes are abundant and at their peak. The name may be deceiving, but baby artichokes are actually full grown artichokes. They are the ones that grow on the branches of the artichoke plant rather than on the main stem, which carries the typical large artichokes. The largest ones can be found growing on top of the plant. Baby artichokes are a great vegetable as they are easy to clean and do not have any of the bothersome, fuzzy fibers that can usually be found in the larger artichokes. Everything in the baby artichoke is practically edible, which is why it makes for a great dish alone, served with pasta, or in an artichoke salad. Here you will find a recipe for roasted baby artichokes, a perfect dish that everyone can try and enjoy, and you will only need 3 simple ingredients: artichokes, oil, and seasoning. They are delicious and incredibly easy to make.

For roasted baby artichokes, the ingredients you will need are:

2 pounds baby artichokes
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare your artichokes by cleaning them first. Do this by trimming the stem and pulling off the outer leaves. Leave the lighter green leaves. Place the outer leaves in a cold water lemon bath, which is simply made of 1 part lemon and 3 parts water. Let them sit for a while and then take them out of the lemon bath. Next, cut the larger artichokes in half, leaving the really smaller ones whole. Place all the artichokes in a pot of water and cover. Simmer the artichokes for about seven or eight minutes until they soften and are just tender. Take them off the flame and drain them well. Once they have cooled, toss them in olive oil and arrange them in one layer in a baking dish. Bake them for about seven or eight minutes in a 450 degree oven. Once cooked, take them out and sprinkle the dish with some salt and pepper to taste. Your roasted artichokes are now ready to be served and enjoyed!

These artichokes are a great accompaniment to any meat dish or it can be tossed with pasta and a good quality Parmesan cheese for a satisfying and delicious meal. Artichokes are very healthy and tasty and can be cooked in any way you like! They are a good source of vitamin C, folate, fiber, and other minerals such as potassium, phosphorous, and magnesium.

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