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Eating healthy is one thing, but finding and keeping fresh organic olive oil and vinegar is quite another. Managing our weight need not be done with mundane eating habits. We know fresh green salads can help. Thus, Oil and Vinegar has become a staple for many of us. Italian food, balsamic vinaigrettes, and even fabulous bread dipping recipes need the best oil and vinegar for great taste. So, after we find quality condiments, how do we keep them fresh yet properly presented on the table?

Dispensing Oil and Vinegar on the table has been cumbersome over the years. Many different styles of cruets have been made for just this one need. Proper storage of olive oil is necessary for the quality and taste to remain pristine and the nutritional benefits to remain intact.

Over the centuries, oil and vinegar cruets have been made out of numerous materials. We now know the best containers for storing olive oil and vinegar are glass, ceramic, or porcelain. It is important to know plastic containers are not ideal for either condiment.

To keep fresh flavor longer, olive oil and aged vinegar should be stored in a cool place away from sunlight. The most optimum would be in a glass container. Oil or vinegar should not be stored in a plastic container because they may absorb PVC’s from the plastic.

Glass oil and vinegar cruets are exceptional gift items. They function as an optimal way to properly store your olive oil and vinegar, and are becoming increasingly popular.

Today, gourmet culinary utensils and products are sought after for practicality and novelty. A gourmet gift is usually one of value and quality, these being essential for the perfect gift idea.

Cruets.com offers hand blown glass cruets from Europe that have glass within glass containers. One inner vessel holds the vinegar, and the outer vessel stores the olive oil. Each glass cruet has two pour spouts on the same oil and vinegar dispenser. The hand blown glass containers are elegant in style and offer a sophisticated way to offer oil and vinegar on the table, from the same decanter.

The Grape Cruet, which features a hand blown glass grape cluster vessel, inside a glass cylindrical body, is widely popular for gourmet kitchens. The grape cruet is about the diameter of a wine bottle and is easily used with one hand. You will see them more and more on fine dining tables of some of America’s best gourmet restaurants.

Oil and vinegar stored in the Grape cruet, will keep a long time. The olive oil will keep over a year as long as tight fitting corks are used. Keeping both oil and vinegar air tight is crucial to retaining flavor.

The Grape Cruet has a stunning design that is magnified when the olive oil is filled inside the glass. The glass artistry is tasteful and makes an elegant statement on any dinning table. The perfect gift for the holidays, the Grape Cruet features:

Heat-resistant technical grade European glass

Beautifully unique hand blown glass design.

Two functional glass within glass vessels to separate your oil and vinegar.

Made to be durable dispensing olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar.

Airtight custom bartop cork stoppers for both spouts.

European craftsmanship and quality.

The Grape oil and vinegar Cruet is one of the most innovative and functional decanters you will find for dining. Its remarkable design is sure to catch the eye of all of your guests while making a tasteful and elegant statement on your dinning table.

A gourmet gift set featuring a grape cruet with imported olive oil and Modena balsamic vinegar makes an ideal gift for any occasion including housewarmings and holidays. Plus, it’s an interesting conversation piece that will talked about over and over.

Focaccia is a popular style of bread which is made in Italy and is spreading around the world in Italian communities while Ratatouille is a traditional French dish stewed with vegetables.

Many historians are of a view that Focaccia originated from either the Etruscans of North Central Italy prior to the Roman Empire or in Ancient Greece in the beginning of the first millennium BC. On the other hand, different views exist about the exact origins of ratatouille, some believe it to be a Basque dish that reached Northern Spain, Southern France and the Balearic islands. Some believe that it could be Catalonian or French dish.

The name ‘Focaccia’ comes from the Roman words “panis focacius”. Panis simply means bread while baking bread is actually derived from the Latin word ‘patina’ which means dish. The word “ratatouille” comes from French and is pronounced as rat-a-tooey. Ratatouille is usually served as a side dish but can also be served as a meal on its own. There is much debate on how to make a traditional ratatouille.

The Focaccia bread is fairly flat, plain from inside, topped with herbs and olive oil and sometimes with finely sliced olives. Ratatouille is generally served as a side and a meal on its own.

A range of focaccia varieties are available and in the 21st century new varieties have been created due to the versatility of the basic recipe. On the other hand, there is much debate on how to make a traditional ratatouille.

