Olive Oil

Editor's note: Here's a recipe from the new cookbook Vedge: 100 Plates Large and Small That Redefine Vegetable Cooking , with Rich Landau's commentary.Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment. Available wherever books are sold in July 2013. BRUSSELS SPROUTS were one of my personal challenges when we opened Vedge; I was never very fond of them. But as we prepared to open a vegetable restaurant, I vowed to prepare any vegetable, even ones I didn't like very much, in ways everyone could enjoy.

LOBSTER & ASPARAGUS SALAD WITH TARRAGON VINAIGRETTE 2 small lobster tails 1/2 pound medium asparagus 1 head red-leaf lettuce Tarragon Vinaigrette (see recipe below) Cook lobster tails in boiling water 1 to 2 minutes until bright red. Remove from water and let cool. Split tails and remove meat from shells. Slice meat on diagonal from front to rear. Chill. Blanch asparagus 30-45 seconds in boiling water. Remove spears from heat and place in ice water to set color and stop the cooking process.

There are three general varieties of olive oil on American grocery-store shelves. Here's a guide. Extra virgin olive oil Made from fully ripened olives that are pressed right after harvest, this oil should have a robust, fruity flavor and rich, greenish-gold color. Use extra virgin olive oil when you want its flavor to shine through - on salads, in vegetable dishes, for bread dipping and to season marinades, sauces and soups. Olive oil All-purpose cooking oil, sometimes described as "pure olive oil," has a mild taste that can be a flavor-enhancer in various dishes.

It used to be so easy. If you needed olive oil, you bought whatever was on the shelf at the supermarket. If you needed a lot, you bought it by the gallon on 9th Street at the Italian Market. Most all of the major brands tasted alike, and most of them didn't have much flavor, anyway. They were good for sauteing, fine as bases for flavoring with herbs and spices, and they smoothed out salad dressings even if they didn't add much flavor of their own. No more. Everywhere you go, there is an absolute profusion of olive oils, each with its own flavor and health claim.

I was really pleased when the nutrition types finally decided that mono- unsaturated fats like olive oil (and avocado oil) were actually good for a person. After garlic, olive oil is one of my very favorite foods. I like the kinds that actually taste of olives - especially on salads and most especially with basil, tomato, mozzarella cheese and a grind or two of black pepper from my pepper mill. However, I had company for dinner the other night. The first course was to be a slab of really ripe tomato covered with a thick slice of mozzarella topped with olive oil and basil leaves.

Even though olive oil has gained new status with health watchers, the current wisdom still points to keeping down your intake of all forms of fat. How to savor the flavor of fragrant olive oil and enjoy its heart-smart benefits - without a lot of calories? Pair olive oil with ultra low-fat main course choices, fish, for example. Cholesterol-wise calorie watchers will appreciate these recipes; they combine small amounts of olive oil with the heartiest heart-smart main course, fish.

An old Spanish proverb says "Let the salad maker be a spendthrift for oil, a miser for vinegar, a statesman for salt and a madman for mixing. " Though many of today's consumers have been swayed to the benefits of cooking with olive oil, few still realize that there is an entire library of olive oils from which to choose. While a virgin olive oil might be appropriate for sauteing, Helen Studley, cookbook author and owner of La Colombe d'Or restaurant in New York, points out that "because extra-virgin olive oil has its own distinctive smoky flavor, it's best in salad dressings or as part of a sauce.

In Italy, scorpacciata (skor-pah-CHA-tah), or just simply scorp, is a focused binge that concentrates on specific foods that are frequently seasonal and/or regional. Spring strawberries, cherries or asparagus, tomato or truffle season, a special dessert, a midnight spaghetti snack or a big holiday dinner may all be opportunities for a serious scorp. One of the most serious scorps takes place each winter in Tuscany, when freshly pressed, almost phosphorescent green, aggressively peppery olive oil is abundantly poured over practically everything at the table.

Maybe it's time to look beyond claims of virginity in the oil aisle. Because you see, our 20-year love affair with olive oil has had fallout. We've forgotten that there's a whole world of oils that don't come from the olive tree. And they can do a heck of a lot more than just saute and make a fine dressing. OK, maybe we didn't forget. Maybe we didn't know about them at all. It's not as though before the EVOO revolution we were all swilling avocado and grape-seed oils. But olive oil has done a fine job of elbowing out other up-and-comers.

In this age of diet daze, it may afford some relief to hear that the simple trinity of olive oil, wheat and wine enjoyed for centuries in the Mediterranean is still the ticket to good health and long life. Two studies published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggest that the Mediterranean diet, along with several lifestyle changes, can substantially reduce the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes and add years of life. In one study, elderly people who followed this regimen had a death rate more than 50 percent lower than those who did not. "This is a perfect example of how lifestyle changes can benefit you in the long term, and it's about mortality, which is kind of important," said Angie Makris, an obesity researcher at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine whose Greek parents raised her on Mediterranean foods.

