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)

August 17, 2023 In Recipes, Soups, Summer
SPRING | SUMMER | AUTUMN | WINTER

Smoked Gazpacho with Ricotta

This is super simple and just right for a summer lunch when the heat is at its best.

Bright summer flavours are met with a smoky undertone from the paprika and a creaminess from the fresh ricotta and the finish is uplifting thanks to the lime and extra virgin olive oil.

 

Serves 4

Ingredients

3 large ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped

¼ clove of garlic

½ red onion roughly chopped

2 limes

a bunch of coriander to finish

1tsp smoked paprika

seasoning to taste

80-100g ricotta, crumbled

3 tbsp   Extra Virgin Olive Oil, we use Nocellara del Belice from Frantoio Librandi in Calabria

 

Method

Carefully wash the ingredients and chop as above. Then add the tomatoes, cucumber, garlic, onion to the food processor along with 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. Blitz.

Then add the zest of 2 limes and the juice of just one. Taste. Then season to your taste.

Following this add the smoked paprika and taste/adjust accordingly.

Serve in to bowls and top with the crumbled ricotta and coriander as well as a final swirl of olive oil.