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 4, 2023 In Recipes, Summer
SPRING | SUMMER | AUTUMN | WINTER

The Secret to Hummus

I’m sure everyone has their own recipe for hummus, but this one is tried and tested and we feel the secrets are: the quality of the chickpeas and using the plumper ones, a load of lemon, a bit of cumin and finally the most important element, the perfect extra virgin olive oil – we use Rosciola from Frantoio Gregori in Le Marche, which is a divine pair for chickpeas.

 

Ingredients

600g large chickpeas from a jar

1 good sized garlic clove, grated

100ml lemon juice

½ tbsp maldon salt

Ground black pepper

100ml tahini paste

½ tsp ground cumin

200ml extra virgin olive oil, Rosciola from Frantoio Gregori

Sweet paprika to serve

 

Method

In a food processor, blend the chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, seasoning, tahini and cumin until virtually smooth. Then add in the olive oil in a steady stream. Check for seasoning.

Plate up with some whole chickpeas on the top, a swirl of olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika.

 

This makes quite a bit of hummus, so if you have some left, you can store it in a glass jar in the fridge. Just pour over some olive oil on the top to keep it in perfect condition.