No-Yeast No-Bake Homemade Bread Stuffed with Cheese & Herbs

From Albert Bevia:
TIPS & TRICKS to make this Recipe: Since this is a quick bread, make sure you knead the dough for at least 1 minute. This helps develop some of the gluten strands in the dough. Which gives the bread a great flavor and texture. I cooked my breads between 60 to 75 seconds per side on a medium heat. This was enough to cook the dough fully through and made the cheese perfectly melted.

No-Yeast No-Bake Homemade Bread Stuffed with Cheese & Herbs

Watch Albert preparing this recipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4tikrNkpQo&t=3s

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 4 slices white cheese
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • 1 tbsp dried thyme
  • 1 tbsp dried parsley

Instructions

  1. Add 2 cups all-purpose flour into a large bowl, also add in 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1 teaspoon sea salt, mix the dry ingredients together, then add in 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and 2/3 cups water, mix together until you form a dough, then get in there with your hands and knead the dough inside of the bowl for 1 to 2 minutes, then shape into a ball
  2. Sprinkle some all-purpose flour on a cleaned flat surface, add the ball of dough on top and cut into 8 evenly sized pieces, shape each piece of dough into a ball
  3. Using your hands or a roller, shape each piece of dough into a circular design that is about 1/8 of an inch in thickness
  4. To assemble each bread, add 1 slice of white cheese on top of one of the doughs, then sprinkle some dried oregano, dried thyme and dried parsley over the cheese, grab another dough and place on top, fold the bottom dough over the top dough through the outer edges, then use your hands or a roller to make sure it is well sealed, do this until all 4 breads are assembled, then brush a kiss of extra virgin olive oil on top of each one
  5. Heat a grilling pan or nonstick fry pan with a medium heat, after 2 to 3 minutes and the pan is hot, add in one of the doughs, oil side down, brush another kiss of extra virgin olive oil over the top dough, after 60 to 75 seconds flip to cook the other side, after another 60 to 75 seconds remove the bread from the pan and transfer to a dish, continue to do this until they´re all cooked, serve immediately, enjoy!

Sierra Wins Gold in NY

The Sierra won a gold medal at the The New York International Olive Oil Competition this year. The Mistral won a silver medal. You can view all the results at www.bestoliveoils.com.  In addition the Sierra won silver medals at the Los Angeles International Competition and the California State Fair Competiton. The Mistral won a gold medal at the Los Angeles International Competition and a silver at the California State Fair.

An Interview with Dr. Simon Poole, Author of An Olive Oil Diet


Here are excerpts from an interview done with Dr. Simon Poole from a recent COOC newsletter that we found very interesting.

When I first read your keynote title, I thought it would make a good title for a movie! Tell us why you have named the title of your talk simply; “Of all the Gifts of Heaven”?

One of your Presidents, Thomas Jefferson said; “Of all the gifts of Heaven to man, the olive is next to the most precious, if it be not the most precious,” He was a man ahead of his time, a farmer, a connoisseur, a lover of olive oil and an advocate of healthy eating. I suspect that if he were running for president he would campaign to “Make America Well Again”, and I wanted to make the message of health and sustainability of the Mediterranean Diet and extra virgin olive oil the theme of my talk.

When and how did you first become interested in extra virgin olive oil?

As a working physician with a great interest in lifestyle medicine, I saw great changes in my patients who adopted the Mediterranean Diet with regular enjoyment of extra virgin olive oil. I have become a passionate ambassador for extra virgin olive oil and now travel to lecture to the public, health professionals, producers, importers and retailers to educate and advocate the extraordinary benefits of this most wonderful food.

Would you kindly share one of your favorite olive oil recipes with our members?

Extra virgin olive oil is so versatile and is so wonderful to cook with and also to “anoint” on any dish to add flavor and texture. It can be combined with any food and even pairs really well with deserts and ice cream.  I particularly love this simple recipe from the co-author of our book The Olive Oil Diet, Judy Ridgway which mixes fruit, cheese and extra virgin olive oil;

PECORINO SALAD WITH FRUIT AND OLIVES

This really is an all-the-year round salad.  Choose fruit in season and any kind of good green olives. Serve as a first course or as a good lunchtime snack with plenty of wholemeal bread.

Serves 4

3 tender lettuce hearts, washed and drained

1 pink grapefruit, peeled and segmented

1 sweet apple. Cored and cut into dice

200g Pecorino cheese, crumbled or diced

100g green table olives

6cm cucumber, diced

2 small spring onions, finely chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Tear the lettuce leaves into pieces by hand and use to line a salad bowl.