The early Romans used to prepare Focaccia bread, it was historically unleavened and the recipe rises naturally in the right climate which gives a further clue to its origins. The focaccia recipe is mostly unknown in the Middle East, yet it has a history of being prepared in Turkey, Italy, Greece, Spain and France.

The Mediterranean has local variants of ratatouille but a true ratatouille will be made with just eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers and onions, then simmered in olive oil and seasoned with herbes de provence.

Both dishes are somehow unique, Italian immigrants in United States in the 20th century brought recipes with them for pizza, bruschetta, grissini and of course focaccia. While Ratatouille spread worldwide during the 20th century with French cuisine. Ratatouille dish is a traditionally peasant food but is now served in the top restaurants and many top chefs have their own special recipe that regularly receive praise from critics.

There is a great pressure on the Olive oil supplies as there is a increase consumption of the olive oil throughout the globe. The people have been informed about the various benefits of the use of this olive oil and have been educated about its benefits. Another important fact is that the use of it has penetrated into our kitchen and has made our food so delicious to eat.

Olive oil and the products made out of olive oil have grown steadily in its use because of the immense benefits it has to offer. So naturally there is a pressure on the olive oil supplies. It is amazing to belief that olive oil improves the condition of our heart, improve digestion, and for those who would like their hair to be a healthy one is highly recommended to use the olive oil . Moreover it also helps in prevention of dandruff and wrinkles.

There is a great pressure on the supplies as there is an emerging trend of new countries opting to use olive oil and they are the United States, Japan, and South America. At present the gap between the supply and demand is unfavorably placed though countries like Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia are fast becoming major olive oil suppliers. Researches has shown that more than 60% of cultivatable land in Greece is devoted to planting olive trees for the immense demand and the benefits it has to provide.

The olive oil supplies will always be on pressure and every step should be taken to minimize it because olive oil has importance in creating nutritional benefits and this is the reason why we see nowadays a gradual increase in the use of the olive oil in our kitchen in making our food delicious and healthy. It is worth mentioning that many Greek olive tree orchard contain million or more trees.

A serious attempt should be made by the leading olive oil suppliers to see that there is a steady flow of Olive oil supplies to manufacture olive oil products and the end user of this oil gets it easily to reap the benefit of using it.

So many are deceived into believing that olive oil and the Mediterranean Diet are “health promoting.” Oh yeah? Actually, the Mediterranean diet, which contains a very small amount of olive oil (unlike how most people use olive oil), IS healthier than the standard American diet. But is it the healthiest diet out there? Watch the video and find out: Then come learn all the facts about how to avoid heart disease, cancer and achieve permanent weight loss — at the Health Lifestyle Expo 2010 in Los Angeles, Oct 15-17, 2010. Details at www.HealthyLifestyleExpo.com Also, see NY Times article about the myth of the mediterranean diet. It’s not the olive oil, it’s the poverty of people studied, they could only afford mainly fruits and veggies, so they got healthy www.nytimes.com

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There is archeological evidence in Greece that olive oil presses were used to extract oil from olives as long ago as five thousand years. If proper precautions are used, good quality olive oil can be obtained today by using the same sort of press that was used for centuries, if not millennia. Today there are newer techniques and technologies but one of the most important parts of making olive oil remains true. It is necessary to start making olive oil within a day or slightly more after picking the olives. Acids start to build up with longer storage of olives. This affects taste and lowers the price the maker of olive oil can charge. The country of Algeria is starting a monumental project to plant a million hectares (2.5 million acres) of olive trees. One of the key factors to success in producing high quality oil for export will be building a sufficient number of processing facilities with sufficient capacity near to the olive orchards.

 

Milling is the name for the entire process of extracting oil from olives. People have known for years that you need to grind the olives into a paste and that you need to press the paste to extract the oil. As science has progressed we have come to know that the oil is produced in what are called “mesocarp” cells in the olive. The olive stores oil in a vacuole called a lipovacuole so that every cell contains a tiny drop of olive oil. The point of the whole thing is to effectively extract as much of the oil as possible, separating it from the other structural parts of the fruit. The old saying that oil and water don’t mix is true here because the oil can be separated from plant material and water by pressing and centrifugation (modern extraction) without adding chemical solvents. This entire process works with the old method but it is extremely important to wash the olives thoroughly before starting the process to remove all soil. Even a tiny amount will leave a taste, a “soil taste.”

