The Christmas, New Year, and Epiphany holidays are approaching, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) can – and should – play an important role in your festive meals.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil is an essential ingredient in traditional Mediterranean cuisine, especially in regions where olive oil culture is deeply rooted. It is a fundamental component in a wide variety of traditional dishes and cannot be missing from holiday recipes, helping maintain health and, where possible, avoid gaining those hard-to-lose holiday pounds.
Holiday Recipes with Extra Virgin Olive Oil
While innovation in the kitchen is always interesting, holiday menus are not the ideal place for experimentation. It is better to stick with traditional dishes that are crowd-pleasers, adding subtle twists in sauces, sides, or dressings where Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil can make the difference, enhancing flavor, texture, aroma, and color while preserving all its organoleptic qualities.
Seafood cocktails, a favorite starter during the holidays, can be dressed with vinaigrette or mayonnaise made with EVOO. Shrimp or lobster with a simple rosa sauce (EVOO, ketchup, and a touch of spice) is another classic.
For fish like sole or sea bass, a perfect dressing combines fresh herbs such as basil, parsley, chives, and oregano with garlic, pepper, salt, and, of course, a generous splash of EVOO.
The same applies to meats – red meat, poultry, turkey, or capon – using EVOO with basil, Parmesan cheese, and garlic as a perfect topping for grilled or roasted dishes. Another option is a cheese sauce with EVOO blended with creamy yogurt, soft goat cheese, garlic powder, and dried oregano.
Holiday Sweets and Desserts
Traditional desserts reign supreme during the holidays: mantecados, pestiños, almond sweets, roscos, puff pastries, cakes, marzipan, and alfajores are staples at meals, breakfasts, and snacks.
As in many Mediterranean recipes, pastry and Extra Virgin Olive Oil pair perfectly, uniting quality and flavor. Many traditional recipes, influenced by Arab heritage, include EVOO for its diverse flavor notes – apple, almond, fresh herbs, and more – lending creativity to both traditional and modern cuisine.
In baking, fats are essential, traditionally from butter or lard (high in saturated fats) or margarine (containing unhealthy trans fats). Therefore, large-format EVOO offers a healthier alternative, with some adjustments.
For example, when replacing butter (85% fat, 15% water), reduce the amount of oil by 15–20% of the indicated butter amount. This works well in cakes, muffins, almond sweets, and chocolate desserts, noting that baking may require slightly lower temperatures and longer times when using EVOO.
For further reading, José Oneto, president of the Andalusian Gastronomic Press Association, authored “Extra Virgin Olive Oil in Pastry: Yesterday and Today”, with numerous recipes. One example is provided below:
Healthy Polvorones with Extra Virgin Olive Oil
A homemade take on a traditional Christmas treat, these polvorones replace lard with the healthier EVOO, resulting in exquisite texture and flavor.
Ingredients:
- 100 g Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 70 g raw, skinless almonds
- 350 g wheat flour
- 100 g sugar
- Ground cinnamon
- Lemon zest
- Pinch of salt
- Sesame seeds
Preparation:
- Toast the flour and almonds on a baking tray for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Grind the almonds with the flour.
- Let the mixture cool completely.
- Add the EVOO, lemon zest, salt, and cinnamon to the cooled mixture and mix thoroughly.
- Knead by hand until the dough comes together.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
- Remove dough from fridge, roll it out evenly, and shape into polvorones.
- Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, brush with EVOO, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Preheat oven to 200°C (top and bottom heat). Once hot, reduce temperature to 180°C and bake for 10–12 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool completely before handling.
- Optionally, dust with powdered sugar once fully cooled.
Enjoy and Happy Holidays!