Cut the grapefruit segments into small pieces and mix with the apples, cheese, olives, cucumber and spring onion.  Spoon this mixture onto the lettuce leaves.

Beat the lemon juice with olive oil to taste and pour over the salad.  Mix carefully and serve at once.

Dr Simon Poole is a Cambridge based medical doctor, author, broadcaster and commentator and an internationally renowned authority on the science and application of the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle. He is an expert scientific consultant on extra virgin olive oil and a member of the Advisory Board of the Olive Wellness Institute, Australia and an advisor to the Yale Olive Institute, Yale University. His award-winning book, The Olive Oil Diet, takes a fresh and exciting look at diet, foods, cooking and health, on a gastronomic journey which tells the story of ingredients from around the Mediterranean with a focus on the delivery of health through olive oil. 

Sweet Potato and Tuna Breakfast Fritters

From Albert Bevia:
TIPS & TRICKS to make these FRITTERS: Once you shred your sweet potato, it is so IMPORTANT to squeeze out as much as possible of the water in the sweet potato. I added mine to a cheesecloth and twisted the water out over a sink. This is what gives these fritters that incredible crispy texture. Some of you might be thinking ¨geez….I don´t have 30 minutes to make breakfast!¨. SOLUTION: Make the fritter batter the night before and add it to the fridge. In the morning fry up your fritters and whala, breakfast is served in a jiffy. 

Sweet Potato and Tuna Breakfast Fritters

Watch Albert preparing this recipe:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CnJAMzA0e4&t=3s

Ingredients

  • 1 sweet potato
  • 2 tins Spanish tuna in olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/2 onion
  • handful fresh chives
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 organic cage-free eggs
  • 1/2 tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika
  • pinch sea salt
  • pinch black pepper
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

  1. Pell and wash one sweet potato, shred the sweet potato over a cutting board or shallow bowl, grab 3 cups of the shredded sweet potato and add to a cheesecloth, over a sink twist the cloth and try to remove as mush as possible of the water in the sweet potatoes, then add to a large bowl
  2. Drain 2 tins of tuna in olive oil and add to the bowl with the shredded sweet potatoes, also add 1 large shredded or minced clove of garlic, a 1/4 cup of diced onions, 2 tbsp freshly chopped chives and a 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour, in a seperate bowl whisk 2 eggs and then add to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients, season everything with a 1/2 tsp of sweet smoked paprika, a pinch of sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
  3. Mix all the ingredients together until you form a paste, then grab about a 1/4 cup of the mixture and shape it into a ball, add to parchment paper, continue to do this until all the mixture is gone, you should get about 9 to 10 balls, then gently push each one down, you want a circular design that is 1/2 inch thick
  4. Heat a large frying pan with a medium heat, after 4 minutes add in a generous 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and start adding the fritters, cook in batches to not over-crowd the pan, after 2 1/2 to 3 minutes flip the fritters, after another 2 1/2 to 3 minutes start removing them from the pan and transfer to a dish with paper towels, continue to cook until they are all done
  5. To make the garlic yogurt sauce, add 1/2 cup Greek yogurt into a bowl, shred in 1 clove of garlic, squeeze in 1/2 tsp lemon juice, pour in 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and season with sea salt & black pepper, whisk together until well combined
  6. Add the garlic yogurt sauce to a plate and decorate the fritters around it, sprinkle with freshly chopped chives, enjoy!

Gianni Receives 2020 Miller’s Award

From: California Olive Oil Council

Subject: Congratulations

“We would like to offer you our congratulations following the release of the 2020 California Olive Oil Council’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Packaging Design Competition results! It is with great honor that we acknowledge that you are a recipient of this year’s Millers Award. Your expertise in the craft of milling has contributed to Marciano Estate being the recipient of the Best Blend Award.”

Gianni has worked tirelessly for 15 years perfecting the use of our unique vacuum mill to produce the highest quality olive oils. We are grateful to receive this award for 2020.

Other Awards for 2020:

The Mistral won a Gold at the LA County Fair and a Silver at the California State Fair while the Sierra won a Silver at both competitions.

Our New Oils Are Available Now

Harvested and milled in December 2019, our new oils are ready to purchase. We had a wonderful year and are really pleased with how the oils turned out. Once again we are offering the Miller’s Favorite which Gianni crafted to create a beautiful Tuscan style oil.