 

In the old method the olive is reduced to paste and the liquid in the paste is separated by the press. Decantation separates oil and water. Today a centrifuge can speed the later process and sterile machines can grind the olive to paste. An important aspect of grinding is to let the process last at least half an hour or a little more. This guarantees that the paste is well ground and for tiny drops of oil to coalesce into larger drops. It also allows fruit enzymes in the olive to act upon the mix which produces some of the aroma and taste unique to certain types of olive.

 

There are still advantages to using grind stones if properly cleaned. Much has to do with not letting enzymes in the nut and skin to act on the mash while its own enzymes do. In the end getting olives to processing promptly and cleaning thoroughly are the most important early steps.

A Practical Example

The Spanish company, Espacios Verdes, is planning to take part in the Algerian olive tree initiative. It will plant 1,500 hectares of which a third will be offered to private investors on a partial interest payment, partial sharing of production agreement. As part of this project the company will build an olive oil processing plant in Algeria. Having a processing plant close to the harvest will be crucial in the production of high quality olive oil.

Through its subsidiary, Desert Vert, Espacios Verdes will plant the Arbequinia olive on its project. This olive is especially adapted to a hyper intensive planting technique where 1,780 trees can be planted per hectare. The Arbequinia olive gives up twenty percent weight per volume of oil out of a much as 11,000 kilograms of olive per hectare. Because this type of olive starts to produce as early as three years instead of five, oil is being processed after the third year. This small brown olive can produce as much as 2,090 liters of high-quality oil known for its buttery texture and peppery finish.

The use of a modern facility by Desert Vert will help to assure production of high quality oil suitable for export and sale at premium prices. It has always been possible to produce olive oil from olives in many parts of Algeria. However, the lack of sufficient processing facilities has been a hindrance to the production of export quality oils. Even when there are facilities the facilities may not have to capacity to process large quantities at harvest time. Thus olives sit and wait, enzymes act on the fruit and acidity rises. The presence of a modern processing plant will make the difference between low grade olive oil sold locally and that exported at premium prices across the world.

The Desert Vert project is using an olive that originated in the Middle East. However, the arbequinia olive is named for a town in Spain near in the Mediterranean coast in Catalonia. When the company was in the early planning stages of its project it consulted experts at the University of Cordova in Spain. The question was what olive variety would be most suited to the soil and growing conditions in Algeria where Desert Vert is going to plant. The company was also interested in planting a vigorous olive variety and would be resistant to drought and to cold as these extremes could destroy in one season or one night the years of work in developing a productive orchard. The Arbequinia olive came out on top as a suggested variety because it produces well, has high quality oil, grows well and fast from cuttings, and is tolerant of environmental extremes including salty soil.

As the project progresses Desert Vert and its investors will profit from the production of high quality oil promptly extracted from olives grown in Algeria’s million hectare plantation project. Prompt milling will be assured by Desert Vert’s own processing plant.

Preview of Kathrynleee’s blog at TravelPod. Read the full blog here: www.travelpod.com This blog preview was made by TravelPod using the TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow creator. Entry from: Volterra, Italy Entry Title: “The Countryside Surrounding Volterra” Entry: “After a good night’s sleep in our charming room we woke up early and had breakfast in the hotel — then went up the street, looking for food for our lunch later in the day. The bus picked us up around 9am and our first stop was a pair of Etruscan tombs just outside of the city, built into the ground. They had ledges all the way around on which they set their funeral urns. Amazing…particularly since we had seen the funeral urns in the Etruscan museum yesterday and we could just imagine dozens of them set side by side on these dark, damp ledges. Then off to the countryside. We were let off at a trailhead and headed into a lovely forest, stopping here and there to enjoy the view…and catch our breath since most of the morning was an uphill climb. (We’re really getting in good shape!) Around every corner was picture perfect views…neat, tidy farms of tuscan rubble and, everywhere, olive orchards and plowed fields, waiting for farmers to sow their next crop. Lunch was at an agrituristo –a working farm that grows grapes and olives and also welcomes guests. We watched them bring in a load of grades and de-stem them. Even got to buy some of their olive oil! Then, the down hill descent where we were met by our bus …

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Did you know that olive oil is the only vegetable oil that you can eat as it is. Some of the well being rewards arrive from its higher articles of fatty acids and its high content of antioxidative substances. It is awesome that a thing so modest can be so good for you.

