Recipes Featuring Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Embark on a culinary journey where simplicity elegantly intertwines with flavour, all from the comfort of your kitchen. Chef Maurizio opens up his treasured recipe book to you, sharing dishes that transcend the ordinary; a true celebration of the golden elixir of the Mediterranean—Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Bruschetta al Salmone
Bruschetta with salmon
Ingredients (4 servings)
4 slices homemade or rustic sourdough bread
4 sliced Scottish smoked salmon
60ml extra virgin olive oil
Few leaves of parsley (as your taste)
Small bunch of chives (as your taste)
Method:
Toast your slices of bread on a non-stick pan or cast iron griddle. When they are lightly toasted and crunchy, rub one side of each slice with a clove of garlic. Arrange slices of smoked salmon on top of the bruschetta. Mix the extra virgin olive oil with the finely chopped parsley and chives, and drizzle over the bruschetta before serving.
Spaghetti aglio, olio e pepperoncino
Spaghetti garlic, extra virgin olive oil and chilli
Ingredients (4 servings)
300g Spaghetti
2 large glove of Garlic
60ml extra virgin olive oil
2 red chillies
Sprig of parsley
Sea salt
Method:
Cook the spaghetti to cook in boiling water with a pinch of salt.
Crush the garlic delicately with the flat blade of a knife – this will make it easier to remove the peel. Peel and chop the garlic.
Slice a fresh red chilli pepper in half lengthways, remove the seeds and chop it.
Chop a sprig of parsley.
Combine the extra virgin olive oil with the garlic and chilli pepper in a large pan when still cold.
As soon as the oil begins to sizzle, add the chopped herbs and, immediately afterwards, 4-5 tablespoons of the pasta cooking water (spaghetti, already boiled) and a pinch of salt.
Drain the spaghetti when al dente, toss it in the pan with the sauce and serve immediately.
Biscotti all’Olio
Olive Oil Biscuits
Ingredients (4 servings)
500g 00 flour
2 eggs
15ml extra virgin olive oil
1 sachet of yeast
50ml milk
Few drops of vanilla essence (as you like)
Method:
Put the flour in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Add a sachet of yeast, followed by the eggs, extra virgin olive oil and vanilla essence. Pour in the milk and start kneading until you obtain a soft dough.
Cover the dough with a cotton tea towel and leave it to relax in the fridge for 30 minutes. On a floured surface, roll out the dough with a rolling pin, creating a sheet about half a centimetre thick, cut your biscuits with a biscuit cutter of choice. Sprinkle them with granulated sugar and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake at 180 deg C for 15 minutes. Leave to cool before serving.
Caramelle gommose
Jelly Sweets
Ingredients (4 servings)
200ml delicately fruity extra virgin olive oil
100ml water
100g icing sugar
6 sheets of gelatine
Method:
Place the water and sugar in a non-stick saucepan and prepare the syrup over a low heat, taking care not to let it reach the boiling point.
Separately, hydrate the gelatine sheets in water for 10-15 minutes. Drain and squeeze the gelatine sheets, place them in the saucepan with the syrup and make sure it all fully dissolves – use an electric mixer, if required.
At this point, slowly incorporate the extra virgin olive oil, as if making mayonnaise. When the mixture has thickened, pour it into a small candy mold, or into a pan and then cut it with a knife into small diced portions.
Let it cool for a couple of hours (preferably in the fridge), cut and serve sprinkled with sugar like traditional jellies.
