The Extra Virgin Olive Oil: the value of the fats in the food

We wanted to open this section of recipes with the most important element of Tuscanian cooking : the olive oil. This food is wholly composed by fats and particularly about 16% by saturated fats, 75% by monounsaturated fats (almost only oleic acid), and 9% of polinsaturated fats. The olive oil lacks saturated fatty acids and it is rich in monosaturated fatty acids: this is the main characteristic of this type of oil. Besides these fatty acids, the olive oil (extra virgin or coming from the mill) is very rich in polyphenols, substances with a higher anti-oxidant effect, attracting the attention of the researchers. The olive oil is also a good source for vitamin E, having the same anti-oxidant activity. All the recommendations suggest to consume the vegetal fats, among which the olive oil is the best. The recipes listed in this section have the olive oil as the key-ingredient.

THE SAUCES: recipes serving 6 people

YOUGHURT SAUCE
Ingredients: 500 grams white yoghurt, 3 spoons extra-virgin olive oil, wild mayoran, basil parsley, oil and red pepper.
Grind the parsley and basil thinly; put it into a pot, add the yoghurt, the wild mayoran and, if you like, the pepper and the garlic, then stir the compound. Fill with extra-virgin olive oil, when it is completely absorbed, dress the salad with some salt.

FLAVOURED OIL
Ingredients: Extra-virgin olive oil, rosemary, Sauce, white onion, fresh pepper garlic.
Cut the herbs with your hands, the rosemary and the sage and add some extra-virgin olive oil. If you want a tastier oil, you can add some garlic, fresh pepper cut with your hands and some onion. This flavoured oil can be used to prepare salads and grilled meat.

ANCHOVY DISH
Ingredient: Extra-virgin olive oil, 10 anchovies under salt, 30 grams capers, Garlic and pepper.
Wash the anchovy carefully and pound them with the capers, add some oil, hit or cut, and the pepper. Put the compound into a pot, add the extra-virgin olive oil and meld the ingredients till you get a smooth sauce. The Anchovy dish is served with raw vegetables.

GREEN SAUCE
Ingredients: extra-virgin olive oil, parsley, capers, anchovy, garlic, salt.
Grind the parsley and the capers, cut the anchovy add some garlic, if you like, and some salt, pour the extra-virgin olive oil. Blend all the ingredients carefully till you get a smooth and soft sauce.

MAYONNAISE WITH HERBS
Ingredients: 2 dl extra-virgin olive oil, 4 egg-yolks, 1 or 2 lemons, Salt. Some facultative ingredients: saffron, basil, parsley, red pepper.
Beat the egg yolks, with some salt and oil in, when the sauce is homogeneous you can add some lemon depending on your taste. If you want a more coloured salad you can add some saffron; dissolved in some hot water, and pour it stirring continuously; or you can grind some basil and parsley with some red pepper if you like.

GARBANZO HUMUS
Ingredients: 300 grams cooked chickpeas, a cup of coffee full of extra-virgin olive oil, 1 lemon, salt, a spoon full of Tahineh (a pasta made of sesame seeds), red pepper or pepper.
Put the ingredients all together and whirl them till you get a homogeneous cream. This humus can be consumed with raw vegetables, or you can smear it on a slice of bread, or you can meld it with white rice, cold rice and chicken salads getting a rich dressing.

PESTO
Ingredients: 1 glass of extra-virgin olive oil, some basil, some garlic, 50 grams pine nuts, some parmigiano cheese, salt.
Bound the basil, garlic and pine nuts, when the basil is well melded with the other ingredients, you can add some parmigiano and some salt, you can stir the compound and pour the extra-virgin olive oil slowly, till you get a soft sauce.

RICOTTA( fresh cheese) dressed with oil
Ingredient: 500 grams ricotta, 3 spoons full of extra-virgin olive oil, wild mayor am, parsley, fresh basil, salt, garlic, red pepper.
Cut the parsley and the basi thinlyl, put them in a pot, add some ricotta, the wild mayoram and, if you like, garlic and red pepper; mix them carefully. Pour the extra-virgin olive oil and when it is completely absorbed dress the sauce with some salt.

BESCIAMELLA
Ingredients: 250 grams butter, 4 spoons of flour, 1 litre of milk, some parmigiano, nutmeg, salt.
Put the butter and the flour in a pan and stir them slowly while cooking at a slow flame. Warm the milk and before it boils pour it in the pan melding it with the whisk; be careful not to boil it and add some salt, parmigiano and nutmeg. Serve it with Frascati Doc wine.