a new obsession
if you know me, you know i will find a topic and then read a few things about it:
and now......
olive oil.
got this book for christmas which of course, lead me to other books.
extra virginity: the sublime and scandalous world of olive oil
by tom mueller
frankly, i just love the subtitle.
it was a fascinating read. the history of olive oil, the parallels to the wine industry, the scandals that have changed the italian wine industry and how little has changed in the olive oil industry. i loved learning about something that has such beneficial properties, but have almost none when diluted or marketed as something it is not..... like extra virgin. it has lead me to explore some local olive producers and even gone taste testing here in northern california.
second book:
the passionate olive: 101 things to do with olive oil
by carol firenze
oh....she gets creative.
but first she almost summarizes what i read in the previous book. she is more concise but her book has a different purpose. some topics she covers: cleaning, health, external remedies, beauty secrets (i have started applying on my lips and crows feet), sensuality (i will let you use your imagination), pet care, ritual & spirituality, and finally cooking. it was super interesting to see the variety of uses... and a few yummy recipes. this is easy to skim but worth a gander.
third book:
the new american olive oil: profiles of artisan producers and 75 recipes
by: fran gage
i will say, i was disappointed that there was NOT a recipe for olive oil cake. sigh. but i did find reading about the american trend in olive oil production interesting especially since i have been seeking out local production. i found the recipes to be more effort (as a whole) than i am willing to expend right now. i did copy down a few (like pesto and salad dressing) but since i am happy with my pizza dough crust there were not many i wanted to rush our and try. i was excited to find my new favorite olive oil (California Olive Ranch) listed in her book!!!! i probably skimmed most of it, but thought worth looking at in light of my topic of study.
happy reading!
- barefoot running
- eating locally
and now......
olive oil.
got this book for christmas which of course, lead me to other books.
extra virginity: the sublime and scandalous world of olive oil
by tom mueller
frankly, i just love the subtitle.
it was a fascinating read. the history of olive oil, the parallels to the wine industry, the scandals that have changed the italian wine industry and how little has changed in the olive oil industry. i loved learning about something that has such beneficial properties, but have almost none when diluted or marketed as something it is not..... like extra virgin. it has lead me to explore some local olive producers and even gone taste testing here in northern california.
second book:the passionate olive: 101 things to do with olive oil
by carol firenze
oh....she gets creative.
but first she almost summarizes what i read in the previous book. she is more concise but her book has a different purpose. some topics she covers: cleaning, health, external remedies, beauty secrets (i have started applying on my lips and crows feet), sensuality (i will let you use your imagination), pet care, ritual & spirituality, and finally cooking. it was super interesting to see the variety of uses... and a few yummy recipes. this is easy to skim but worth a gander.
third book:the new american olive oil: profiles of artisan producers and 75 recipes
by: fran gage
i will say, i was disappointed that there was NOT a recipe for olive oil cake. sigh. but i did find reading about the american trend in olive oil production interesting especially since i have been seeking out local production. i found the recipes to be more effort (as a whole) than i am willing to expend right now. i did copy down a few (like pesto and salad dressing) but since i am happy with my pizza dough crust there were not many i wanted to rush our and try. i was excited to find my new favorite olive oil (California Olive Ranch) listed in her book!!!! i probably skimmed most of it, but thought worth looking at in light of my topic of study.
happy reading!
Comments
i use a great olive oil cake from deborah madison's "seasonal fruit desserts" (great cookbook, by the way). here is a link to the cake:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/28/FD921DAIOI.DTL
are you by chance on goodreads??