Photo by George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin
Selecting an olive oil
By Kekoa Catherine Enomoto
is a taste experience
Star-BulletinOlive oil -- that gold- to green-tinged liquid that makes field greens, fresh marinara and grilled fish sing -- can pose slippery questions to shoppers.
What are the grades of olive oil? How do you use olive oil? How do you choose from, for example, the dizzying array you find in almost every supermarket.
Brands range from the cheapest, most popular Fillipe Berio extra-virgin at 28 cents an ounce, to domestic Jacques Pepin three peppercorn-flavored olive oil at $1.49 an ounce, according to spokeswoman Shirley Kuma of Foodland, whose Beretania store houses 46 kinds. Among them is the Italian-imported Badia A Coltibuono extra virgin is $1.33 an ounce ($22.49 for a 16.9-ounce bottle) in the on-site R. Field Wine Co. boutique.
Cookbook author Peggy Knickerbocker, who leads next week's "Olivacious" dinner event at the Halekulani, says, simply, to taste.
"I encourage the tasting of and experimenting with as many oils as possible," she writes in "Olive Oil -- From Tree to Table" (Chronicle, 1997, $19.95). "Ask questions, request tastes, and seek suggestions for cooking. Buy bottles of wonderful extra-virgin olive oil as you would wine (they'll last longer than one meal), incorporate them into your recipes, fall in love with them."
A Hawaii chef -- whose Assyrian forbears may have cultivated the first olives 60 centuries ago -- said he chooses by harvest.
"I love Italian extra-virgin olive oils," said Nick Sayada, former Cascada executive chef and new chef at Strawberry Connection, "as long as it's a nice, fruity oil. I go by tasting, from crop to crop." Sayada's signature warm duck salad features fluffy risotto, sun-dried fruits and almonds, all dressed in a lemon/olive-oil vinaigrette.
Knickerbocker's favorite is Frescobaldi Laudemio extra virgin -- a classy, sharp Tuscan olive oil with apple flavors. It's available for $2.05 an ounce at Strawberry Connection. She drizzles it over salads of seasonal tomatoes and freshly clipped basil, or a quick supper of pasta with garlic and red chile pepper flakes.
"Olive oil really brings food alive," she said by phone from her Russian Hill home in San Francisco. "It's a wonderful condiment."
Alan Wong's Restaurant uses Bertolli extra-virgin olive, while Oodles of Noodles restaurant in Kona adds Evo olive oil to its fresh marinara of tomatoes, shallots and garlic.
Rex Howell-Smith, specialty food buyer at R. Field Wine Co., marinates feta cheese, olives, peppers, garlic and spices in olive oil; then tosses the mixture with fresh greens for a salad. Or he tosses pasta with capers, anchovies, olive oil and garlic; then tops the dish with Parmesan Reggiano.
He chooses olive oil by the lowest acidity. His favorite is the above-mentioned Badia A Coltibuono extra virgin, with 0.21 percent acidity.
"It's got a hint of pepperiness to it that I like and a little bit of tart, bitter aftertaste to it," he said.
Author Peggy Knickerbocker discusses fine oils: An Olivacious event
Time: 6:30 p.m. Aug. 27
Variations on the theme
Tips of the trade
Cooking with olive oil:
By Kekoa Catherine Enomoto
It's better than butter
Star-BulletinA doctor includes olive oil in her pantry of power foods.
Stephanie Beling, author of "Power Foods" (HarperPerrenial, 1997, softcover $15), advocates olive oil and other plant-based oils for their healthful monounsaturated fats.
However, Star-Bulletin nutrition columnist Joannie Dobbs cautions against the mistaken notion that more olive oil is healthful.
"Don't add more olive oil," she said. "Substitute a little less olive oil for saturated fats.
"Olive oil is great tasting, you don't need much to add flavor. So add a small amount of olive oil in place of butter, margarine and other fats to increase flavor."
For example, Peggy Knicker-bocker writes in "Olive Oil -- From Tree to Table" (Chronicle, 1997, $19.95) that you can cook with one-fourth less olive oil. Thus, if a recipe calls for 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) of vegetable oil, substitute 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
With this in mind, use olive oil to enhance flavors in recipes for couscous salad, island-caught shutome, roasted potatoes and linguine with clams.
Couscous salad
Featured at Halekulani Hotel Sunday brunch3 cups chicken stockBring stock to a boil, add couscous and cook for 3 minutes. Strain and discard excess liquid.
1-1/2 cups couscous
1 teaspoon virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
1/4 cup red and green bell peppers, diced small
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced small
1/4 cup salami, diced small
1 piece Boursin cheese
2 tablespoons shallots, diced small
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons fresh basil, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/4 cup tomato, peeled and dicedSaute garlic in oil until golden brown. Mix with couscous and remaining ingredients. Chill at least 1 hour. Garnish with fresh basil, fresh thyme and diced tomatoes. Serves 4.
Broadbill swordfish with basil oil
Halekulani chef de cuisine Jean-Pierre Maharibatcha;
featured at Orchids Restaurant4 shutome (broadbill swordfish) fillets, 6 ounces eachTo prepare basil oil: Machine blend basil and olive oil. Refrigerate if preparing in advance.
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
3/4 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 cup red pear tomatoes
3/4 cup yellow pear tomatoes
1/2 cup kalamata olives
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
1 cup virgin olive oil
12 leaves fresh basil
Saute swordfish fillets in a small amount of olive oil until light brown and medium rare. Remove from pan and keep warm.
To prepare sauce/garnish, in the same pan lightly saute garlic and add in order: mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, vinegar, basil oil, fresh rosemary and thyme. Saute lightly for 2 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground white pepper.
To serve: Place 1 swordfish fillet atop a portion of the garnish. Makes 4 servings.
Tattooed potatoes with rosemary
"Olive Oil -- From Tree to Table" by Peggy Knickerbocker1/3-1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oilPreheat oven to 400 degrees.
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
6 small, fresh rosemary sprigs or Italian parsley leaves
3 russet potatoes, unpeeled, cut in half lengthwise
Pour olive oil into a medium-sized glass baking dish and add the salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Press a rosemary sprig or parsley leaf on the cut side of each potato half and place cut side down in the oil.
Bake until potatoes are nicely browned, 40 to 45 minutes, using a spatula to gently move them every now and then to keep from sticking. When they are ready, remove them from the pan, turning them flat side up and carefully leaving the pressed herbs in place. Arrange on a platter and serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.
Note: A glass dish allows you to check for doneness by holding the dish overhead and looking to see if the potatoes are browned.
Linguine with clam sauce
"Weight Watchers Quick Meals: 250 Easy Recipes
for Complete Dinners," Macmillan, $14.952 teaspoons olive oilIn medium skillet, heat oil; add garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes, until garlic is golden brown. Add clam juice; increase heat to high. Cook 5 minutes, until liquid is reduced in volume to about 1/2 cup.
3 garlic cloves, pressed
Pinch dried red pepper flakes
1 cup clam juice
8 ounces fresh or drained canned whole baby clams
1/4 cup minced flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
6 ounces linguine, cooked and drained
Add clams, parsley and oregano to clam juice mixture; remove from heat. Top linguine with clam mixture. Makes 4 servings.
