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)

May 14, 2018 In Recipes, Spring
SPRING | SUMMER | AUTUMN | WINTER

Piselli alla Fiorentina (peas with prosciutto)

Frantoio De Carlo, Tenuta Torre di Mossa

This recipe comes from Rachel Roddy in her brilliant book Five Quarters.  She recommends it as a great side dish to roast chicken and we have taken her advice many times!

Ingredients

300 g frozen peas (or 900g unshelled fresh peas)

2 garlic cloves

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

50g pancetta, prosciutto or bacon chopped

2 tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley

salt and pepper

Which EVOO to use?

I used to always put butter on my peas but since discovering amazing Puglian olive oil, I have to say that this is far superior!  We used Tenuta Torre di Mossa for this dish with its complex character of herbs and artichoke and good peppery kick.

Method

Peel and squash the garlic and sauté in olive oil on a medium low heat adding the pancetta, until the garlic is fragrant and just coloured and the pancetta has rendered its fat.  Remove the garlic and add the peas turning them until they are coated.  Add the parsley and season to taste.