4 large ripe tomatoes (peeled, halved and seeded)
2 lbs. waxy potatoes
2 tbsp. The Spicy Olive Cilantro & Roasted Onion Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 red onions, sliced thin
1 tsp. thyme
1/2 c The Spicy Olive Kalamata Olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 small lemon, sliced super thin
1 1/2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
Chop one of the tomatoes and slice the rest. Drop the potatoes into a large pot of boiling, salted water and cook for 4 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Combine 1.5 tbsp. of The Spicy Olive Cilantro & Roasted Onion Extra Virgin Olive Oil with the onions and thyme in a frying pan. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté over moderately high heat until the onions start to gain color. Arrange these ingredients in an oiled gratin dish. Then toss in the tomato, olives, garlic, half of the lemon and extra sprigs of thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Finish with a drizzle of EVOO.
Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 20 minutes, until the potatoes are very tender.
Asparagi Gratinati
2 bunches asparagus
1/4 lb. provolone cheese, sliced thin
3 tbsp. freshly grated parmesan cheese
Any of The Spicy Olive’s single varietal EVOOs
Preheat the broiler and bring a pot of salted water to boil. Once boiling, cook the asparagus for about 5 minutes, until they’ve just become bright green and are crisp-tender.
Drain and put in a baking dish. Arrange with the provolone over the stalks, below the heads. Scatter with parmesan and liberally drizzle with EVOO. Season with fresh ground black pepper.
Broil the dish until the cheese starts to melt.
Here, we’ve recommended any of our single varietal EVOOs…use your favorite! Many of our flavored EVOOs could be used as well: Garlic, Wild Mushroom & Sage, Cilantro & Roasted Onion… wonderful possibilities!
Garlic Chicory
1 large bunch chicory
3 tbsp. The Spicy Olive Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 tsp chili flakes
Bring 12-16 cups of water to boil in a large pot. Add the greens with a thorough pinch of salt and boil for 4 minutes. Drain and squeeze to remove any excess water. Chop coarsely. The result should be 4 cups.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over moderate heat. Add the garlic and chili and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add the chicory and sauté for 3-4 minutes more.
To really bring out the fragrance and flavor, we have recommended our Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil. However, if you’d like to spice this up, our Harissa or Chipotle EVOOs should do the trick!
Potato Pie
2 1/2 lbs. starchy potatoes
3 tbsp. The Spicy Olive Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 c freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 c. milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 lb. smoked mozzarella cheese, cubed
1/4 lb. salami, chopped
3 tbsp. flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 lb. fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced thin
1 c. fluffy breadcrumbs
Cook the potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain and cool so that they can be handled. Peel and mash. Stir in The Spicy Olive Garlic EVOO and parmesan, then add the milk, eggs, smoked mozzarella, salami and parsley. Stir well and season with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Grease a gratin dish with butter or more Garlic EVOO. Spoon half of the mixture into the dish. Cover with mozzarella slices and top with the rest of the potato mixture. Stir additional Garlic EVOO into the breadcrumbs and mix well before sprinkling over the potato pie.
Bake for about 40 minutes until the top is golden and crunchy and the filling is hot and bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Gratin Potatoes with Tomatoes, Olives and Capers
4 large ripe tomatoes (peeled, halved and seeded)
2 lbs. waxy potatoes
2 tbsp. The Spicy Olive Cilantro & Roasted Onion Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 red onions, sliced thin
1 tsp. thyme
1/2 c The Spicy Olive Kalamata Olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 small lemon, sliced super thin
1 1/2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
Chop one of the tomatoes and slice the rest. Drop the potatoes into a large pot of boiling, salted water and cook for 4 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Combine 1.5 tbsp. of The Spicy Olive Cilantro & Roasted Onion Extra Virgin Olive Oil with the onions and thyme in a frying pan. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté over moderately high heat until the onions start to gain color. Arrange these ingredients in an oiled gratin dish. Then toss in the tomato, olives, garlic, half of the lemon and extra sprigs of thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Finish with a drizzle of EVOO.
Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 20 minutes, until the potatoes are very tender.
