Experimenting with Marqués de Valdueza Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Experiment #1

Ripe avocado lightly mashed with Marqués de Valdueza extra virgin olive oil on slices of Zingerman’s Bakehouse French baguette garnished with Portuguese fleur de sal

Notes:

The oil really worked well here.  It served to add a smooth, lightly buttery cohesion to the avocado mash and enhance the green flavor.  At the same time, it prevented the discoloration of the avocado before serving.  The salt brought out subtleties from the avocado and oil, while the bread broke easily in the mouth and didn’t interfere with the other flavors.  I’m glad I tried the avocado and oil combination and will explore this combination more in the future.

Experiment #2

Fresh heirloom tomatoes, garlic and Marqués de Valdueza extra virgin olive oil on toasted Zingerman’s Bakehouse French baguette drizzled with Marqués de Valdueza extra virgin olive oil and topped with Ortiz salted anchovies

Notes:

This classic combination was sure to taste great, and it did.  I was inspired by Penelope Casas’ recipe for Pan Con Tomate Y Anchoa, although I didn’t use any measurements myself.  Also, my grated tomato mixture turned into more of a puree than anything spreadable.  Regardless, the toasts worked well with a textural balance of crunchy, smooth and meaty with a bit of spice from the garlic, sweetness from the tomato and saltiness from the anchovy.  I would definitely makes this again.

Experiment #3

Vinaigrette with Orduña Txakoli vinegar, Marqués de Valdueza extra virgin olive oil (equal parts), pimentón picante and Dijon mustard

Notes:

Although I love this vinaigrette and although the Marqués de Valdueza works really well here, it’s not the ideal way to taste the olive oil.  The strength of the vinaigrette comes from the pimentón picante, with some nice brightness from the vinegar and a decent emulsion from the mustard.  I loved the taste of this combination, but would recommend using the oil in a way which allows it to shine more as its flavor is shadowed by the other elements here.

Experiment #4

Shaved fennel salad with Marqués de Valdueza extra virgin olive oil, local apple cider and Portuguese fleur de sal

Notes:

I make shaved fennel salads often, but usually with a different oil, a white wine vinegar and a more every day use salt.  As I didn’t have any white wine vinegar at home, I decided to try the apple cider out for a nice Fall flavor.  The combination of the Marqués de Valdueza oil and the cider was nice – the oil came through as buttery and fruity with the rich apple flavor of the cider and its sweetness.  The fennel itself was sadly lacking in flavor, but I would definitely experiment more with this oil in combination with cider and cider vinegar for Fall vinaigrettes.

Experiment #5

Quick vegetable broth with fennel stalks, carrots, yellow onion, garlic, Marqués de Valdueza extra virgin olive oil, salt and water.

Notes:

In order to use the the rest of the fennel which I sliced up for the previous experiment, I decided to sauté the vegetables in the oil and add some water to make a quick vegetable broth.  The oil sautéed well and lent its beautiful Spring green color to the broth, which I will turn into something more substantial later on.  This was the only instance when I used the oil for real cooking, and it worked perfectly.  I plan to experiment using it for other cooking ventures where I think the oil will be able to come through in the final dish.  I know that many people are afraid to use their extra virgin olive oils for cooking, but there are certainly many situations where I’d recommend it wholeheartedly.