… in Extra Virgin Olive Oil, or am I the only one?
Q
You are not alone.
I also add pepper to the oil.
Sometimes olive oil with pressed garlic, sometimes olive oil and good balsamic vinegar, sometimes just the balsamic.
But it has to be proper sourdough, not that grocery store stuff with “sourdough flavour” that always turns out to be underbaked and gooey in the middle. shudder
We must have 4 or 5 different dipping oils around the house. It is the snack of choice.
Yeah! That’s one of my mom’s favorite snacks, too. There’s a local restaurant chain called Tripp’s that brings a loaf of crusty bread and a small container of olive oil with various herbs to the table while you’re waiting for your meal. It’s yummy.
I also scored recently scored some pumpkin seed oil on clearance. I guess I’m the only pumpkin-seed fiend around . . . It is very, very tasty.
Fans of bread dipping, be sure to try dukka: In a small, heavy skillet, toast some sesame seed, whole cumin, coriander, and a bit of fennel seed, until they smell good. Add ground black pepper and salt to taste. (Of course, you can customize the mix however you want. Add different kinds of seeds & nuts, dried herbs, etc.)
Dip bread in oil, then in dukka.
Ooooh Podkayne, thanks for the dinner idea! Would it taste better if I smashed in with my mortar and pestle after toasting, or is that totally unnecessary?
Or buy some from here.
A local bakery makes a bread called ‘spent grain’, which is great in olive oil seasoned with salt and pepper.
Mah beautiful Dopers! I knew I could count on Y’all !
I will add the ingredients next time I indulge, and no store-bought gooey sour-dough, either!
Thanks!
Q
Oh, baby. I have also been doing plenty of this lately, having recently discovered that the really expensive EV olive oil is worth paying for. Thanks to this thread, I be adding me some pepper next time.
Oh yes, the day I discovered that there was olive oil that actually had flavour, and that flavour was AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS, was the day the owner of the little Italian bakery/import shop down the street fell in love with me. He gets so excited when I come in to buy my olive oil or balsamic - he’s so intense about it, like some sort of olive oil sommelier. “This is the one you want with sourdough, but this is what you’ll want with multigrain, and this is the one to drizzle on your pizza…”.
I’ve been doing this a lot the past couple of months. My local supermarket actually has a good bakery and great Italian bread. I buy a loaf ever few days and most of it is eaten by dipping it in a combo of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
There is a restaurant that I have been to a couple of times that serves a really delicious but unusual “house cheesey bread” as an automatic appetizer, every table gets a plate when they sit down. It’s an addicting bread starter, and beats the hell out of breadsticks! But I never really could make out the exact broiled cheese topping recipe, until I went hunting on the internet tonight.
I remembered I could make out anchovies and mayonaise in this creamy, cheesy, bubbly-brown, broiled topping and working from that I found what I think is the recipe. I normally don’t like anchovies but within this spread it is incredible! This is really worth a try.
Zesty Anchovy Appetizers
2 cups grated Swiss cheese
2 ounces chopped anchovies
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
20 slices miniature rye bread *(They use crusty french bread slices for the restaurant version that I have had.)
In a medium bowl combine grated Swiss cheese, chopped anchovies, chopped parsley, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and pepper; mix well. Divide over rye bread, spreading evenly. Broil for 2 minutes, or until hot. Place on a serving dish. Serving Size: 20
You are far from alone. See file labeled “Italians”. I like a little salt in my oil though.
And damn you for bringing this up. Now I want some, but my kid is asleep, so I can’t go to the store.
Out here in CA for a while, little bowls of flavoured olive oil had replaced the usual butter. I prefer butter, I admit, but the oil can be nice, also.
The Kronos Method
Procure a seat next to the Mediterraneaen on a beach somewhere in Messinia, Geece. Prepare a plate of Greek White Bread, a plate of Ripe Greek Olives and some Feta, accompanied by a plate pooled with Virgin Greek Olive Oil. Rub a branch of Sun Dried Wild Greek Oregano between your palms and into the oil. Open a bottle of Retsina.
When finished with the meal and wine, open a bottle of Ouzo…
Truly, a taste of the ancient.
Extratemporalintraphysicalgastrooccudelphianoracular, Man!
amaranta, I don’t grind anything except larger seeds or nuts. I prefer to keep the spices whole, because it looks prettier, IMHO. The olive oil will stick everything securely to the bread, never fear.
BTW, this stuff absolutely kills at parties. It’s so easy to make, and people rave about how it’s soooo sophisticated.
totally amazed that no one has mentioned fresh grated parmesian with the oil
I like fresh parmesan, lots of pepper, salt, and red pepper flakes (sometimes) in my olive oil with bread.