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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November 27, 2017 In Antipasti, Feasts & Festivities, Recipes

Prawns with Bergamot Mayonnaise

Autumn Recipes

Most people know Bergamot because it’s that citrus hint in Earl Grey tea.  Less known is that it is native Italian plant, from Calabria, naturally crossed between lemons and bitter orange.  Its rind is full of oil, and it’s primarily used for this, especially in the cosmetic industry – not just tea.

The aromatic, musky, and sour flavour can be used in the kitchen too.  It is not a fruit to eat as such – it has a very high acidity (think lemons or limes), but the juices and the zest can be added to in place of other acids, to give a wonderful floral scent to your food, for example with seafood. Indeed, a bergamot infused mayonnaise goes wonderfully with prawns or salmon.

Ingredients

For 4 people:

 

Half a bergamot (zest and juice)

1 egg yolk

a cup of olive oil  (250ml)

1 tsp Dijon mustard

A pinch of salt

A little bit of sweet smoked paprika

3 or 4 prawns per person.

Which EVOO to use?

Mayonnaise require EVOO which has a lighter touch, so we would suggest an oil from Frantoio Riva, such as Parallelo 46 blue label, or from Paolo Cassini, such as S’Ciappau Gran Cru. Both also work fabulously well with fish.

Method

1.     Mix the egg yolk, the mustard and the zest and juice of the bergamot well.

2.    Add the oil in a slow steady stream while whisking, until it’s emulsified into the consistency desired .  This will probably take about 20 minutes.  Towards the end add the salt whist whisking and taste – if you need to add more salt or maybe a little bit more bergamot juice, now is the time.

3.    Boil a pan of water

4.    Shell the prawns and remove the veins, rinse and put in the boiling water for a minute or so, until it turns bright pink.  Don’t overcook them, as they become chewy.

5.   Put the mayo in individual bowls for dipping, with a scattering of paprika, and place the prawns alongside to serve.