At the heart of Mediterranean food cultures is the olive oil kitchen. Explore how the plant-forward, olive oil kitchen—rooted in the Mediterranean but now being reimagined as well in America and beyond—can leverage flavor and expand our repertoire of culinary techniques as we craft the future of our food. Find resources below from Olive Oil and the Plant-Forward Kitchen:
Olive Oil and the Plant-Forward Kitchen: The White Paper
At the heart of Mediterranean food cultures is olive oil. In this white paper, “Olive Oil and the Plant-Forward Kitchen,” we explore what makes the plant parts of the plant-forward Mediterranean kitchen so delicious.
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Olive Oil-Based Recipes
Explore our library of plant-forward recipes, including recipes for olive oil-based sauces, small plates, entrees, and desserts.
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Olive Oil and the Plant-Forward Kitchen: A Sauce Discovery Project
This report is a joint project of The Culinary Institute of America and The Menus of Change University Research Collaborative the International Olive Council. It involved more than 30 members of the MCURC Executive Chefs’ Committee who set out to uncover the most-promising, lesser-known olive oil-based sauces that could easily be adopted by their dining operations. This project shines a bright light on a collection of dishes and flavor strategies that deserve wider recognition within campus dining and beyond. Healthy, sustainable, culturally rich, intriguing, and delicious—what more could you ask for from new additions to our culinary toolkits? We invite you to join us on this sensory and culinary adventure.
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Olive Oil and the Plant-Forward Kitchen Videos
Watch videos that explore plant-forward food and cooking from the Mediterranean olive oil kitchen. Watch step-by-step recipe demonstrations and educational video content.
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The Olive Oil Sauce Kitchen
Across the Mediterranean region, one of the strokes of genius of the olive oil kitchen is a whole collection of sauces that always include olive oil and garlic with ingredients ranging from nuts and seeds to spices, herbs, and other aromatics. Explore olive oil-based sauces of the Mediterranean here.
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Olive Oil Interviews: Perspectives on Discovery
This interview series features a variety of food and culinary experts and opinion leaders highlighting olive oil’s role in the plant-forward kitchen. Experts include chefs, cookbook authors, sensory scientists, and other food authorities.
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Olive Oil, Health and Sustainability
The contribution of olive tree cultivation and olive oil production towards increased sustainability is considerable. Olive orchards, especially in the Mediterranean, are a barrier to desertification and erosion in addition to their function in carbon capture.
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Cooking with Olive Oil
There is a lifetime of culinary pleasure and experimentation to be experienced with olive oil. Cooking with olive oil adds layers of culinary possibility. Learn how to saute, braise, and deep fry with olive oil.
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Olive Oil Varietals, Styles, and Flavor-Pairing Strategies
There is a whole world of flavor in olive oil—full of varietals, styles, aromatics, and markers of excellence. Learn about the difference between extra virgin and regular olive oils, olive varietals, and olive oil flavor profiles.
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Purchasing Olive Oil: Quality, Grades, Excellence, and Cost
Learn about olive oil quality, how to purchase good olive oil, and cost considerations. We’ll also define the difference between “extra-virgin olive oil” and what is termed simply “olive oil.”
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Baking, Pastry, and Sweets with Olive Oil
Often American or other non-Mediterranean chefs and home cooks who are passionate users of olive oil have a blind spot when it comes to baking, pastry, and desserts. Learn how to use high-quality, extra-virgin olive oil to bring amazing new flavor dimensions to cakes, cookies, breads, and more.
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Strategies and Techniques for Leveraging Flavor in Mediterranean-Inspired Cooking
Explore resources presented during the 2023 Global Plant-Forward Culinary Summit, including how to leverage the full flavor spectrum of extra-virgin olive oils in several key culinary platforms, and the four major categories of flavor excellence in the extra-virgin olive oil world.
This program was created thanks to the generous support of the International Olive Council
