LOCATION AND CLIMATE

 

As you might expect, olives grown in cooler areas where there is more moisture (rainfall and dew) exhibit leaner, more restrained characteristics.  This doesn’t however mean that great oil can now be made in Iceland – you need a minimum amount of sunshine to make your Extra Virgin Olive Oil taste remarkable, similarly to tomatoes or stone fruit.

Olive trees are sensitive to winter freeze (the Casaliva cultivar is more resistant to cold, hence being grown in the Garda region).  It is also easier to farm organically where the climate is more stable and less chemical sprays are required to keep the trees healthy.

OLIVE MATURITY

 

Here’s the thing – all olives are green.  When they become fully mature, they turn black.
Olive maturity at the time of harvest is a major factor in flavour and quality: olives harvested earlier (green olives) feature more bitter, grassy characteristics, with lower yields and with the highest anti-oxidant content.  The oil is a much more intense green colour and has a longer shelf-life.  In terms of production, milling can take longer with green olives (a longer malaxation - the action of slowly churning milled olives to release droplets of oil - is needed and can be more complicated) but the results are far superior!  Don’t choose olive oil from over mature fruit: it lacks all the potential goodness and flavour.

ATTENTION TO DETAIL IN GROVE AND MILL

 

People who care passionately about what they make and follow it personally every day have the capacity to create products with far higher quality, with integrity, and that taste of where they come from.  They are also able to do this by caring for the environment they inhabit.

FRANTOIO DI RIVA BOX

This box contains 6 bottles of extra virgin olive oil made exclusively by Frantoio di Riva from groves on the banks of lake Garda.

Frantoio di Riva, 46°PARALLELO green label x 3 bottles (50cl)
Frantoio di Riva, 46°PARALLELO organic white label x 1 bottle (50cl)
Frantoio di Riva, 46°PARALLELO blue label x 1 bottle (50cl)
Frantoio di Riva, ULIVA Garda Trentino DOP x 1 bottle (50cl)

October 30, 2022 In Autumn

Caesar Mushroom and Tomino Salad

Should you eat raw mushrooms? No, never… except perhaps when they are Caesar’s Mushrooms (Ovuli in Italian) and your good friends, who are hugely experienced mushroom foragers, have picked them. It’s a gift fit for an emperor and one of the culinary delights of the autumn. If you are willing to risk your life in eating a raw mushroom…

 

This salad combines the freshness and delicate nuttiness of the ovuli, with the lushness of cooked cheese. Add a great olive oil, such as 1979 from Fonte di Foiano. This monocultivar Frantoio, is an exceptionally classic example of what Tuscany does at its best. Marked with a very sophisticated pepperiness we believe this to be a supreme pair for the earthy mushroom.

 

Ingredients for 4:

 

200g Caesar Mushrooms

300g Mistcanza (mixed leaf salad – try to include something bitter, like rocket or trevisana, and something sweet such as lamb’s leaf)

4 Tomini cheeses (approx 400gr.)

A squeeze of lemon

 

Slice the Ovuli, salt and leave to rest for about 10 minutes

Clean and dress your salad with extra virgin olive oil, salt and apple cider vinegar

Fry the Tomini cheese for a few minutes on each side on a medium heat – 3 to 5 minutes depending on how quickly they colour and if they open up and melt (take off earlier) or if they remain intact (cook for a little longer).

 

Plate the mushrooms first, adding a squeeze of lemon, maldon salt and olive oil, then the salad and the cheese – eat immediately!