The 2019 Salute will be available when we run out of the 2018 Salute which we have very little left. It is still tasting very nice with a bit of spiciness and bitterness having mellowed just a little over the year.

Spanish GARBANZO BEAN SKILLET with Chunky Tomatoes

Watch Albert prepare this recipe here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lINQBi5W6BE

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1 15 oz can cooked chickpeas
  • sea salt
  • black pepper
  • fresh parsley

Instructions

  1. Drain one 15 oz can of cooked chickpeas into a sieve and rinse under cold running water, thinly slice 4 cloves of garlic and finely dice 1/2 of an onion
  2. Heat a fry pan with a medium heat and add in 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, after 2 minutes add in the sliced garlics and the diced onions, mix continuously with the olive oil, after 4 minutes add in 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika and 1/2 tsp cumin powder, mix together, then add in one 15 oz can diced tomatoes, one 15 oz can cooked chickpeas and season with sea salt & black pepper, mix it all together until well combined and simmer on a medium heat for 5 minutes, remove from the heat and garnish with freshly chopped parsley, enjoy!

10 Incredible 3-INGREDIENT Spanish TAPAS

From Albert Brevia:
The way I served these 10 delicious tapas was over a piece of bread, like they do in tapas bars in Spain. So the bread is not included as an ingredient, neither is salt or pepper. Just make sure to use baguette bread, it makes all the difference in the flavor.

TIPS & TRICKS to make this recipe: As I stated earlier, make sure to use baguette bread, I cut mine into 1-inch thick diagonal slices and lightly toasted them. The Manchego cheese I used was a mild one, but you can use a stronger cheese if you prefer. I also used an Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil in some of the tapas. The one I used was from Apollo, an absolute flavor bomb that is seriously becoming my go-to EVOO. The ingredients below are to make 3 servings from each tapa, so if you need more, just double up on the ingredients.

10 Incredible 3-INGREDIENT Spanish TAPAS

Watch Albert preparing this recipe:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuSQjBhrELM

Ingredients

Instructions

  • 1 slice smoked salmon
  • 1 container cream cheese
  • 3 tins Spanish tuna
  • 3 Spanish green olives
  • 3 tomatoes
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tin Spanish anchovies
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 1 block Manchego Cheese
  • 1 jar strawberry jam
  • 3 walnuts
  • 2 dried pitted dates
  • 8 fresh basil leaves
  • 1 jar roasted red bell peppers
  • 1 creamy goat cheese
  • handful fresh chives
  • 1 hardboiled egg
  • 2 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • pinch sea salt
  • pinch black pepper
  1. For the first tapas dish you will need smoked salmon, cream cheese and fresh chives, begin by spreading the cream cheese over the pieces of bread and then add in 2 fresh chives over the cheese, cut a slice of smoked salmon into 3 pieces and roll each one up, add on top of the chives and cream cheese
  2. For the second tapas dish you will need 2 tins Spanish tuna, 1 tomato and 3 Spanish olives, begin by draining the oil from the tuna, then divide the tuna over the pieces of bread, cut a tomato into thin slices and then in half, add a 1/2 slice of tomato over the tuna, pierce an olive with a toothpick and pierce over the tomatoes
  3. For the third tapas dish you will need 2 tomatoes, 1 clove garlic and extra virgin olive, begin by rubbing the raw garlic over the pieces of bread, then rub the tomato over the bread, drizzle each piece of bread with a kiss of extra virgin olive oil and lightly season each one with sea salt
  4. For the fourth tapas dish you will need 1 tin Spanish anchovies, 1 tomato and 1 clove garlic, begin by rubbing the raw garlic over the pieces of bread, then cut the tomato into thin slices and then in half, add a 1/2 slice of tomato over the bread, finally add 2 anchovies in a criss-cross design over the tomatoes
  5. For the fifth tapas dish you will need a block of Manchego cheese, extra virgin olive oil and 1 sprig fresh rosemary, begin by cutting the block of Manchego cheese into 1/4 inch thick slices, add a slice of cheese on top of each piece of bread, next drizzle in a kiss of extra virgin olive oil over each piece of cheese, for the final step roughly chop a sprig of fresh rosemary (remember to remove the needles from the stem) and sprinkle over the cheese
  6. For the sixth tapas dish you will need 3 slices Manchego cheese, strawberry jam and 3 walnuts, begin by adding a slice of cheese on top of each piece of bread, next add a dollop of strawberry jam over the cheese and finally add a walnut over the jam
  7. For the seventh tapas dish you will need goat cheese, 2 dates and a sprig of fresh rosemary, begin by spreading the goat cheese over the bread, then roughly chop the pitted dates and sprinkle over the cheese, for the final step sprinkle each piece of bread with freshly chopped rosemary
  8. For the eighth tapas dish you will need jarred roasted peppers, fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil, begin by cutting the roasted peppers in half, then add a half on top of each piece of bread, lightly season the peppers with sea salt, drizzle a kiss of extra virgin olive oil over the roasted peppers and top off with some freshly chopped basil
  9. For the ninth tapas dish you will need jarred roasted peppers, goat cheese and fresh chives, begin by spreading the goat choose over the pieces of bread, then cut the roasted peppers into thin strips and add two over the cheese, sprinkle with some freshly chopped chives
  10. For the tenth and final tapas dish you will need 1 tin Spanish tuna, 2 tbsp mayonnaise and 1 hardboiled egg, begin by draining the oil from the tuna and then add the tuna into a large bowl, roughly chop the hardboiled egg and add with the tuna, finally add in 2 to 3 tbsp of mayonnaise and season everything with sea salt & black pepper, mix together until well combined, evenly divide the tuna salad over the pieces of bread

