"Green Gold" in Your Kitchen or Cooking with Olive Olive

Since different olive oil flavors taste different, and in doing so suit different preparations, you should be careful when pairing oil with food!

Depending on the factors that may affect the taste, color and aroma of olives and their resulting oil, there are three broad flavor categories of olive oil:

Mild Olive Oil. It is light and buttery and, therefore, this kind of olive oil is perfect for dressing delicate dishes without garlic flavor. It's taste also goes nicely with raw meats, broiled or grilled fish, raw, cooked or steamed vegetables, soups and pasta sauces.

Fruity Olive Oil can - because of its slightly stronger and fruitier taste - be an ideal compliment to grilled meats, pasta dishes or rice, as well as cooked vegetables and bruschetta. It also goes nicely with garlic sauces, herbs, salads and mild cheeses.

Fruity-Spicy Olive Oil is fruity, peppery, bitter. The aggressive taste of this oil works best with grilled meats and roasts, aged cheeses, dishes with garlic and spices.

And here is one more practical piece of advice given by experts on Mediterranean cuisine. Think of cooking with olive oil like cooking with wine. Never use wine or olive oil that does not taste good to you. To notice the difference just do the taste test and compare the "extra-virgin" with the regular olive oil. If you use a poor quality or unsuitable sort of oil for a certain dish, it will give your food an off-taste, just like a bad wine would spoil the core flavor of your dish. But don't forget that unlike wine, olive oil does not improve with age, and therefore should be consumed within the first year of pressing!

Grades of Olive Oil

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: comes from the first cold pressing of the olive and must have an acidity of 1% or less. This type has all the health benefits, the best flavor and aroma attributed to olive oil. It is also the most expensive of all olive oils and should, therefore, be used for cold dishes or as a last minute addition just before serving.

• Virgin Olive Oil: is made of olives that are slightly riper than those used for extra-virgin oil. It has a higher level of acidity between 1 to ½ or even 3.3%. Virgin oil is very versatile, has a great taste and is reasonably priced. It can be used for various methods of cooking.

• Pure Olive Oil: comes either from the second cold pressing or the chemical extraction of the olive mash left over from the first pressing. It is used as a general-purpose olive oil, is pretty tasteless and has less of a nutritional value.

• Mild, Light & Extra Light Olive Oil: is a mixture of refined olive oils that are derived from the lowest quality olive oils available through chemical processing, but contain the exact same number of calories as regular olive oils.

• Infused Olive Oil: is flavoured with various herbs and spices: rosemary, garlic, etc. and is most often produced with extra virgin olive oils. This type of olive oil can be best used for dipping bread or for dressings, sauces or in marinades.

Recipe

Spinach - Radish Salad

PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes
SERVES: 4

INGREDIENTS:
150 g (0,3 lb) fresh baby spinach
10 radishes
200 g (0,4 lb) fresh champignons
salt, pepper to taste
vinaigrette
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons herb vinegar
1 small onion
½ cup chopped parsley

1.Wash spinach, spread on a kitchen towel to dry.
2.Wash radishes and cut into thin round slices.
3.Wash champignons and cut them into slices.
4.Combine all the ingredients in a salad bowl.
vinaigrette:
5.Peel the onion and chop it. Add olive oil, vinegar and parsley.
Pour the vinaigrette over the spinach salad and mix well.

Happy Meal!