Olive Oil

There are many rewards blogging about food. The first I suppose is that my husband and I get a variety of good nourishing food pretty much everyday. Then, I value so much that my readers find inspiration from my creations and cook them up in their own kitchens. Next is the support and appreciation I have received from reputable companies and published authors. What an honor that is.

And that brings me to announce that I was recently selected to participate in a contest hosted by eRecipesCards and sponsored by O olive oil. In the mail was a true treat waiting for me. I am so flattered to be selected to participate in the challenge. A bottle of organic extra virgin olive oil made with California Mission Olives with Meyer Lemons crushed together and a bottle of champagne vinegar. A sleek and elegant presentation and worth their weight in gold.



First a little bit about eRecipesCards. A lovely site and surely an excellent resource for us cooks and bakers wanting to find creative ideas for dinner. Lots of lovely images and great recipes. The site is easy to navigate and the search function is wonderful. You can search for a favored blogger, recipes with desired ingredients or whatever you might fancy. I encourage my readers to head over to the website and start searching. A big thanks to Dave for all of his hard work.

Now for the taste test of the products that I am fortunate to have received. O olive oil has been turning out quality olive oil since 1995 and barrel-aged wine vinegars since 1997.

I purchased some extremely fresh ciabatta bread to sample the olive oil. This oil is a pressed oil, not infused, meaning it is best not to cook with because the oil has a low burning temperature. Instead you want to focus on vinaigrettes and finishing sauces. The tart lemon flavor really stands out here and I ate more bread than I usually would because it is that delicious. I also sampled the oil with some fresh cut raw cauliflower, and it was a delight. Certainly unique and subtle, and free of any additives, surely this oil would compliment a salad containing goat cheese, leafy greens and all sorts of flatbreads and mixed vegetables.

The champagne vinegar was a special treat. I tasted it with some goat cheese and bread. Sweet, elegant, crisp and very mellow at the same time, I can't wait to try more of this.

The next step is to come up with a recipe pairing the olive oil and vinegar. That will be coming soon.

I will be wanting some Pomegranate Vinegar and Jalapeno Lime Olive oil and some of their Balsamic vinegars in the near future. Affordable and well worth the price. I think the products are an essential addition to your pantry.