 

Safety from heart illness

 

Some of the techniques it is helpful to you in safety against heart condition is it has been shown to management the LDL cholesterol amounts and raises HDL ranges. There is no other oil that contains this sort of a large amount of monounsaturated – oleic acid incorporated. In studies it has been proven that people today who have consumed roughly 25 milliliters (about two tablespoons) of olive oil daily for a week showed significantly less oxidation of LDL cholesterol and bigger levels of antioxidant compounds.

 

Digestive added benefits

 

Olive oil is also extremely tolerable by the abdomen. Its protective purpose has useful effects on ulcers and people who endure from gastritis. When consumed it activates the secretion of bile and the pancreatic hormones in more of a all-natural way than any prescribed drugs. One other advantage I would like to position out also is that it has an effect in lowering the incidence of gallstone formation.

 

Very best Form of Olive Oil

 

The extraction approach is done by crushing the olives. When buying olive oil you will want to obtain a higher good quality, Added Virgin, oil. Why is this? This is the ideal option mainly because the oil comes from the very first “pressing” also acknowledged as crushing of the olive. It is then extracted without having making use of any heat or chemical compounds, and is awarded the “excess virgin” identify. The rule is that the less the oil from the olive is handled the nearer it is to its all-natural state. In purchase for it to be labeled “excess virgin’ it has to meet this standards and is then regarded the far better oil. The other sorts of offered are:

 

Virgin Pure Additional Light

 

A fast definition of what pure and light olive is to enable you in your choice is that “Pure” is made by incorporating a minor added virgin olive to the oil. This is regarded a lesser grade and is normally only labeled as “olive oil”. The “Light” oil is only a advertising principle and is not a classification of the oil grades. In some cases the olive oil is cut with other vegetable oils.

 

Summary

 

There are several far more wellbeing rewards. Olive oil is the best natural present we can offer to ourselves. It assists us hold good in wellbeing, which in return tends to make our daily life far more nice.

Related Grades Of Olive Oil Articles

Can I Help Reverse Aging with Olive Oil?

The Good Oil on Olives

Olives are one of the oldest foods known, and are thought to have originated in Crete between five and seven thousand years ago. Since ancient times, the olive tree has provided food, fuel, timber and medicine for many civilizations.

Olives are grown in many countries and we now have an olive industry in Australia, and it is booming with over eight million trees being planted in the last five years.  And because of consumer demand several exclusively organic olive groves have been established. One on the main products is olive oil.

When buying olive oil look for freshness, flavour and low acidity. The very best olive oil is extra virgin, which is unadulterated and fresh. Don’t be fooled by the name light or extra light, which simply means it is light in colour. This is achieved by a chemical extraction process. Leave this product on the shelf.

Reverse Aging Qualities of Olive Oil

Extra virgin olive oil is rich in vitamins A, D, and K. It also contains antioxidants that perform a number of healthy functions in the body. They help fight free radicals which are associated with cancer and act as anti-inflammatory agents in health conditions such as arthritis.

The Journal of Agriculture & Food Chemistry Feb 7, 2007, mentions new studies that show the phenolic compounds in extra virgin olive oil had strong anti-bacterial effects against eight strains of helicoblactor pylori including antibiotic-resistant strains. H. pylori infections cause millions of cases of gastric and peptic ulcer disease each year. Doesn’t it make sense to put some extra virgin olive oil on your salad?

Great for your Health

Olives are also wonderful for your health. All olives however are not equal. Some, like the canned California-style black olives are not fermented but simply treated with lye to remove the bitterness, packed in salt and canned. Thankfully you can still find some healthy traditional varieties. The stronger-flavoured, traditional Greek olives are still alive with active cultures. You ca n also ferment your own to be doubly sure of flavor and health benefits. Or just marinate them in olive oil, lemon zest, coriander seeds and cumin seeds. Delicious.

