Vinegar and Oil Pairing

The vinegar and oil pairing that features Santa Chiara olive oil and Tiburtini white vinegar is enjoying an enthusiatic following. I have been using the pairings with a variety of summer salads.

While I am partial to the Vivande-brand balsamic vinegar, I have been substituting the Tiburtini white wine vinegar. The result is a bold, zesty flavour that punches up my salads. I have also enjoyed this pairing with slices of homegrown tomatoes garnished with red onion and plumpy capers.

The Tiburtini vinegar comes from Italian dessert grapes, delivering a light and fruity flavour. The Santa Chiara extra virgin olive oil is extremely light, used exclusively as a finishing oil. Drizzle this over fish, vegetables or light entrees.

Rosmarino Farm: Home of Santa Chiara

Good extra virgin oil is made with olives harvested in very late fall and early winter. Picking olives directly from the tree in November, December and January -- as soon as the olive starts to change colour from green to black -- is the peak time to harvest.

Only olives pressed within 48 hours of harvest and imparting no taste imperfections can be labeled "extra" virgin olive oil.

In the mid-1990s, the Rosmarino Farm in Liguria, a cool coastal swath on the Mediterranean Sea in Northern Italy, was producing vintage supplies of superior quality extra virgin olive oil for the most demanding chefs and gourmets. To this day, supplies of Santa Chiara are still limited by the Ligurian harvest of Taggiasca olives.

Today's home chefs and discerning gourmets are seeking this delicate oil that connoisseurs describe as "light and fruity with a slight peppery aftertaste." If you are looking for a superior extra virgin oil for use as a finishing oil with salads, fish, and pasta sauces, you will want to give Santa Chiara Costa Dei Rosmarini a try. We use it here at Vivande Porta Via. We have limited supplies available for shipping at www.vivande.com.

SANTA CHIARA, Costa dei Rosmarini, Liguria Olive Oil

Our best selling olive oil and this is the reason why!

Santa Chiara is a light, but very tasty olive oil, beautiful color and great balance of sweetness (freshness, nuttiness, and with a smooth feel in the mouth. Santa Chiara does not "coat" the mouth as some oil can do. Typically, many quality extra virgin olive oils have a slightly bitter, and somewhat biting, even fiery hot taste (if very fresh.) This is a desired and expectable taste.

For those who like a delicate yet flavorful oil, Santa Chiara is excellent on steamed vegetables, on salads, and a favorite way to serve it is on grilled fish, with a few drops of lemon juice on it and finally, a generous drizzle of Santa Chiara extra virgin olive oil.

Ciao
Carlo

Choosing Olive Oils Is Not Always Easy

Most of the world's premium chefs are well versed in how to choose and use olive oils. That's why you will often see several different bottles next to the savvy chef. Carlo Middione is no different. He usually has three to five oils within his immediate reach.

Carlo chooses an oil that matches perfectly with the dish he is preparing. For example, many Tuscan olive oils are strong. These Tuscan oils hold up well when preparing dishes that require longer cooking times. Olive oil from Puglia is often associated with a bitter taste. Both match well with specific dishes.

Santa Chiara extra virgin olive oil originates in Liguria, where olives are mild and delicate. This makes Santa Chiara Costa Dei Rosmarini one of the most delicate oils available. Carlo uses this product for finishing certain dishes, such as salads, fish, grilled meat, and pasta sauces served at Vivande Porta Via.

Santa Chiara can be difficult to find for retail purchase, but Vivande currently has a good supply. Carlo and Lisa recommend that home chefs give this product a try.

Spain is the Source of World's Largest Olive Harvest

Ever wonder how so much olive oil can come out of Italy? Some of the most famous -- and expensive -- Italian brands blend oils from other countries, especially Spain where most of the world's olives are harvested. Hazelnut oil is also commonly used as a blend.

Throughout Europe, the oils are clearly stated on the bottle. And because the U.S. does not require such strict labeling, many brands produce two product lines: one for Europe and one for outside Europe.

One of the purest and most difficult-to-find is a Santa Chiara Extra Virgin Olive Oil called "Costa dei Rosmarini" produced in Northern Italy's Liguria region. Santa Chiara is delicate, light and fruity with a slight peppery after taste that many chefs, like Carlo Middione, prefer as a finishing oil.

Santa Chiara distributes just one line of Costa dei Rosmarini, so the same bottle purchased in Italy can be purchased in the U.S. If you can find it! Vivande.com is well stocked with Costa dei Rosmarini and you can buy it today.