Cooking Techniques With Olive Oil (6 page)

1 cup mixed olives, drained

1 15-ounce can artichokes in water

1 10-ounce box of white button mushrooms, cleaned

Marinade Ingredients:

¾ cup extra virgin olive oil

cup sherry vinegar

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

1. Roast peppers in a 400ºF oven until blistered. Place in a bowl while hot and cover with plastic wrap for 15 minutes. Peel the peppers and cut into strips. Place in a large bowl.

2. Place baby fava beans in a small pot of boiling water and cook until tender. Drain the water and cool. If using baby fava beans, you do not need to remove the outer skin. If using larger fava beans, discard the outer skin. If using canned white beans, rinse and drain.

3. Add the beans, garlic, olives, artichokes and mushrooms to the peppers.

4. To make the marinade, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, oregano, basil, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Gently toss the vegetables with the marinade.

5. Place in a jar or deep bowl, cover and refrigerate for up to three weeks.

Note
: Fresh fava beans are incredibly tasty. Learn more about fava beans
here
.

Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Fresh Herbs and Italian-Style Bulgur

The savory combination of fresh parsley, thyme and rosemary makes this pork tenderloin an exceptional dinner entrée, perfect for an evening of entertaining or a family-style dinner during the week. Italian spices perk up ordinary bulgur wheat, making it an ideal pairing with this herbed marinated pork dish.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh parsley, chopped

½ cup fresh thyme, chopped

¼ cup fresh rosemary, finely chopped zest from one lemon

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

3 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon salt

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 2-pound boneless pork tenderloin, halved

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:

1. Place the parsley, rosemary, lemon zest, juice, garlic and salt in a food processor.

2. Process for 10 seconds then slowly add ½ cup olive oil.

3. Divide sauce in half.

4. Place half the sauce in a bag and add the pork to marinate. Seal the bag and refrigerate for 3 hours or up to overnight. Reserve the other half of sauce aside to serve with the pork.

5. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

6. Add 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large oven-safe sauté pan and bring to medium-high heat.

7. Add the pork tenderloin and brown evenly on all sides.

8. Place the hot pan in the oven and roast for 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the roast reaches 160ºF.

9. Transfer pork to a serving platter and slice.

10. Top the pork with the reserved sauce and serve.

Italian-Style Bulgur Wheat

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

½ cup dry sun-dried tomatoes, minced

1 teaspoon salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

1½ cups bulgur

2 cups water

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

½ cup toasted pine nuts

salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

1. Place the olive oil in a sauté pan and heat to medium.

2. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes.

3. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, season with 1 teaspoon salt.

4. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add garlic and the bulgur, and sauté for 2 minutes.

5. Add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes.

6. Fluff with a fork and stir in the lemon juice, pine nuts and parsley.

7. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm.

Marinated Sockeye Salmon with Beet and Spinach Greens

For an elegant yet simple dinner, marinate salmon in wine and lemon and serve with a healthful serving of greens that complement the fresh, rich taste of sockeye. Do not marinate the salmon for more than 60 minutes or the marinade will begin to “cook” the fish.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 3-pound sockeye salmon fillet

3 thinly sliced lemons

Marinade Ingredients:

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup white wine

1 teaspoon lemon juice

½ tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 garlic cloves, chopped

¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

½ teaspoon parsley, chopped

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

1. Place salmon in an oiled baking dish.

2. Mix the marinade ingredients together and pour marinade on the fish. Let the fish marinate for 30 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 400ºF.

4. Place lemon slices on top of salmon.

5. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until fish flakes easily with a fork, or has an internal temperature of 140ºF.

Beet and Spinach Greens

Ingredients:

3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 bunch of beet greens, washed and coarsely chopped

1 bunch of spinach, washed and coarsely chopped juice from 2 lemons

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

1. Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil to a large sauté pan and heat to medium. Add garlic and stir.

2. Add the greens and sauté until wilted, about 5 minutes.

3. Remove from pan and place on a platter.

4. Mix the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

5. Add the dressing to the greens and serve.

Chapter Five:

Healthy Steamed Recipes Enhanced with Olive Oil

Steaming is a common cooking method in which water is brought to a rolling boil, creating steam. Food is placed in a basket or tray above the boiling water so that it is not in direct contact with it. Instead, the steam passes through the steam basket and surrounds the food, cooking it. A lid is placed over the food and pot, keeping the steam trapped inside and continuously cooking the food.

There are multiple ways to cook with steam. A metal basket can be inserted into the bottom of a pot that rests inches above the boiling water. Stackable Chinese bamboo baskets can also be used. Small metal stands that raise the food above the water are another option. All of these methods steam food over the stove with a pot of boiling water. You can also steam in the oven by wrapping your meat and vegetables in parchment paper. The moisture from the food becomes trapped in the sealed parchment container, thus providing steam that cooks the food while it bakes.

Steamed food is typically healthier, requires less fat, and results in a moist meal that retains more of its nutrients compared to other cooking methods. So, if foods prepared by steaming are healthier and have less fat, why add fat by using olive oil? Although olive oil does contain healthy fats our body needs, the main reason to add olive oil to your steamed food is to enhance flavor.

In this chapter, the foods are steamed using multiple methods, but water is not completely eliminated since the food item being steamed releases its own liquid during the steaming process. The meat or vegetable being steamed is typically coated with olive oil to provide more flavor to an otherwise bland-tasting dish.

Tips on Steaming:

Wrap meats in an edible lettuce or cabbage leaf, or set into either a parchment or foil envelope.

The meat should be placed in a single layer to insure even cooking.

The pot should contain enough water that it does not dry out as steam escapes.

Keep lids tight on the pot and heat over high heat so that the pot’s inside atmosphere is saturated with vapor.

Herbs and spices can be used to infuse the item.