Olive oil is great on your salad, but Dr Joe Mercola says that it is not the best oil for cooking, as it is not as stable as coconut oil, or butter, certainly my favourites. I attended a three day seminar with Dr Mercola in Seattle, and found him to be extremely knowledgeable, and ethical. He’s certainly worth listening to.

Olive Leaf Tea

Sometimes the leaves of the olive tree are picked to make a delicious and powerful herbal tea. The best is made from whole olive leaf that has been air dried at less than 36C, milled and packaged in hermetically sealed packets. Olive leaf has been used in the Mediterranean for centuries, where they swear by its amazing immunity, vitality and health enhancing properties. So why not put the healthy antioxidant and free-radical scavenging effects of olive leaf into your diet.

A Final Word from the Annals of Internal Medicine.

“Virgin olive oil is the superior choice when it comes to vegetable oil. Not only is it high in healthy monounsaturated fat, but also it is the only vegetable oil that’s rich in antioxidants called polyphenols, which may help prevent cancer and heart disease”.

We used olive oil as one tool in reversing my husband John’s premature aging. We wrote about his journey in our ebook I Can Reverse Aging http://icanreverseaging.com/.

We enjoy a wonderful crisp salad, drizzled with balsamic vinegar and healthy extra virgin olive oil. We set out a small plate of olives along with some vegetable crudités. You can also include some olive tapenade.

This is a delicious and easy-to-make spread that you can use as a dip or topping for fish and poultry. To make it, put pitted olives in a food processor with olive oil, garlic, and your favourite seasonings.

How easy is that?

 

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There are cooks who think that there are special circumstances or procedures that must be used before one can use this oil from the olive fruit. I’m here to tell you to stop the worrying, buy you a bottle of EVOO and start cooking. Here are a few tips you’ll need to keep in mind and a few cooking ideas to help you along.

First, never use Extra Virgin or Virgin Olive Oil for high temperature cooking. The oil will break down and lose its flavor. If you must use high temperature for cooking, look for an oil labeled as “pure” or just “olive oil”. These oils are more refined and have a higher smoking point.

Also keep in mind that your oil should be kept in a cool dark place. Sunlight and high temperatures will break down the oil and make it rancid.

Olive Oil can be used instead of butter in some dishes. There are plenty of conversion charts on the Internet, find one and print it off and keep it handy. Use it the next time you don’t want to use butter in a recipes and see how it turns out. Also, OO will help keep butter from burning. Just add a little to the butter.

I like to brush Olive Oil on prepared lasagna noodles. It makes them easier to handle for your recipes.

Instead of using butter, margarine, mayo, mustard or ketchup on your sandwiches, try spreading some extra virgin olive oil on the sandwich to give your food a robust flavor without all the calories. Bread or toast is also great with EVOO spread over it instead of butter.

Use EVOO or Virgin Olive Oil in your favorite stir fry recipe. Just remember not to get the oil too hot. Remove veggies from the pan and sprinkler with fresh herbs for a meal to remember.

Now you have a few more ways to incorporate this healthy oil into your diet. Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a condiment that can be used on nearly any dish, cooked or not. Try some today!

Ralph is a longtime collector and lover of Gourmet Olive Oil. Collecting and cooking with different Gourmet oils gives him information for his Gourmet Olive Oil reviews he writes about on his website. Having grown up with a Mother who also believed in the health benefits of Olive Oil, Ralph has expanded his knowledge on this fruit and its health benefits to people. He will be the first to tell you about the health benefits of olive oil in all its forms.

 

One fancy bottle is labeled as ‘extra virgin olive oil’ and carries a price tag of .50 for one half liter. On the shelf below is another bottle – also labeled as ‘extra virgin olive oil’ but its price is .88 for three liters – twelve times more product for the same price.

How is it possible for two products of equal quality to sell for such disparate pricing? The answer is simple: It is not possible. When was the last time you saw one egg selling for the same price as a dozen eggs?

Who in their right mind would pay thirty-seven dollars for a half-liter bottle of a product when a three liter bottle of the exact same product, that is its exact equal in quality, is available just a few inches away? Again, the answer is simple: No one would. The price disparity between products claiming to be of equal quality is a tacit admission by retailers that the cheap concoctions they are selling labeled as ‘extra virgin olive oil’ are in reality cheap mixes of cheap oils.

