Quick, healthy & delicious as introduced by Johnny Madge

In the olive oil seminars from this February we had the pleasure to hear from Johnny Madge, who is an an olive oil tasting expert and judge in international competitions in Tokyo, Athens, Berlin,  Australian, London, and Izmir. Madge holds olive oil tastings and does olive oil tours in Valencia, Spain. 

Disclaimer: all images used in this blog post are from Johhny Madge

Main take aways:

• Specific food pairings amplify or quieten the olive characteristics (frutiness,(aromas), bitterness and pungency intensity 
• In this blog you will find quick & easy foods to pair olive oil with 
• Interesting fact: Japanese cuisine and foods are the most olive oil friendly, as Japanese eat very spicy and intense taste foods, such as, Wasabi, Radish, ginger, red hot pepper, etc. Additionally, Japanese eat astringent and bitter foods, such as Green Tea, Bitter Gourd, Fish liver, etc…
• every variety of olive oil will bring different flavours if tasted on the same food e.g. picture below same beans tried with different types of olive oil. 
  
  

Quick, easy and healthy pairings with olive oil:

• toasted bread, olive oil, salt and garlic
  
• broccoli soup with Roquefort
  

• bitter olive oil loses its bitterness intensity when paired with warm legumes
  
  
  

• General rule strong flavours go well with strong olive oils, but in the end of the day taste is very subjective. E.g Pairing a steak with a high fruitiness olive oil:  If you cooked the steak well done use a non bitter olive oil. If you cook it medium-rare use a bitter olive oil as it will enhance the steaks flavours and bring out the olive oil aromas. 
  
• warm fava with olive oil (crushed peas) make sure they are warm when served
  
• warm steamed potatoes with olive oil paired with high fruitiness olive oil
• steamed rice with high fruitiness olive oil
• steamed broccoli paste (cold) on a warm bruschetta with garlic
  

• focaccia
  

• caprese salat
• Buffalo Mozzarella with olive oil
  
• tsoureki with olive oil instead of butter 
  
  
• Ice cream from buffalo milk with olive oil 
  
  
• dark sorbet bitter chocolate with olive oil- it will give the chocolate a spicy sensation  

In the end of the day it is important to experiment and try olive oil with things you would not normally eat it with. Just like wine, olive oil needs to be tasted correctly and with the right pairings. e.g In a restaurant you will pick to eat sea food with a white wine and with meat a red wine.