Tag: virgin

Which extra virgin olive oil should be used for meat? – Italian Cuisine

Extra virgin olive oils that best accompany beef, sheep and pork. Recommended by our expert depending on the cooking

Red meats require well-structured oils, with much, much character: for example, those with medium to intense fruitiness and with very pronounced spikes of bitterness and pungency.
Usually this category of extra virgin is identified with those of Central Italy, Tuscan in the lead, or of the South, Puglia in particular.
Right, but only in part because it is not only the territory of origin that determines the characteristics of an oil and its flavor, but also the variety of olives from which it is obtained.

Here are those that, taking into account their origin, better enhance the individual preparations.
Good extra virgin olive oils with cattle
Beef and beef have a rather intense taste. On a base already rich in flavor it is therefore necessary to use equally tasty oil. It gives a greater palatability and a general sense of pleasantness to the use of an extra virgin olive oil with a robust character, rich in fruity and savory notes.

Good ones with roasts

Sicilian oils are excellent from cerasuola olives, but if the meat is marinated before being cooked, those from nocellara del Belice or tonda iblea are fine because they are savory and fragrant, able to better balance the taste of the preparation.

Escalopes (or slices)

They want fruity and fragrant oils like the Tuscan ones from the frantoio or moraiolo cultivar. If cooked with pizzaiola, with tomato, or with pepper, the Pugliesi of Salento are exceptional with coratina olives or cellina di Nardò. Tartare: the lean meat minced beef with anchovies, onion, capers, parsley and yolk and seasoned with lemon, salt and pepper wants a drizzle of oil, which should be of medium fruity like the Abruzzese from Loreto olives. Ribs: either grilled or grilled, they are accompanied by a medium fruity flavor, better still the Molise or Gargano oil from rosciola or peranzana olives.

Boiled

Still steaming it goes close to the intense fruity of the Barese from coratina olives, intensely herbaceous and very bitter and spicy; if it is served cold in salads or with sauces (for example with thyme), well also those from Umbria with moraiolo or Sicilians from nocellara del Belice. Stracotto alla fiorentina: perfect in this case a regional combination. Therefore, choose a Florentine oil from the oil mill triad

Overcooked At Fiorentina

Perfect in this case a regional combination. To be chosen therefore a Florentine oil of the triad frantoio, moraiolo and leccino, rather intense and sapid, bitter, with peaks of astringency. With pork, savory with judgment

Pork, although tasty, can contain less intense oils

With the ribs

If flavored with orange juice, they are a delight accompanied with a Sicilian extra virgin olive oil from Moorish olives, a Trieste oil from bianchera olives or a Sardinian variety of Bosana. For those with anchovies or olives, both Veneto and Lombardy medium-sized oils are good, obtained from Casaliva or Gargna cultivars.

With fillet and loin

They are the leanest cuts and for them both medium intensity fruity oils and those with a decidedly more intense and marked character are good. The difference comes from the type of cooking and the seasonings used: as a rule, the longer the first and the tastier the seconds, the greater the intensity of the oil used must be.

On the livers

Wrapped in the pork net and then baked in the oven, they require an oil with an intense flavor and a compact consistency like those of the Tuscan Maremma from olive Seggianese olives

For the kid, better little oil but with personality

Less savory than that of mutton but more than that of lamb, kid meat is nevertheless rich in taste and quite fatty, so the oil to be used must be little but very fruity and sapid, with a penetrating taste that pinches into throat. Particularly if, as often happens, it is marinated before cooking, the oil from Bari with pure coratina olives and the moraiolo of Umbria prove to be excellent. The grilled ribs are an exception: in this case it is better to use an extra virgin olive oil from Lazio from Itrana olives, with an intense fruitiness. It should be noted that the kid is often prepared according to regional recipes: in this case the suggestion is to also use local oils

Luigi Caricato – Number 11 November 2008

The extra virgin olive oil is not all the same: the advice to choose it – Italian Cuisine

How to extricate yourself among the many labels of extra virgin olive oil present in large retailers? Our tips to choose as consciously as possible

Extra virgin olive oil it is not all the same: some derive from monocultivar olives, others from a miscellanea of olives, others are made with olives coming from the European Union. On the shelves of supermarkets the choice is very wide, it is often difficult to understand what kind of extra virgin olive oil we are buying. For this it is fundamental to know how to read the label, which can provide us with the necessary information so as not to make a mistake.

Labels, guarantee of transparency and quality

Each label on the bottle of extra virgin olive oil tells something about him: who has milled olives, where they have been milled and where they have been harvested for the production of that particular oil. It may happen that olives come from one or more countries of the European Union, or that they have all been collected in an Italian region and then processed in a mill in our country. In this case also the words "100% Italian product" appear. Each label then specifies that it is indeed an extra virgin olive oil, "an oil of a superior category, obtained directly from olives and solely by mechanical processes ". This information is mandatory, can not be missing if it is an extra virgin olive oil. Beyond that, one must appear nutritional table, with indications of energetic value, fats, saturated fatty acids, carbohydrates, sugars, proteins and salt.

