Using olive oil in cooking – tips from Hot Spots

First, let’s cover some basic principles…

• Choose extra virgin olive oil. It tastes better and is higher in beneficial nutrients including vitamin E.
• Use regularly to make salad dressings and in cooking.
• Always cook olive oil on a low heat in a heavy-based pan. Very high heat can damage it somewhat, creating trans-fats.
• Cooking tomatoes and other orange and red vegetables (such as sweet potatoes, carrots, and red/yellow bell peppers) in olive oil increases the bioavailability of their fat-soluble antioxidants such as lycopene and other carotenoids. So use olive oil to make soups, casseroles, and other dishes using these vegetables.

Now for some tantalizing Hot Spot meal ideas using olive oil…

• Add these to your salad or whole grain pasta: Gently roasted red bell peppers and garlic with olive oil

  This recipe uses extra virgin olive oil added after cooking. This way you get all the benefits of unheated, undamaged olive oil, with its nutrients and flavor beautifully preserved.

  Roasted Red Peppers with Olive Oil

  Red or multi-colour bell peppers
  1-2 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
  Extra virgin olive oil

  Preheat your grill to medium high.

  Stand a bell pepper on its bottom on your cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut slabs of pepper away from the seedy stem and core. Discard the cores and set the pepper pieces in a bowl. Repeat until you’ve prepared all of your peppers this way.

  Lay the pepper pieces, skin side down, on the heated grill. Grill until the skin is blistered and black, flip the pieces and cook for just 1 minute. Transfer the cooked pieces to a 9-inch x 13-inch rimmed baking dish. Cover gently with plastic wrap or foil and let them cool until they are easy to handle, about 20 minutes.

  Put a wide-mouthed canning funnel into a large jar, drop the slices of garlic into the jar and set it near your work station on the counter. Slough the blistered, blackened skin off of each pepper slice, then slide the slice into the jar via the funnel. Repeat until you’ve done all of the pepper slices. Don’t cram the peppers in, they will compact themselves sufficiently and you want to leave room for the oil to circulate.

  Ladle olive oil into the canning funnel until the peppers are completely submerged. Use a long chopstick or skewer to slide down the sides of the jar to release air bubbles. Add more oil to keep the peppers covered if necessary. Add a new two-piece lid to the jar and let cool for about an hour before sticking into the refrigerator.

  These peppers will keep for 3 months as long as they are properly refrigerated. For longer storage, transfer the peppers and their oil to a zipper top bag and freeze for up to a year.

  Note: Close to a bushel of red peppers yielded about 3 quarts of fire roasted peppers.

  Adapted from: http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/09/03/roasted-red-peppers-preserved-in-olive-oil-make-ahead-mondays/

• Kale and roasted vegetable soup

  This recipe uses extra virgin olive oil added after cooking. This way you get all the benefits of unheated, undamaged olive oil, with its nutrients and flavor beautifully preserved.

  Kale and Roasted Vegetable Soup

  3 medium carrots, peeled and quartered lenthwise
  2 large tomatoes, quartered
  1 large onion, cut into 8 wedges or 4 or 5 slices
  1/2 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick wedges
  6 garlic cloves
  1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  6 cups or more of vegetable broth*
  4 cups of finely chopped kale
  3 large fresh thyme sprigs
  1 bay leaf
  1 15 oz can of Great Northern white beans, drained

  If cooking gluten-free, use gluten-free broth.

  Preheat oven to 400°F (reduce heat by 25°F if using convection oven). Arrange carrots, squash, tomatoes, onion, and garlic in a roasting dish. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of water or stock (either chicken or vegetable, home-made or from a cube). Season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Cover with tinfoil and cook for 20-25 minutes, then cook for a further 20 minutes or so without the tinfoil until they are done. Stir regularly to keep the vegetables lubricated with the stock.

  Cut squash and carrots into 1/2 inch pieces; set aside. Peel garlic cloves; place in food processor. Add tomatoes and onion; puree until almost smooth. Pour 1/2 cup broth onto the baking sheet; scrape up any browned bits. Transfer broth and vegetable puree to large pot. Add 5 1/2 cups broth, kale, thyme and bay leaf to pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat. Simmer uncovered until kale is tender, about 30 minutes.

  Add carrots, beans, and squash to soup. Simmer 8 minutes to blend flavors, adding more broth to thin soup if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf.

  Take off the heat, add the olive oil, and stir through.

  Can be made a day ahead.

  Adapted from: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/kale_and_roasted_vegetable_soup/

• Salad dressing made with apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar, mustard, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil
• Steamed asparagus served with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, and a little grated parmesan cheese
• Baked fish and veggies

  This recipe uses extra virgin olive oil added after cooking. This way you get all the benefits of unheated, undamaged olive oil, with its nutrients and flavor beautifully preserved.

  Baked Fish and Veggies

  4 T Pure Mountain Umbrian Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  1 C yellow onion, very thinly sliced crosswise
  1 C julienned carrots (1⁄8 inch x 1 inch)
  3⁄4 C peeled, julienned celery (same as carrots)
  Salt
  Freshly ground pepper
  2 lbs. monkfish, grouper, halibut or sea bass fillets
  2 t juniper berries, lightly crushed with a mallet
  1⁄4 C dry white wine
  A knob of butter (optional)

  Start by preheating the oven to 450 and lining a baking pan with a sheet of aluminum foil large enough to wrap around the fish completely.

  Put the onion, carrots, celery, salt and pepper in a pan over medium-low heat with 1⁄4 cup water or stock. Cook until all the liquid evaporates, 10 to 15 minutes. Careful! Do not let the vegetables brown. Spread half of the cooked vegetables on the foil you prepared and place the fish over the vegetables. Spoon the remaining vegetables over the fish and add the juniper berries and wine. You may also add a knob of butter. Pinch the foil all around to fully enclose the fish and vegetables – we don’t want any steam to escape. Put the baking dish in your preheated oven and bake 20-40 minutes (depends on the type of fish and the size). You may need to check the juices halfway through cooking and baste if necessary. The fish will flake when touched with a fork when it is done.

  Once cooked, drizzle olive oil over the fish before serving.

  Serves 4-6.

  Adapted from: http://web.puremountainoliveoil.com/2012/07/17/baked-fish-and-veggies/

• Home-made bread dipped in olive oil rather than butter
• Greek salad with cucumber, tomato, basil, feta cheese, black olives, lemon, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oi