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)

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October 9, 2023 In Baking, Recipes

Olive Oil Banana Bread

Banana bread is always better made with olive oil because it helps it to retain the moisture. Store under a glass lid and it keeps for a few days. It works well toasted for breakfast and served with crème fraiche or natural yoghurt. It is also good with a little almond butter.

INGREDIENTS

200g    Plain flour

1tsp     Baking powder

1tsp     Ground cinnamon

A pinch of salt

125g    Unrefined brown sugar

125ml  Extra Virgin Olive Oil. We like to use a more decisive oil for this cake because the pepperiness works well in contrast with the sweetness of the banana. Try Tenuta Arcamone from Frantoio de Carlo in Puglia or Dradista from Frantoio Librandi in Calabria.

2          Eggs

2          Ripe bananas (1 ½ smashed and ½ sliced)

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 170C/340F and line a small loaf tin with baking parchment.

Mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and sugar with an electric mixer. Then in a separate bowl mix the olive oil, eggs and the smashed banana until combined. Pour this over the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly on a slow speed.

Spoon in to the loaf tin and lay the banana slices over the batter.

Bake for around 40-45 minutes and then allow to cool in its tin before removing on to a wire rack to cool further.