Given its quality, Extra Virgin Olive Oil requires no preparation to be enjoyed; simply dipping it on some bread is enough.
In this simple and quick way, you can enjoy Extra Virgin Olive Oil, whether on a breakfast toast, a mid-morning snack, during afternoon tea, or at any other time of the day, providing your body with all its nutrients and the recognized health benefits associated with its consumption.
Furthermore, extra virgin olive oil is the true king of the kitchen, both in traditional and avant-garde cooking. It is not just another ingredient; it is much more than a simple seasoning, as it forms the base of all kinds of dishes, from fried foods and stews to salads and even delicious desserts.
For multiple reasons, Extra Virgin Olive Oil possesses attributes that make it a superior oil in gastronomy, thanks to its unique flavor combined with its characteristic fruity aroma, adding a special touch to all our preparations and enhancing the taste of the ingredients it accompanies, such as in emulsions, very popular in modern cuisine, where two or more liquids are mixed to create delicious sauces.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil in Stews
In the most traditional dishes of our gastronomy, such as soups, stews, or slow-cooked dishes like lentils or fabada, a good sofrito is the base that provides necessary flavor and texture. While pre-made sofritos are available on the market, they are undoubtedly improved when prepared at home with vegetables and other ingredients sautéed in a good Extra Virgin Olive Oil, resulting in a truly delicious dish.
Essential in Salads and Cold Dishes
Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the fundamental ingredient in all salads, not only because it provides shine and freshness, but also because it enhances the flavors of the other ingredients and adds a texture that makes these essential daily dishes even more enjoyable. A generous drizzle of EVOO, whether during preparation or directly at the table, is indispensable.
Besides salads, all types of cold dishes can be prepared with extra virgin olive oil, such as gazpacho or salmorejo, delicious tomato creams greatly enhanced by EVOO. It is also ideal for marinating, where fish or meat is left to rest in a mixture of extra virgin olive oil and another flavoring, such as wine or vinegar, to absorb all the properties of the ingredients. Carpaccios can also simply be drizzled with EVOO to achieve the flavor and texture only this oil can provide.
And what about frying?
For some time, the myth persisted that sunflower or other seed oils were better for frying than olive oil. Fortunately, it is now fully recognized that this is a mistake, as these oils can be very unstable when exposed to heat, altering their chemical structure and producing potentially harmful substances. Frying with extra virgin olive oil is healthier and even more economical than using other vegetable fats, since it is very stable under temperature changes. It expands when heated, allowing you to fry more food with less oil, and it hardly invades the flavor of the food, forming a crust around it and preventing excessive absorption.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil in large-format is suitable for all types of breaded dishes, fish, meat, potatoes, and vegetables. Using it for frying improves your diet, as this oil can withstand temperatures above 200°C while preserving all its nutritional and medicinal properties.
Baking with Extra Virgin Olive Oil? Naturally!
Traditionally, lard, butter, and margarine were the most commonly used fats in pastry and dessert preparation. The first two are animal-based and contain high levels of saturated fats, while margarine, though plant-based, can contain trans fats due to industrial processing, which are not healthy. None of these fats are particularly beneficial for health.
As consumption habits have become more health-conscious and oil quality has improved, the use of extra virgin olive oil has increased in pastry and baking for cakes, muffins, tarts, and sweets made from nuts such as almonds or hazelnuts. It also pairs well with chocolate and even in ice cream preparation. Note that butter is 85% fat and 15% water, while Extra Virgin Olive Oil is 100% fat. To replace butter with oil, reduce the quantity by 15–20% compared to the recipe, and typically bake slightly longer at a few degrees lower temperature.