Why is it so hard to find real extra virgin olive oil at an affordable price? In the words of one food distributor: “The distributors control what the customer wants and gets.“ In other words, the answer lays not so much in what the consumer wants as what the distributors want to sell. What do distributors want to sell consumers? Again, our food distributor answers: “do you have blends and pomice (pomace)?” Without having blends …. it is not enough.”

What is a ‘blend’? The word seems to imply that it is a ‘blend’ of different types of extra virgin olive oils, the truth is that the word ‘blend’ is a misleading way of saying a mix of different, including non-olive, oils.

Britain’s The Telegraph recently reported that “Almost half the ‘Italian’ oil sold inside Italy is … from olives of an unknown provenance.” And olive oils sold in supermarkets in the UK are “blended” from a variety of different oils before being sold as Italian extra virgin. According to Italy’s agriculture minister, “This sort of fraud damages Italy’s image”.

Distributors and retailers are telling consumers that they – the consumers – want olive oil that is packed in Italy, as if where the olive oil was ‘packed’ had any impact on its quality. However, according to one recent report, between 2006 and 2007, over 3,200,000 liters of fraudulent olive oil was sold under niche (or fancy) labels throughout Italy. And that a “large part of the product ended up abroad”.

Packers misrepresent legitimate olive growers and olive oil mills by purchasing pomace oil, refined oil, refined hazelnut oil and other oils on the open market and reselling the mix – or blend (does that sound better?) – as ‘extra virgin olive oil’, ‘Packed in Italy’.

So then, who’s cheating who? Does the blame lie solely with the packers? Or is there more to it?

Exporters and importers are using false documentation and labeling to present the cheap mixes as olive oil and thereby circumvent national and international laws that require that all ingredients be traced to their place of origin. Exporters and importers also use archaic and misleading terms such as ‘cold pressed’ and ‘first pressing’ to describe the product when in reality none of the olive oil is extracted by an olive press (if it is, then show us a picture of the olive press). They don’t know and they don’t care where the product came from, how it was produced or when it was produced.

Distributors and retailers, rather than simply requiring that importers provide them with proof of quality and origin of the product they sell, (such as a map and picture of the mill where the olive oil is supposedly produced), are concerned more about stocking fees and pricing margins. Distributors and retailers employ a ‘don’t ask, don’ tell’ policy when deciding what to stock and sell to the public.

Is it possible for consumers to find real extra virgin olive oil bottled on site at the mill where it is extracted from locally grown olives? Yes it is.

Distributors and retailers need to verify both the origin and the actual – not sales pitch – quality of the olive oil that they sell, regardless of where it is ‘packed’. And they then need to accurately represent this to consumers.

Olive Oil is an oil derived from the olive fruit, which is believed to be a healthier alternative to vegetable-based oils, such as corn oil. Manufacturers have long asserted that this oil may promote a healthier lifestyle due to its high levels of monounsaturated fat and its polyphenol content, which is believed to be a good source of free radical-fighting antioxidants.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Watch this Doctor’s Free Presentation on How to Naturally and Safely Reverse Heart Disease and Lower Cholesterol. Click Here or Visit http://HealthTipsThatWork.com/Cholesterol

High cholesterol levels may be among the most prevalent health conditions affecting Americans today, as witnessed by the number of cases involving stroke, heart disease, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, diabetes and other health risks. We will examine the fruit-based oil in question to find out whether it may be useful for cholesterol reduction.

The olive-based oil derives from trees that are believed to be native to Europe’s Mediterranean region, in countries such as Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Tunisia and Portugal. The oil may be available throughout the world in different grades, including pure, extra-virgin, virgin and more. Oils labeled “virgin” are believed to be among the highest quality in its class.

The oil has also been advertised as making LDL cholesterol resistant to free radical damage, which may make the cholesterol stick to the arterial walls and cause clogging and congestion. Some say that polyphenols may offer additional support by reducing the risk of heart disease and even cancer and diabetes – claims which may not have been validated through studies.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Watch this Doctor’s Free Presentation on How to Naturally and Safely Reverse Heart Disease and Lower Cholesterol. Visit http://HealthTipsThatWork.com/Cholesterol

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Olive Garden is a casual dining American restaurant chain specializing in Italian-American food.

