Exploring olive oil from Spain

Americans love things from Spain. They love the vibrant culture that celebrates the good things in life: family, friends, delicious food, wine and olive oil. There’s no time like the present to celebrate Spain as this beloved country enters its peak festival season, with the annual Dia de Santiago in July, a prominent national holiday, and La Tomatina festival in late August – the world’s largest food fight.

Celebrity chef Dave Lieberman believes that you don’t have to take a trip to Spain to enjoy the merriment of the festival season. “Tapeo,” or tapas-style dining and entertaining, is a great way to experience the passion, infectious energy and the culinary fireworks of this celebrated nation in the comfort of your own home.

Spanish culture and cuisine embodies so many ideals we Americans have about entertaining – easy, yet impressive, and centered around superb ingredients, like Olive Oil from Spain, and shared with great friends,” says Dave Lieberman, the host of the Food Network’s “Good Deal” and “Eat This,” as well as author of Young and Hungry: More Than 100 Recipes for Cooking Fresh and Affordable Food for Everyone and Dave’s Dinners: A Fresh Approach to Home-cooked Meals. “Tapas dishes and ingredients are the perfect way to bring a slice of Spanish life to your traditional summer table.”

Great Tapas Begins with the Best Ingredients Tapas are snacks, canapés or finger foods served as a meal with a beverage. An array of dishes make up the traditional tapas menu, from olives to charcuterie, sizzling garlic shrimp, stuffed piquillo peppers, potatoes with spicy sauce and ham croquettes. Chefs around the world like Dave Lieberman are evolving this classic menu with contemporary twists and fresh approaches. However, they all agree great tapas dishes start with great ingredients like olive oil; the backbone of Spanish cooking. Olive Oils from Spain offer a range of unique flavors and aromas – from bold and spicy to subtle and rich – that capture the spirit of the Spanish countryside.

Ready to try Spain’s best kept secret? Dave Lieberman developed a collection of simple and chic tapas dishes that are sure to impress family and friends and get the party started.

This tapas menu showcases the versatility of Olive Oils from Spain. Begin your culinary journey with Fresh Chorizo and Piquillo Pepper Bites with Shaved Manchego Cheese. The spicy sausage, sweet red peppers and full-flavored Manchego cheese combine to be the perfect present for your taste buds.

Continue the fiesta with Lemon Poached Shrimp with Spicy Gazpacho. This quick and simple soup allows one of Spain’s most prized ingredients, olive oil, to take center stage. Olive Oil from Spain Garlic and Idiazábal Mashed Potatoes Cakes with Herbed Cream steal the show with creaminess and crunch; a playful twist on the classic croquettas.

Dave recommends rounding out your party menu with Fried Cauliflower with Pimentón and Olive Oil from Spain Aioli.

The World’s Leading Producer of Olive Oil

There are several affordable and great tasting Olive Oils from Spain. When you’re grocery shopping, look for the “Olive Oil from Spain” label, or check the back of the bottle for the country of origin, to ensure that you’re getting quality oil made from the world’s most famous olives. Since olive oil is a key ingredient in so many modern recipes it’s important to have a few bottles in your pantry at all times.

Similar to wine varietals, defining factors of the land, such as climate, soil and altitude, provide Spain’s olives with a variety of unique tastes: smooth, vibrant and bold. All these factors greatly enhance the taste of each oil. From the northern valleys of Catalonia to the southern region of Andalucia, Spain’s olive oils offer flavors that distinguish them from any other in the world.

With more than 300 million olive trees growing in a territory the size of Massachusetts, Spain is the leading producer of olives and the world’s leading producer of olive oil. The country generates, on average, one million tons of olive oil annually, which is enough olive oil to fill approximately 400 Olympic-size swimming pools.

There are a number of brands of Olive Oil from Spain available. Some popular and affordable brands, which can be found at your local supermarket include Goya, Pompeian and Star. Discovering the Delights of Olive Oil from SpainIntrigued, but not sure where to begin? Lieberman recommends experimenting in order to discover what types of olive oil suit your taste. To demonstrate the range of Olive Oils from Spain available, he put together some simple guidelines to help get you started:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

This olive oil is the finest and is of the highest quality. Producers press olives immediately after they are picked from the tree during late Fall through Winter. The oil is therefore referred to as the “first cold pressed;” oil extracted from the olives by applying pressure without presence of heat (i.e., does not exceed 27ºC/ 80ºF). The result is an extra virgin olive oil that has a natural low level of acidity. It is ideal for drizzling, salad dressings, marinades, sauces, stews and soups.

Olive Oil

A much milder oil that is better suited for cooking. Olive oil is developed by combining refined olive oil (oil that has been processed to extract undesirable characteristics) with virgin olive oils. It is best used for baking, frying, grilling and sautéing.

