Olive oil in Mediterranean Cuisine & Diet
Olive oil in Mediterranean Cuisine & Diet : the ways
The staple of the Mediterranean cuisine - that is considered the healthiest regimen among physicians and nutritionists – is quality olive oil.
The olive oil keeps the main presence in the diet of the Mediterranean countries.
It is consumed in the daily diet either raw or cooked with different ways and various gastronomical techniques (oven, casserole, grill, pan)
RAW
• The extra virgin olive oil has intense organoleptic characteristics: color, taste, aromas, texture, while it can be ideally used in salads, raw vegetables and greens, also combined with vinegar or lemon.
• It can be used in salads, fresh boiled vegetables and wild greens. On boiled or roasted potatoes, on peppers, pumpkins, broccoli, chicory and cauliflower.
• In more complicated salads i.e. the ones with base of potatoes, bread, garlic, parsley, eggplants and preserved roe.
The olive oil is ideally absorbed of all those materials resulting in a pleasant, tasteful dish.
• On raw or roast cheeses, accompanied by oregano or thyme.
• On boiled meat or even poultry
• Over rusks, especially of barley, or over French toasts
• In sauces for meat or fish
• In combination with different aromatic herbs and greens in the middle of the table , accompanied by bread , instead of classic butter.
OVEN
• The olive oil has the characteristic of preserving the softness of meat, fish and vegetables while roasted. The same is valid for a whole category of vegetables, legumes and pies that are baked in the oven
• The olive oil is a material that can be easily mixed with butter or margarine - if you wish – especially in meals or pastries that usually are roasted or baked in the oven.
• Also, it can be used for pastries baked in the oven i.e. olive pies, biscuits and cookies. It preserves the cakes and pies soft and moist, whilst the cookies and biscuits crunchy. It gives a special flavor to bread and pastries. Firstly, it can be used either for the paste prevention on the baking pan or even as a natural substance for the protection of the leaven, giving a rose-red crust. It also allows to the spices contained in breads, cookies, pastries and pies to distinguish their aromas.
GRILL
Poor the meat, the poultry, the fish and vegetables with marinates of aromatic greens, spices and olive oil. The result will be spectacular and very tasty, while the flesh will remain soft and the unpleasant tanning of the external surface will be avoided.
If you wish you may apply olive oil on the food that is grilled. Fill a bowl with olive oil, salt, aromatic herbs and greens, little bit of lemon or vinegar, and poor it over the steaks, the chicken, the fish or vegetables that are grilled. Their flavor will be better, won’t paste on the grill and will have a nice rose color.
CASSEROLE
The traditional Mediterranean cuisine has many foods cooked in casserole. Their main ingredient is the quality extra virgin olive oil .Besides the vegetables , greens and the legumes, meat can also be cooked in casserole with olive oil. The meat is usually accompanied by potatoes, vegetables or greens i.e. pumpkins, eggplants, Spinach, cauliflowe , or even by pasta. Also, there are recipes for meat that can be cooked only with olive oil and the least quantity of water. All foods cooked in casserole demand great attention of olive oil and water portion. It’s better to cook in low temperature in order for the water to evapor