Editor's note: Here's a recipe from the new cookbook Vedge: 100 Plates Large and Small That Redefine Vegetable Cooking , with Rich Landau's commentary.Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment. Available wherever books are sold in July 2013. BRUSSELS SPROUTS were one of my personal challenges when we opened Vedge; I was never very fond of them. But as we prepared to open a vegetable restaurant, I vowed to prepare any vegetable, even ones I didn't like very much, in ways everyone could enjoy.

Makes 11/4 cups 3 ounces arugula    (about 2 cups,    packed) 1 tablespoon lemon zest 2 tablespoons lemon    juice 1/2 cup roasted Marcona almonds 1/4 pound Manchego,    grated (11/2 cups) 2 small garlic cloves Sea salt, to taste 1/2 cup extra-virgin    olive oil 1. Place everything but the olive oil in a food processor or blender and combine until roughly chopped. Then, with the blade running, slowly add the olive oil until the mixture is well combined.

Makes 6 to 8 servings For the croutons 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 cups rustic bread, cut into 1-inch cubes Salt and freshly ground black pepper For the chicken 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 3/4-inch 1 teaspoon olive oil For the dressing 2 garlic cloves 2 anchovies Juice of 1/2 lemon 1/2 teaspoon Worcester- shire sauce 1 egg, coddled (see note) 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 3 heads romaine let- tuce, outer leaves discarded, inner leaves washed and dried 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler 1. To make the croutons: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Makes 2 cups, or about 10 servings 1 5-ounce box of  baby   arugula 3 tablespoons  pistachios 2 tablespoons Dijon  mustard 2 tablespoons black pepper 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar Salt (to taste) With mixer or blender, puree arugula and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add pistachios and puree. Add remaining ingredients - oil last - and puree again.   - Courtesy of McCaffrey's   Per serving: 121 calories, 2 grams protein, 2 grams carbohydrates, trace sugar, 12 grams fat, 2 milligrams cholesterol, 78 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber.

I'm a big fan of combinations, like soup and sandwich. Peanut butter and jelly. Spaghetti and meatballs. You may detect a pattern. Carbohydrates are the leitmotif. Or maybe the heavy motif. One combination I never thought of is jeans and moisturizer. Lucky for women, marketing has thought of that for us! You may have read the news story reporting that Wrangler is selling a line of jeans that embeds microcapsules of moisturizer in the fabric, which evidently explode on impact with your thighs and moisturize them.

Classic stuffed flounder is reimagined with a meatier fish, cod, and served with a salad of crab, corn, scallions, and pineapple.   Cod With Corn, Crab, and Pineapple Salad 4 servings For the salad:   5 ounces chopped, cored pineapple 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon sugar Salt Fresh black...

Makes 8 servings 1/4 cup olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 3 carrots, peeled and chopped 4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped 5 thyme sprigs 1 bay leaf 2 teaspoons salt 3 cups water 1 cup broccoli florets 3 medium zucchini, cut into small dice 1 can (15.5 ounce) diced    tomatoes 2 cups kale, ribs removed,    and coarsely chopped Two cubes of chicken        bouillon, or more to taste 1 can (15.5 ounces)    cannellini beans, with    liquid Grated Parmesan cheese,    for serving 1. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat.

Pour on the olive oil, preferably over fish and vegetables: One of the longest and most scientific tests of a Mediterranean diet suggests that this style of eating, even loosely defined, can substantially reduce the chance of heart-related problems, especially strokes, in older people at high risk. The study lasted five years and involved nearly 7,500 people in Spain. Those who ate Mediterranean-style with lots of olive oil or nuts had a 30 percent lower risk of major cardiovascular problems compared with those who were told to follow a low-fat diet but who did not, in reality, cut out much fat. Mediterranean meant lots of fruit, fish, chicken, beans, tomato sauce, salads, and wine - and little soda, baked goods, and red meats.

Makes 8 to 10 servings 1 onion, peeled and    quartered 6 ounces (approximate-    ly 11 slices) bacon or    pancetta Small handful fresh    parsley 1 clove garlic, peeled 2 tablespoons olive oil 3 cups lentils, brown or    green, rinsed 14-ounce can diced    tomatoes, plus 12/3    cups cold water to    rinse out 2 bay leaves 21/2 quarts chicken or ...

THE ADAGE says "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. " As newlyweds Eric and Autumn Levine discovered, that wisdom also applies to women. "When we first began dating, he made me these delicious scallops," said Autumn Levine. "I knew then he was a keeper, because I don't cook. " An attorney by day, Eric Levine enjoys cooking on nights and weekends. He has fond childhood memories of his mother's honey-mustard chicken and his father's grilling, but he didn't become interested in cooking until he hit college.