Fried Cauliflower with aioli

Makes 8 to 10 servings
For the cauliflower:
2 dried bay leaves
1-2 teaspoons sea salt
Black peppercorns
1 large head cauliflower, core removed and broken down into florets
About 2 cups tempura batter (either from a packaged mix or homemade)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Spain
For the aioli:
1 tablespoon pimentón (Spanish smoked paprika)
1 fresh egg yolk
Couple pinches of salt
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Spain

To make cauliflower:
Fill a large pot with water, add bay leaves, salt and peppercorns and bring to boil. Let mixture
simmer for 5 minutes. Add cauliflower florets and cook until fork tender, about 10 minutes.
Strain cauliflower and place on paper towels to cool and air dry.
Fill a medium-size, heavy sauce pan with 2-3”of Olive Oil from Spain. Heat oil to approximately
375 degrees.

Dip cooked cauliflower florets in tempura batter and drop into the hot oil. Fry for 3-4 minutes or
until the cauliflower turns golden brown. Remove cauliflower and place on paper towels to drain
any excess oil.

To make aioli:
Toast pimentón in a small skillet over medium-low heat until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Blend
pimentón together with the egg yolk, salt and lemon juice. Slowly drizzle in extra virgin Olive Oil
from Spain, blending continuously, to emulsify the aioli.
To serve:
Serve cauliflower florets with a side dish of aioli.
Recipe note:
Green beans, zucchini, broccoli or summer squash can be substituted for the cauliflower.

Lemon Poached Shrimp and Gazpacho

Makes 10 to 12 servings
For the shrimp:
3 quarts water
1 lemon, quartered
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
For the gazpacho:
1 cup soft insides of rustic bread loaf
1 pound vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
1/2 medium white onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 Thai chili, seeded and chopped
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons Olive Oil from Spain
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the garnish:
1/2 cup each finely diced red bell pepper and cucumber
Olive Oil from Spain

To make shrimp:
Combine water, lemon, thyme, bay leaf, salt and peppercorns in a large pot. Bring to boil, let
simmer 10 minutes. Remove and discard lemon and seasonings. Add shrimp to pot and poach for 2 to 3 minutes until cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to a large bowl of ice
water. Drain and refrigerate until ready to serve.
To make gazpacho:
Soak the bread in water for 10 minutes; drain and squeeze out excess water. Set aside. In a food
processor puree the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, peppers, garlic and chili. Add the bread, vinegar, Olive Oil from Spain, salt and pepper and process until smooth. Chill until ready to serve.
To serve:
Place a couple shrimp in a shallow bowl; pour gazpacho around. Sprinkle with diced red pepper
and cucumber. Drizzle with Olive Oil from Spain.

Potato Cakes

Makes 10 servings (20 potato cakes)
For the potatoes:
1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes (2 large), peeled and cut in large chunks
¼ cup Olive Oil from Spain
2 cloves garlic, smashed
3 tablespoons milk
¾ cup grated Idiazábal cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 large egg beaten
¾ cup fine dry breadcrumbs
Light Olive Oil from Spain for frying For the herb cream:
3 tablespoons Olive Oil from Spain
2 tablespoons basil leaves
2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley leaves
¼ cup crème fraiche
¼ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt to taste
To make the potatoes:
In a small saucepan combine Olive Oil from Spain and garlic. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. When cool discard the garlic.
Boil potatoes until fork tender; drain. Return potatoes to pot to dry. Mash potatoes leaving some chunks. Stir in 3 tablespoons garlic, Olive Oil from Spain, milk and cheese; season with salt and pepper. When cool enough to handle, form potatoes into small round cakes, about 2 inches in diameter. In a small bowl, beat egg with 1 tablespoon water. Dip each cake into egg mixture, then into breadcrumbs. Refrigerate at least ½ hour or overnight.
Pour enough light Olive Oil from Spain into a heavy skillet to cover the bottom with 1/4"of oil; set over medium heat. When the oil is hot pan-fry potato cakes until golden brown, 1 – 2 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. Top each potato cake with a dollop of herb cream and serve warm.
To make the herb cream:
In a blender puree the Olive Oil from Spain, basil, and parsley. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until just mixed. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Chorizo Bites

Makes 8 to 10 servings
1 pound fresh Chorizo sausage
1/2 pound Manchego cheese
6 – 8 Piquillo peppers, drained and cut into 1-inch squares
Olive Oil from Spain
To make the sausage:
Prick fresh Chorizo sausages in several places with the point of a knife. Grill sausages over
medium high heat until medium rare, about 3 minutes on each side. Set aside to drain on a paper
towel. When sausages are cool enough to handle, slice diagonally into 1/2-inch thick pieces.
Add Olive Oil from Spain to a sauté pan and sear Chorizo slices on both sides until well browned
and cooked through, 1 – 2 minutes for each side. Drain on paper towels.
To serve:
Using a vegetable peeler, shave cheese into very thin pieces. Top each piece of chorizo with a
shaving of cheese and a square piece of Piquillo pepper. Skewer with a toothpick. Drizzle with
Olive Oil from Spain and serve.