 

The ambiance of Olive Garden restaurants seeks to replicate an old-world Italian style, utilizing foliage in their décor, stucco walls, and background music consisting of Italian themes.

And — The food is great!

Olive Garden’s Culinary Institute of Tuscany, located in the heart of Tuscany, Italy in a restored 11th century village, is where Olive Garden’s chefs learn the secrets of great foods in Italy – like how to combine fresh ingredients – to create authentic Italian foods that you’ll enjoy sharing with your family and friends. You can cook your favorites at home — it’s easy and only a fraction of the cost!

 Go ahead!

Astound your family and friends with your culinary abilities!

 

–Olive Garden Lasagna–

Alfredo Sauce:

1/2 lb. sweet or salted butter

12 oz. heavy cream

Fresh ground white pepper

1 1/2 cups fresh Parmesan, grated

Ricotta Cheese Mix:

1 pint Ricotta cheese

2 oz. Romano, grated

3 oz. Mozzarella, shredded

2 tbls. green onions, sliced

2 teas. fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 teas. salt

1/8 teas. black pepper

1/4 teas. dried basil

1/4 teas. dried oregano

1 1/4 cups Alfredo sauce, cooled

Vegetable Mix:

4 cups broccoli florets

2 cups carrots, sliced 1/4″

4 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced 1/4″

2 cups red bell peppers, diced

1 cup green bell pepper, diced 1 cup yellow onion, diced

2 cups zucchini, sliced

Lasagna noodles

18 slices Mozzarella cheese, 1/2 oz. each

Lay out enough dry lasagna strips in a 9×13 pan to ensure you have enough to make 3 full layers, with very little overlap on each layer. Remove the dry strips and cook according to package instructions until barely “al dente” and drain.

ALFREDO SAUCE: Heat water to a boil in the bottom of a double boiler. Add butter, cream and pepper to the top pot and heat until butter is completely melted, then stir in Parmesan until melted and blended.

Remove top pot and set aside to cool. Divide the Olive Garden Lasagna 307 sauce into 2 equal portions. Refrigerate 1 portion for use later.

RICOTTA CHEESE MIX: Combine all ingredients in a bowl and blend thoroughly with a rubber spatula. Set aside at room temp.

VEGETABLES: Combine all veggies and mix well.

ASSEMBLY: Coat the bottom and sides of a 9×13 baking dish with vegetable spray. Lay out cooked lasagna strips (about 4) to cover entire bottom. Spread 1-1/4 c of the Ricotta mix evenly over the strips. Top with 8 c of veggie mix and spread out evenly. Lay out 9 of the mozzarella slices to cover the veggie layer. Repeat this layering. Top the second layer of mozzarella slices with lasagna strips and spread them evenly with 1-1/4 c ricotta cheese mix to finish.

COOKING: Spray a sheet of foil with vegetable spray and cover the baking dish tightly with the foil, sprayed side down. Bake in a preheated 375F oven for about an hour or until the internal temp is 165F. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for a few minutes, covered, before cutting and serving. Immediately prior to serving, heat the reserved portion of Alfredo Sauce and ladle the hot sauce over each slice of lasagna as it is served.

 

–Olive Garden Pasta Frittata–

12 Ounce spaghetti, cooked, cut into 2″ pieces

3 Ounce green onions, sliced

3 Ounce thick bacon, cooked and chopped

vegetable spray or margarine

3 tblsp Fontina, shredded, heaping

Parmesan, grated

3 3/4 cup

FRITTATA BATTER: 6 Medium eggs

2 1/2 cups Half and half

5 Teaspoon cornstarch

1 dash nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350F.

 

FRITTATA BATTER: Beat eggs, half and half, cornstarch, salt and nutmeg thoroughly until all ingredients are completely blended. Blend the 2″ spaghetti pieces, green onion rings and bacon pieces in a bowl until evenly mixed.

Coat a 1-1/2 qt round baking dish, including walls, with spray or margarine. Empty the spaghetti mixture into the baking dish and spread evenly. Add the frittata batter to cover the filling mix.

Bake in a 350~ oven for about 25 minutes until center is set. When center is set, cover the frittata evenly with the Fontina and bake until cheese is golden. Turn off the heat and open oven door. Let the frittata set in the open oven for 15 minutes for the batter to set more firmly and make removing from the dish easy. Before serving, sprinkle with Parmesan and cut into 4 wedges.