The "optional" information

On the labels some information can appear that better define the characteristics of extra virgin olive oil. It can be specified "First cold pressing", or "cold extracted": the first concerns extra virgin olive oils obtained at less than 27 ° C with the first mechanical pressing of olives made using hydraulic presses, while the second refers to extra virgin olive oils, always obtained less than 27th, with a process of centrifugation of olive paste. Optional information may include those relating toacidity of the oil (which can not be higher than 0.8%), taste characteristics and related to the harvesting campaign. All news that help to better understand what type of oil we are buying, to make a choice as conscious as possible.

In the tutorial all the tips to choose and best preserve your extra virgin olive oil.

How to taste extra virgin olive oil and why buy various types – Italian Cuisine

A mini guide to the tasting of extra virgin olive oil and how to enhance different types with recipes that will inspire you

Extra virgin olive oil is one of the treasures of our gastronomy that must never be lacking in the pantry. We use it for cook, season raw and complete all dishes that are looking for that extra something that makes them perfect. Like a drop of good and carefully selected oil.

And it is precisely here that the first doubts arise. Which oil should I buy? Did I choose a good product?
To understand it together, we let ourselves be guided by the experience of Olio Sagra, a product that has its roots in the authentic Lucca of 1959. Decades of work, research and consolidated traditions not to be missed. Just like that of taste the oil and try to understand it deeper.

The steps and the rules of the tasting

When: le best times to taste extra virgin olive oil, are those in the morning. You will then have to devote yourself to this operation away from meals and avoid from the day before taking alcohol to eat highly aromatized and spicy foods. Even the use of aftershave, perfumes and tobacco could compromise the result.

Such as: between a taster and the other, let pass a few minutes so that the sensations of the first taste do not condition the next. We recommend chewing a piece of apple or bread to help the mouth to find the right balance between a taste and the other.

The sight: now that we are ready, we proceed to the visual examination. Extra virgin olive oil will result clear if it has been filtered or if it has undergone a natural decantation process. Sara veiled if it is a new and unfiltered oil, while it will appear turbid if characterized by filamentous striations and impurities. In this case we find ourselves in front of an oil that has been badly preserved or produced with insufficient attention and cleaning.
As for the color, we will have to research all the shades that go from yellow to green, alarming us if our extra virgin olive oil is colorless. This is indeed an indication of poor quality or illicit manipulation. In the event that orange appears instead, it means that it is oxidized.

smell: now let's move on to the second phase by preparing our champion in a cup that we will cover with the hand and keep in contact with the palms, subjecting it to slight circular movements. When it is hot (the optimal temperature is 28 ° C) we proceed by inhaling deeply with both nostrils at least three times. In this phase we will look for the olfactory notes of reference and try to perceive the different fragrances and ripening of the olives.

On the palate: here we are at the most awaited phase of our sensory analysis. Pour the extra-virgin olive oil into a small glass (about 15 ml). Let's keep it to temperature of 28 ° C in order to better perceive all the organoleptic characteristics. Let's sniff it and try to steal pleasant and unpleasant olfactory sensations. Take oil now by sucking in air with a suction first slow and delicate, then more vigorous, in order to vaporize it in the oral cavity bringing it in direct contact with the taste buds. Now let's rest the mouth by slowly moving the tongue against the palate.
At this point we inhale again with the tongue against the palate and the semi-open lips. Now expel the oil.
Finally, let's focus on the aftertaste or the gustatory and olfactory sensation that remains after swallowing.

Which one to choose

After tasting the oil, you will have realized that you appreciate some qualities more than others and you have identified a specific type that meets your preferences. Choosing only one oil, however, could represent a limit in the consumption phase. Ideally, in fact, to fully appreciate the potential of a good extra virgin olive oil, we should put it to the test by providing the best conditions. This means that for example a delicate oil is not suitable for the preparation of dishes with an intense flavor, but it is perfect to give freshness to light and balanced dishes. In the same way, an intense oil could be too intrusive if served raw on a steamed fish fillet, while it could be perfect on more complex cooking or regional preparations. Let's see then below 5 types of different oils and to which preparations are combined to the best.

The oils and the recipes

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How to use an extra virgin oil with a vibrant but balanced taste?
Its ideal use is in light dishes that enhance its delicate flavor. The fish for example, it requires an oil that knows how to enhance its taste without covering it. Perfect even when cooked, it gives its best with a small addition to raw at the end of the preparation (just a teaspoon per serving).
The recipe chosen to enhance the extra virgin olive oil Sagra Bassa Acidità is the exotic fish soup.
The ingredients for 6 people: a spoon extra virgin olive oil Low Acidity, 1kg of soup fish (preferably Cernia), peeled tomatoes, half a kg of cassava, 1 kg of potatoes, half a kg of pumpkin, half a kg of green bananas, an onion, 2 cloves garlic, bay leaves, sage, pepper, salt.
Method: Season fish with oil, garlic and bay leaf. Chop the onion, the remaining bay leaves, the sage and the garlic and brown them in oil with chilli and tomatoes. Add the potatoes, bananas, cassava and pumpkin cut into cubes and season. Add some water to cover the preparation. When the ingredients are about to finish cooking, add salt, add the fish and cook it. You can serve it accompanied by white rice or slices of toasted bread and seasoned with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, Sagra Bassa Acidità.

