The Vancouver Olive Oil Company

I’ve paired the tortilla with a garlic aioli made from fruity Ultra Picual Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  The Tortilla provides a nourishing comfort food, rich with egg and hearty potato.  The aioli condiment provides a counterbalance to the rich caramelized flavors of the tortilla with zesty lemon, piquant garlic and fruity extra virgin olive oil.  Add a simple salad and you have a well balanced, delicious meal.

Tortilla

3 pounds of waxy potatoes sliced 1/8″ thick, such as Yukon or Red Bliss
9 large eggs, beaten
1 large sweet onion sliced thin, such as Maui
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Sea salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste
Ultra Picual Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat in a 12″ cast iron skillet.  Add the sliced onions and saute until light brown in color add the thyme and saute for another minute. With a slotted spoon remove the onions and thyme and mix them in to the beaten eggs.  Season the egg-onion mixture with sea salt and pepper.  Heat the oven to 375.  With the oil remaining in the skillet, lightly season the potato slices with a sprinkle of sea salt and pepper and layer the slices in concentric circles at the bottom of the skillet.  Continue layering until all potatoes are used.  Brown the bottom layer of potatoes over medium heat-high for 2 minutes being careful not to burn the potatoes.  Pour in the egg-onion mixture over the potatoes and cover the skillet with a lid.  Place the covered skillet in to the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until the egg layer on top is golden brown and the potatoes are tender.  Invert the tortilla on to a platter and serve warm or allow to cool to room temperature.  Serve with aioli.

Aioli

2 large egg yolks
1 cup fruity extra virgin olive oil such as Ultra Picual Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon sea salt

Add the egg yolks and sea salt to the bowl of a food processor or in to a blender.  While processing, slowly drizzle in the olive oil.  Stop the machine and scrape down the sides if necessary.  Once all the oil has been  added, pour in the lemon juice and process until combined.  Check for seasoning.

• 1/4 cup Delizia Persian Lime Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup Sour Cream
• 2 cups miniature marshmallows
• 1/2 lb white chocolate morsels
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• finely grated zest of two limes, about 1 tablespoon
• 1 cup granulated sugar

Grease an 8″ x 8″ square baking pan. Combine sugar, lime zest, Delizia Persian Lime Extra Virgin Olive Oil, lime juice, butter and sour cream in a 2 quart saucepan over medium heat for 5 minutes or until sugar is dissolved and mixture boils, stirring constantly. Continue boiling  over medium heat or until a candy thermometer reaches 238 degrees.  Remove from heat, stir marshmallows and white chocolate until melted and mixture is smooth. Immediately pour fudge into greased pan and let stand about 10 minutes until top is firm to touch. Using a knife, score top of fudge to make fudge squares. Refrigerate about 1 hour. When cool and firm, cut out fudge.

Preheat the oven to 350 and adjust the rack to the middle of the oven.  Using agrumato lemon olive oil, grease and flour one 9″ cake pan.

Combine the eggs, sugar, lemon agrumato olive oil, vanilla, and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.  Whisk to thoroughly combine.

Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk to combine.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three batches, whisking after each addition.  Pour in to the prepared cake pan and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool for five minutes in the pan and then gently run a knife around the side to loosen and invert on to a rack to fully cool.

Fresh Strawberry Preserve Topping
4 cups washed, hulled, strawberries sliced thin
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Combine the strawberries, sugar, zest, and juice in a heavy saucepan set over medium heat.  Bring to a simmer.  Simmer for 7 minutes being careful that the contents do not boil over.  Set aside and allow to thicken as it cools to room temperature before spreading over cake with a dollop of lightly whipped cream  on each slice (optional)

Serves 10

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Lightly grease two 9-inch cake pans, one muffin pan, or one 13×9-inch pan with Blood Orange Agrumato.

