By: centraljersey.com
I confess to being an olive oil miser. "Miser" is probably not the precise word; it’s something more akin to that "Seinfeld" episode where Elaine screens her beaus for sponge worthiness.
For me it began when friends of my older daughter gifted me with a bottle made from the fruit of ancient trees belonging to a family friend in the Peloponnese. This turned out to be one of several Greek olive oils this young couple is now hoping to import into the U.S. The first bottle’s curvaceous design – resembling an elongated amphora – was stunning, but it was its shimmering contents, made from Koroneiki olives and one of only 650 produced each year, that I began meting out as if it were liquid gold.
Like many serious home cooks, I keep a minimum of two olive oils on hand: an all-purpose one for cooking and a high-quality extra-virgin for dousing directly from the bottle. For the premium oil I am partial both to deep green, peppery, unfiltered Sicilian oil and to smooth, fruity Greek oil made from perfectly ripe black olives. But neither of these comes cheap: they routinely range from $15 to $30 for 17-ounce bottles. And not all Sicilians or Greeks have the flavor profiles I like, regardless of price.
Happily, there are several shops in the Princeton area that offer free in-store tastes so that persnickety customers like me can know exactly what they’re getting.
The newest shop in this category is Carter & Cavero, a gallery-like olive oil (and balsamic vinegar) emporium on Palmer Square. It features more than 30 shiny metal casks with spigots, each containing oil from Italy, Spain, Greece, or California, and all available for sampling either by sipping them straight or by dipping them into bite-size pieces of baguette.
At Taste of Crete, the year-old Greek specialty foods shop in Hillsborough, proprietor Esther Psarakis always keeps bottles open of her two house brand extra-virgins, including an organic version I am particularly fond of.
Early this summer Greg Smith of Tuscan Hills in Kingston launched his own private label Italian oil, which is always available for tasting. The thousand-year-old Tuscan olive trees from which it is made are organic, and the olives are picked by hand and cold-pressed immediately. Like the Sicilian oil I am so fond of, it is grassy, peppery, and smooth all at the same time.
Although Bon Appetit, the venerable food emporium in the Princeton Shopping Center, doesn’t offer tastes of its olive oils, it does have one of the largest and most varied selections around (and at all price points), so if you know exactly what you are looking for, it can’t be beat.
Getting back to that young couple hoping to become Greek olive oil importers: They recently asked me to host a tasting party so they could gather information on what discerning American olive oil consumers prefer. After 15 of us had slurped, dipped, and completed questionnaires about seven different oils, I served a light repast of traditional Greek meze (appetizers), all of which employ liberal amounts of olive oil; the recipes for two of which follow, below.
We capped off the meal with surprisingly delicious olive oil-based sweets. Gab Carbone of the Bent Spoon had made us a batch of olive oil ice cream, which we accompanied with two treats available at Taste of Crete: a topping of jarred sweet olives and olive oil cookies made from a Psarakis family recipe.
Many of the key ingredients for the recipes that follow are in peak season, among them cucumbers, eggplant, bell peppers, hot peppers, mint, and parsley. For the eggplant dish, I took a shortcut and pulsed the eggplant in a food processor rather than putting it through a food mill. But I scrupulously followed the instructions to beat with a wooden spoon because I firmly believe that is how to achieve the ideal texture.
Carter & Cavero is at 27 Palmer Square West, Princeton. Phone: 609-356-0215. wwww.carterandcavero.com.
Taste of Crete is at 400 Route 206 South, Hillsborough. Phone: 908-685-2035. www.tasteofcrete.com.
Tuscan Hills is at 4438 Route 27, Kingston. Phone: 609-921-9015. www.tuscanhills.com.
CUCUMBER WITH FETA CHEESE AND MINT Adapted from "The Foods of Greece" by Aglaia Kremezi (Stewart, Tabori & Chang 1999)
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeds removed, and cut into cubes
1 cup crumbled feta cheese1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves6 tablespoons olive oil3 tablespoons lemon juiceSea salt and freshly ground pepper1 small cucumber, half-peeled in lengthwise strips to give striped appearance, cut into thin rounds, for garnish (optional)
In a small bowl whisk the oil and lemon juice with the salt and pepper to make a lemon vinaigrette. Place the rest of the ingredients, except the optional garnish, in another bowl. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss thoroughly. If desired, pile the salad in the center of a platter with a raised edge and decoratively place the cucumber slices around the outside. Serve immediately.
Serves 4.
EGGPLANT CAVIAR "The Foods of Greece" by Aglaia Kremezi (Stewart, Tabori & Chang 1999)
3 medium eggplants (about 2 pounds total)
1 green bell pepper, roasted and peeled
1/2 cup olive oil
3 to 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/3 to 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh jalapeno
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)
Sea salt
1. Pierce the eggplants twice near the stem with a fork. There are 3 possible ways to give the eggplant the smoky flavor this recipe requires: If you have a charcoal grill, cook the eggplants over the coals until the flesh is tender. If you have an electric stove, place 3 layers of aluminum foil on a burner set at medium heat. Place the eggplants on the foil and let them cook, turning them frequently, until the skin is crisp all over and the flesh is tender, 25 to 30 minutes. If you have a gas stove, hold each eggplant with a barbecue fork over the flame until the skin is crisp, then bake at 400 degrees until the flesh is tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
2. Peel the eggplants while still hot and discard most of the seeds. Chop the flesh, or pass it through the coarse disk of a food mill. Chop the bell pepper finely and mix with the eggplant.
3. In a medium bowl beat the eggplant and pepper with a wooden spoon, adding the oil and vinegar a little at a time. Add the garlic, jalapeno, and parsley while continuing to beat. Season with salt. Taste, and add more vinegar if needed. Serve with pita.
Makes about 2 cups.
