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)

Pici
September 12, 2022 In Autumn, Recipes
SPRING | SUMMER | AUTUMN | WINTER

Homemade Pici

250g Flour Type ‘00”
250g Ancient Grains Flour
Fine salt
A glug of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
250ml Tepid water
Serves 4 as a first course portion

Sift the flours together in a bowl and add the salt and a tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Then gradually add the water mixing it with your hands.
Take out of the bowl on to a board and begin kneeding gently for about 5 minutes (not too hard and not for too long).
Wrap up in kitchen wrap and set aside in a cool dry place for about 1 hr.
Divide the dough in to quarters. Kneed and roll out in to sheets (approx. 1cm thick) and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Slice in to 0.5cm strips. Then pinch and roll each individual strip.
Dust with flour and then set aside as ‘nests’ ready to cook.
Pici should be prepared the day you are eating them. They are wonderful with Ragu, or with a simple Tomato Aglione, or alternatively with Cacio e Pepe.

Cooking time: 6 minutes