Schnitzel
4 boneless center cut pork chops, 7-8 oz. each, pounded to 1/4-inch thick (You can substitute boneless, skinless chicken breasts here too!)
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon sea salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
UP Extra Virgin Olive Oil for frying
lemon wedges (optional)

Heat 2 inches of extra virgin olive oil in a heavy frying pan, (a seasoned cast iron pan is ideal) until the oil reaches 350.

Whisk the milk with the eggs and a pinch of salt and add to a shallow pie plate or dish.  Add the bread crumbs to a similar shallow dish.

Whisk the salt and pepper in to the flour and add to another shallow dish.  Dredge the pork chops first in the seasoned flour, then in to the eggs (being sure to coat the pork chops completely at every step), and then finally in to the bread crumbs.

Gently add the pork chops to the heated olive oil, being careful not to overcrowd the pan, and fry for approximately 3 minutes per side, until golden brown.  Remove each pork chop to a wire rack while frying the remaining pork chops.

Serve immediately with lemon wedges, if desired

Baby Arugula Pesto with Lemon
4 cups washed and dried baby arugula
1/2 cup UP Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I used the new Spanish Arbequina here)
1/3 cup Pecorino Romano
2 large cloves garlic
1/4 cup blanched, toasted almonds (optional)
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
fresh ground pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor, or in a blender, and process until smooth.  Serve over pasta, with bread, on pizza, bruschetta, with grilled or roasted vegetables, in lasagna, with fish, over beans, in a shoe (j.k.)… etc.

Spaetzle
1 cup flour
1/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt

Bring a 4+ quart pot of lightly salted water to a boil.

Whisk the eggs with the milk, and the salt with the flour.  Add the dry ingredients in to the wet ingredients and whisk until no dry spots remain.

Add the batter to a spaetzle maker or add to a large colander.  If using a colander with larger holes, push the batter through the colander using a spatula in to the boiling water.   Boil for about two minutes, and then remove to a bowl and toss with pesto immediately, or a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.

While it simply begs to be eaten out of hand, don’t be lured by its siren song!  Instead, follow my recipe below and you will be rewarded with a rare, otherworldly condiment perfect for pairing with cheeses, roasted meats such as pork, chicken, or turkey, or slathering on buttered, toasted crumpets.

Ingredients
2 pounds fresh quince peeled, cored, and cut in to 2″ chunks
1 cup Pomegranate-Quince White Balsamic Condimento or Plain White Balsamic Condimento
1 cup granulated sugar
2 +/- cups water (or enough to barely cover the quince)
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
1 split vanilla bean, or 2″ cinnamon stick (optional)

Instructions
Place the balsamic and sugar in a heavy 3+ quart pot, and slowly heat and swirl to dissolve the sugar over medium heat.  Add the quince and just enough water to cover.   Bring the contents to a steady, gentle simmer over medium-low heat.  Cook slowly, partially covered for 2 hours making sure there is enough liquid in the pot to prevent scorching.

Remove the pot from the heat and allow it to cool slightly. Puree the entire contents using a food processor or blender. The quince butter will thicken substantially as it cools, as quince is high in natural pectin.  Once cool, jar and refrigerate for up to one month.  Alternatively, this can be heat processed or canned for shelf stability.

This is particularly enchanting served with salty, briny, or nutty cheeses on cheese plates.  It is also fabulous with a Monte Cristo, or instead of cranberry in traditional leftover turkey sandwiches, on PB&J, or just slathered on toasted bread.

Ingredients
4 tablespoons Aged Maple Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tablespoon aged red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon good quality Dijon style mustard
4 tablespoons Ultra Premium extra virgin olive oil (your choice)
2 tablespoon finely minced shallots
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 slices center-cut bacon, cooked to a crisp and finely crumbled

Classic Caesar Salad
Ingredients
2 large pasteurized egg yolks
1/2 garlic clove, peeled
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 anchovy fillet
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Dijon style mustard
ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup Ultra Premium Extra Virgin olive oil – the greener the better