In the last post, to celebrate olive harvest season, we talked about the differences between virgin, extra virgin, non-virgin or pomace, and rectified olive oils. We also talked about why some extra virgins cost $8 and others cost $20, the International Olive Council, how it’s perfectly okay to cook with inexpensive olive oil, and how you shouldn’t cook with $20 olive oil.
Here’s where we ended up:
Q. So what do I do with $20 olive oil if it isn’t for cooking?
A. Thanks for asking again, and for your patience between posts. $20 olive oil is basically for the same thing as expensive salt—it’s for finishing.
Another way to say that is, with $20 olive oil, you’re paying for subtleties and nuances of flavor that will burn off if you use it for cooking. So instead, use it like a condiment, either drizzling it on food before just before you eat it—like you might with a fresh tomato pasta or grilled veggies—or using it in a vinaigrette or other raw application. This Spinach Salad with Cranberries and Pecans, for example.
Q. So I’m supposed to have two olive oils, one for cooking and one for finishing?
A. Well, that’s up to you, depending on how much money and shelf space you want to devote to olive oil.
You might have one that’s relatively inexpensive but that you like the taste of and you use it all the time. You might have one that you use one for cooking and a second one for finishing.
But you also might have one for cooking and more than one for finishing. Maybe one with a grassy flavor that you like in salads, and one with a buttery flavor that tastes good on roasted mushrooms.
Q. Okaaay. So say I want a grassy one and a buttery one—when I go to buy them, how do I know which is which?
A. Another excellent question! (You’re so smart!)
Like wine, sometimes there are clues on the outside of the bottle that hint at the flavors on the inside. If an oil looks green-ish, or the label says anything about using green or young olives, or if it says “olio nuovo” (“new oil”), chances are it’ll have a bright, fresh, verdant, or grassy flavor.
If it’s been harvested later in the season or if it’s from a warmer climate, it might be made from riper olives, which might give it a buttery flavor.
But it could also have spicy, peppery, bitter, or fruity flavors—or a myriad of others—without a single hint on the bottle as to what to expect.
Q. Again—oy.
A. Well here’s my strategy. If I’m going to spend $20 on a bottle of olive oil, I want to try it first. So whenever I have an opportunity to taste oils, like at the farmers market or at a tasting bar in a store, I try a few. If I find one that makes me want to just drink the bottle—not an uncommon occurrence, by the way—I buy it.
My current favorite is California Olive Ranch Reserve Arbequina (below). And yes, I want to drink the bottle.
Q. My brain is about to burst. Anything else for now?
A. Just this. I’ve been to several olive oil tastings, and I tend to like buttery olive oils the best. But at one tasting, after we tried the oils on their own, they brought in food—sliced tomatoes and sautéed mushrooms. On the sautéed mushrooms, a buttery oil was heaven. But on the tomatoes, it added nothing. I could barely taste it. A grassy oil, though—it added whole new levels of dimension and complexity to those tomatoes. It made me rethink what a good-tasting olive oil might be.
This doesn’t mean that you, too, will adore grassy olive oils on tomatoes. It only means that once you play and experiment, what you like might surprise you.
And the proliferation of olive oils on the shelves? It’s just more opportunity to play.
Recipes for using olive for finishing or in raw applications
Spinach Salad with Cranberries and Pecans
Marinated Olives with Citrus and Garlic
Basil Pesto
Figs, Goat Cheese, and Mixed Greens with Candied Pecans
Bay-Infused Chocolate Pot de Crème (drizzle olive oil on top!)