Mediterranean Diet Can Reduce Symptoms of Depression

A new study from Australia found following a Meditteranean diet can help reduce the symptoms of depression. They studied two groups aged 17-35 that scored high for depression, anxiety, and stress for three weeks. One group followed the Meditrranean Diet and the other continued with their normal diet. Afterwards the group on the new diet went from scoring high on the depression scale to normal and the other group remained the same. Larger and repeatable studies need to be conducted to confirm the findings but they are very encouraging.  This study is part of a growing body of research confirming a link between diet and mental health called nutritional psychiatry. 

With all that is known at this stage in nutrition history regarding the link between inflammation, mood and diet, it is not too early in the process to make a solid hypothesis that the Mediterranean diet can reduce depression symptoms.- Lisa Richards, nutritionist and author

How to Make THE BEST Sheet-Pan Roasted Vegetables

From Albert Brevia:
With the holidays coming up, everything get´s pretty hectic in the kitchen. The last thing you wanna worry about is the side dish. But at the same time, you want your side dish to stand out. These sheet-pan roasted vegetables are just that. 

TIPS & TRICKS to make this recipe: Remember to preheat your oven before you get started, such an important step. It took me exactly 35 minutes to get the perfect texture to all the veggies, but each oven heat´s differently, so keep an eye on them. Line your baking tray with parchment paper, this way your veggies don´t stick and they´re easily removed from the baking tray.

How to Make THE BEST Sheet-Pan Roasted Vegetables

Watch Albert preparing this recipe:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECJMotavMdE

Ingredients

  • 3 yukon gold potatoes
  • 1 large zucchini
  • 2 red bell peppers
  • 2 large onions
  • 1 head of garlic
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp dried thyme
  • 1 tbsp dried rosemary
  • 2 tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika

Instructions

  1. Cut each potato in half, then each half in half to end up with 4 evenly sized quarters from each potato, cut each quarter right down the middle and then into 1/2 inch thick pieces, add the cut potatoes into a baking tray lined with parchment paper, make sure they are all in a single layer and evenly spread out
  2. Cut 1 large zucchini into 1/4 inch thick rounds, evenly divide over the potatoes, cut 2 red bell peppers into 1 inch x 1 inch pieces and add over the potatoes and zucchini, cut 2 large onions in half, then cut each half right down the middle and into 1/2 inch thick pieces, evenly spread the onions into the baking tray, grab 1 head of garlic and seperate the cloves, cut a slit on each clove and add to the baking tray
  3. Drizzle a generous 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil over the vegetables, season generously with sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper, 1 tbsp of dried thyme, 1 tbsp of dried rosemary and 2 tsp of sweet smoked Spanish paprika, make sure you evenly spread out the herbs & spices so each piece of vegetable get´s coated
  4. Add into a preheated oven, bake + broil option 250 C – 475 F
  5. After 35 minutes the vegetables should be perfectly cooked, you can always stick a toothpick into a piece of potato, if it easily goes in but with a little resistance, the veggies are done, remove from the oven and serve at once, enjoy!