 

–Olive Garden Shrimp Primavera–

SAUCE:

6 tbsp. butter or margarine

1 tbsp. garlic, fresh, minced

1 oz. package Knorr Newburg Sauce Mix (or similar)

32 oz. crushed tomatoes, canned

1-1/2 tbsp. lemon juice, fresh

1/4 tsp. (or to taste) red pepper, crushed

1/2 tsp. basil, dry

1/4 tsp. marjoram, dry

1/2 tsp. black pepper

VEGETABLES:

1/2 lb. mushrooms, halved (or quartered if large)

1 cup green bell peppers, cut into 1″ squares

1 cup red bell peppers, cut into 1″ squares

1/2 cup yellow onion, cut into 1″ squares

2 Tbsp. butter for sauting

PASTA:

1 lb. fresh Olive Garden Linguine (or quality dry pasta)

SHRIMP:

1 lb. medium to large fully cooked shrimp, thawed and drained Melt butter in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook one minute. Add remaining spice and tomato ingredients, stir well and simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, melt 2 tbsp. butter. Saute vegetables about 3 minutes until crisp – tender. Add to the sauce and simmer 5 minutes more.

Cook pasta according to directions. When pasta is almost done, stir shrimp into sauce to heat through. Do not boil. Spoon Primavera over hot linguine. Pass Parmesan cheese.

 

–Olive Garden Capellini Pomodoro–

3 cloves Garlic, mince

2 pounds Plum tomatoes; seeded, diced

1 ounce Fresh basil leaves, minced

1/3 cup Extra virgin olive oil

3 ounces Parmesan cheese

12 ounces Dry angel hair pasta, cooked

1/4 teaspoon Pepper

Heat olive oil and add garlic; cook until it turns white. Add tomatoes and pepper and heat through, stirring constantly, about 2 to 3 minutes. Tomatoes should not lose their shape.

Remove from heat. Transfer hot, cooked pasta to large bowl. Toss pasta gently with tomato mixture, basil and half of Parmesan cheese.

Serve immediately and pass remaining Parmesan.

 

–Olive Garden Fettucine Alfredo–

8 ounces Cream cheese — cut in bits

3/4 cup Parmesan cheese — grated

1/2 cup Butter or margarine

1/2 cup Milk

8 ounces Fettuccine; cook — drain

In large saucepan combine cream cheese, Parmesan, butter and milk, stirring constantly until smooth. Toss pasta lightly with sauce, coating well. Leftovers freeze well.

 

 

–Olive Garden House Dressing–

8 ounces Paul Newman’s Vinegar and Oil Dressing

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

1/2 teaspoon Dried basil 1/2 teaspoon Dried oregano

3 packages Sweet and Low — or 1 tablespoon Sugar

Put ingredients into the bottle of dressing and shake well. Refrigerate 24 hours before using.

 

–Olive Garden Tiramisu Dessert–

1 Sponge cake, (10 to 12 inch about 3″ tall)

3 ounces Strong black coffee, or instant espresso

3 ounces Brandy or rum

1-1/2 pounds Cream cheese or mascarpone, room temperature

1-1/2 cups Superfine/powdered sugar

Unsweetened cocoa powder

Cut across middle of sponge cake forming two layers, each about 1 1/2 inches high.

Blend coffee and brandy. Sprinkle enough of mixture over bottom half of cake to flavor it strongly. Don’t moisten cake too much or it may collapse on serving.

Beat room-temperature cheese and 1 cup sugar until sugar is completely dissolved and cheese is light and spreadable. Test for sweetness during beating, adding more sugar if needed.

Spread cut surface of bottom layer with half of the cheese mixture. Replace second layer and top this with remaining cheese mixture. Sprinkle top liberally with sifted cocoa.

Refrigerate cake for at least 2 hours before cutting and serving.

 

Brian Alan Burhoe has cooked in Atlantic Coast restaurants for over 30 years, and holds provincial and national certificates in the culinary trade.  More of his articles can be found at A CULINARY MYSTERY TOUR – A Literary Chef  and at the #1 canine information site PUPPY DOGS INFO – Dog Breeds, Training, Care & History

 

Buon appetito!