Ramekin Baked Eggs
The Spicy Olive Tuscan Herb Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 c. plain breadcrumbs
1 3/4 c tomato sauce
6 large eggs
1/2 c. grated fontina cheese
Ciabatta bread, sliced and toasted
Preheat the oven to 375F. Brush the inside of 6 ramekin baking dishes with The Spicy Olive Tuscan Herb Extra Virgin Olive Oil and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
Set the ramekin baking dishes on a baking sheet. Spoon the tomato sauce into each ramekin. Break 1 egg into each ramekin, scatter with cheese and bake for about 10 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and the egg white has just set.
At the same time, brush the ciabatta bread with additional Tuscan Herb EVOO and toast in the oven alongside the ramekin eggs. Serve together as soon as they come out of the oven.
Frittata al forno
3 tablespoons The Spicy Olive Harissa Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
1.5 tbsp. chopped flat parsley
small handful basil leaves, coarsely torn
1/4 lb. mozzarella cheese, sliced thin
1 large roma tomato, sliced thin
Preheat the broiler. Heat the oil in a medium frying pan over moderately low heat. Combine the eggs, parmesan, parsley and basil in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into the pan and cook 5 minutes or until the bottom has set.
Remove the pan from the heat and divide the mozzarella over the dish. Top with tomato slices and place under the broiler for 3-5 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and starting to melt.
The Spicy Olives recommend their Harissa Extra Virgin Olive Oil to give this recipe a little kick of spice. If you’d rather enhance the herbal flavors, we also offer a Basil or Tuscan Herb EVOO. To be entirely neutral and let the dish stand alone, try our Butter EVOO.
Baked Cheese & Proscuitto Brunch
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 tablespoons The Spicy Olive Butter Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 c. prosciutto, chopped
1/4 c. grated fontina or gruyere cheese, plus 1.5 tbsp. extra for the top
3 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese, plus 1.5 tbsp. extra for the top
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, and butter a gratin dish large enough to hold the omelettes.
Break the eggs in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Whisk until the yolk and whites are just combined. Heat with 1.5 tablespoons of The Spicy Olive Butter Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a small frying pan and add 2 heaping tablespoons of the eggs. Cook over moderate heat until the underside is set. Flip and lightly cook the other side. Set aside. Repeat this to make 12 small omelettes.
Place the omelettes on a flat surface and scatter each with the prosciutto and a little of the combined cheeses. Roll up and place in the buttered gratin dish. Scatter with the remaining cheeses and bake 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
Lemon Oregano Fish Filet
1/4 c The Spicy Olive Lemon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 c The Spicy Olive Oregano White Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 c freshly squeezed lemon juice
1.5 tbsp. chopped fresh oregano leaves
1.5 tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
4 fish filets
Any fish will do for this simple recipe. We recommend snapper or cod. Combine the oil, vinegar, lemon juice and herbs in a baking dish. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the filets, skin side down, and spoon the oil, vinegar and herb mixture over the fish. Let stand for 30 minutes or longer to marinate.
Preheat the oven to 425F. Season the fish with a touch more salt and pepper and then bake for 10-15 minutes. The fish is done when it flakes easily and flesh looks opaque. Serve with sauce spooned over and boiled potatoes on the side.
Definition of Gremolata
One of our best-loved extra virgin olive oils is the sweet and peppy Milanese Gremolata. The first name of the olive oil, Milanese, is simple: one of Italy’s largest cities is Milan. But what is Gremolata?
To be simple but vague, it’s a condiment. And it has all of the ingredients that you experience when you sip our Milanese Gremolata oil.
All of these ingredients are chopped and combined together. Often the herbs are scattered on top of a meat dish, such as fish or the more traditional Milanese veal dish.
The Spicy Olives recommend the Milanese Gremolata EVOO as a great base for marinades or salad dressings.
Rosemary Olive Chicken
2 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken thighs or breasts
1/4 c. The Spicy Olive Tuscan Herb EVOO
1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1.5 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1/2 c. The Spicy Olive Sherry Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 c. The Spicy Olive Kalamata Olives, pitted
2 anchovy filets, rinsed and chopped
1.5 tbsp The Spicy Olive Traditional Balsamic Vinegar
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil over moderately high heat in a sauté pan, add the chicken and brown on all sides. Add the onion, rosemary, and Sherry Balsamic Vinegar. Cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in The Spicy Olive Kalamata Olives and anchovies, crushing the anchovies into the sauce. Season with coarsely ground black pepper. Cover again and simmer for another 10-15 minutes adding more vinegar if necessary. Finally, stir in The Spicy Olive Traditional Balsamic Vinegar and serve.