What are the ideal preparations for a organic oil with a strong but balanced taste?
A prized oil such as the Organic extra virgin olive Sagra produced with olives from Organic Agriculture and exclusive Italian production, deserves to be enhanced with preparations that do not alter the taste. We will be able to appreciate it raw on vegetables, white meats and first courses of tomato, but also in fanciful recipes like the fish false based on tuna.
The ingredients for 6 people: a glass of extra virgin organic olive oil, 600 g of tuna, 500 g of potatoes, half a glass of mayonnaise, a jar of anchovies, a jar of capers, 200 g of butter.
Method: pprepare the mayonnaise, boil the potatoes, peel them, pass them through the vegetable mill and season them with the butter. In a bowl put the drained tuna with 5 washed anchovies and blend everything: it should not become a too homogeneous cream. Chop half of the capers with the crescent and add them to the mixture. Add the cream of tuna, anchovies and capers and 2/3 of mayonnaise to the potatoes. Mix gently and in a serving tray give the mixture the shape of a fish. Cover with the remaining mayonnaise and decorate with capers remaining whole or, as desired, with thin slices of radish that recall the scales. Serve cold with toasted bread croutons.

How to use an oil in the kitchen intense fruity?
The 100% Italian extra virgin Sagra is an oil in which you will find a round taste that reflects the characteristics of the typical Italian oil. Produced from olives from our territory, it is perfect to be used every day in the kitchen to enrich the simplest recipes or give an intense note to the traditional preparations like the polenta muffins.
Ingredients for 6 people: a glass of extra virgin olive oil 100% Italian Sagra, 500 g of yellow flour, 2 liters of water, 2 boxes of peeled tomatoes, 3 carrots, one onion, 2 bunches of basil, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese q.b.
Method: prepair a pomarola with peeled tomatoes, finely chopped carrots, chopped onion, basil and a glass of oil. Bring to a boil and cook for about 25 minutes, adding salt, pepper and a little sugar. Turn off the heat. Once the sauce has cooled, pass it with the sauce and keep it aside. Put the water to boil with salt and oil. When it is boiling, pour the yellow flour into it and, after having melted it, cook for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, butter an oven dish or a baking dish and place small piles of warm polenta, helping with two tablespoons. Season the matuffi thus obtained with the pomarola sauce, sprinkle with grated Parmesan and bake in the oven at 250 ° C. Serve very hot.

In which recipes do you use an oil with a fragrant aroma of ripe olive?
Balanced, delicate, but at the same time complex. Sagra Classico extra virgin olive oil can be adapted to different preparations and is ideal for finishing raw dishes or preparing bases during cooking. It gives the best of itself in simple and Mediterranean dishes as the spelled with tomatoes, zucchini and ricotta.
Ingredients for 6 people: Extra Virgin Olive Oil "Il Classico" Sagra, 200g of pearl spelled, a spring onion, 150g of yellow and red tomatoes, 150g of chickpeas, 2 courgettes, 2 spoons of capers, 150g of ricotta, basil, salt and pepper
Preparation: ccook the spelled in abundant salted water. Meanwhile, cut the onion and fry in a pan with 2 tablespoons of oil. Cut the courgettes into sticks and add them to the pan along with the halved cherry tomatoes. Cook for about 5 minutes, adding salt and pepper. Add also chickpeas, capers and spelled. Stir well, cook for 1 minute and turn off the heat. Serve with crumbled ricotta and basil and season with a little extra virgin olive oil.

What are the preparations suitable for a fragrant and tasty oil?
The golden yellow color with green reflections, the fragrant scent and the balanced taste of Sagra Grandulivo make it the perfect extra virgin for seasonings raw. It gives the best of itself on meat and fish, but it is also excellent on toasted bread that serves as an accompaniment to soups and grilled dishes. One of the perfect dishes to appreciate its qualities, is the veal with pizzaiola.
Ingredients for 6 people: 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil Sagra Grandulivo, 900 g of slices of veal, 1 kg of fresh ripe tomatoes, 2 fiordilatte mozzarella, a tube of tomato paste, a clove of garlic, salt, pepper and oregano
Method: Spread the slices on the cutting board and flatten them with a meat tenderizer. Cut the mozzarella into slices. In a pan heat the 6 tablespoons of oil, the clove of garlic and the peeled tomatoes cut into small pieces. Season with salt, pepper and a handful of oregano. Once the sauce begins to boil, throw the slices of meat and turn them occasionally to taste. Cook over a moderate heat until the tomato sauce is a bit 'restricted (about 20 minutes). Cover each slice with a slice of mozzarella, cover the pan, already off the stove and, as soon as the mozzarella has begun to melt, place the meat on the tray, covered with tomato sauce and serve immediately.

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