Greetings, hope everyone is enjoying the weekend. I am back from the olive oil tasting on Olive Oil Tasters. This week we tasted some aristan oils from two small growers in Liguria and Amelia. I learned a great deal and I want to pass it along in case you missed the tasting, and because a few of you out there will be joining me in Orvieto in a few months and this is one of the things we plan to experience. The city of Oriveto is a hilltop town, and the surrounding countryside is brimming with wine and olive growers.
The oils we tasted today are unfiltered, so while they do allow some time after "pressing" for sediment to sink, you might see a bit of sediment. Do not shake the bottle of oil, as you really don't want the sediment to be disbursed. The sediment is a biproduct that is to be discarded. I thought it was interesting that these oils were not pressed, instead they extracted the oil via a centrifuge after removing the pits. Pressing can bruise the olives and the pits can cause the oil to be bitter. Of course there was some discussion from some of the other producers as the the proper method, some still favoring the stone press method, but the centrifuge method made a lot of sense to me.
For purposes of cooking, these oils have a low smoke point, so while you might poach fish in them you would not want to fry fish in them. They work best as a garnish or to finish dishes, such as drizzling it over a fish dish, or on bruschetta, vegatables, salads, soups or meats. And, they are great for marinades.
This was my first experience with Ustream, and I loved it. The two guest speakers today, the North American distributors for the Italian farmers, both spoke live via Ustream. We could post questions and they were able to see them and respond, and we were able to see them live. Both Farmstead Wines and Amelia are both based in British Columbia. Ordinarily I think it might be cost prohibitive for Americans to purchase their products but they offered members of Olive Oil Tasters some special discounts and shipping. Though it was a little pricier than I expected, I am really glad I decided to try this.
I think there will be more tastings in the future, check in at Olive Oil Tasters for more information.
