My good friend Marianna, founder of Oliveology, has been generous enough to send me a tin of her precious limited edition Olive Oils. There are only 320 tins available so I am very lucky indeed!
This time, their signature Greek olive oil has cold pressed below 22 degrees, with apples, walnuts, cinnamon, honey, lemon and sage. All the juiciest flavours of the mediterranean collected into one glossy olive oil. This oil has not been infused, but crushed with all those fresh ingredients.
I blogged about Oliveology’s products last year, and you can see from her premium packaging that this is something super special…. the Golden Power Ranger of olive oils! Oliveology was also featured in my Full House supper club, so we have a long-standing partnership!
Marianna’s design background means her attention to detail on her packaging is predictably and enviably stunning. This is the packaging from her normal range..
As soon as I tasted this oil, I knew that it was personally, STRICTLY for dressings and never for cooking, since the dewy, buttery flavour was so delicate, I would hate to cook away any of the flavours or accompanying nutrients. You can really taste the walnuts and honey in particular in this oil, the consistency is thick but runny like an agave syrup but the taste is moorish rather than sweet.
Here are 3 ways that I would recommend using a cold-pressed oil like this one…
1. Drizzled over poached or fried eggs, with a grilled portobello mushroom and some finely chopped parsely and chilli.
In this instance, no seasoning is required. Don’t use any salt or pepper, so as to not taint the delicate flavours. TIP: Make some toast, chop into ‘soldiers’ and wipe the plate clean of runny egg and oiive oil dribble. Don’t let any of it go to waste!
2. Prawn, Hazelnut and Avocado salad
Instead of making a dressing with your normal olive oil, lemon, pepper and vinegar etc, this oil has so many dimensions of flavour; lemon, sage and walnuts, that you really don’t need much else. I like to add a sprinkle of freshly grated hazelnut on this salad, to really bring out the nuttiness and the sage flavours in the oil.
TIP: when drizzling, make sure you get plenty on the avocado; the combination of the two creamy textures is incredible. This oil goes particularly well with seafood dishes like this one, I am already planning to drizzle this on some grilled seabass later this week..
3. And finally, a way to add a finishing touch to your soups. We have all heard of adding a dollop of cream or yoghurt at the end of your soups, but try drizzling a ribbon of cold-pressed olive oil onto mediterranean flavoured soups, for a delicate floral scent that lingers.
Above is a simple tomato and roasted red pepper soup, with parsley and a drizzle of Oliveology’s cold pressed oil.
To get your hands on your own Oliveology Limited Edition, find them at Borough Market, (London). You can also see their range of other products on their website, price £40.00 per 350ml tin. Not cheap, but totally worth it. Each tin is individually numbered and signed.
Bonnie Bites 