WHILE MANY OF YOU COOK WITH OLIVE OIL, THERE AREN'T A LOT OF AMERICANS WHO HAVE truly embraced cooking with whole or chopped olives, except when making a martini or a well-known Italian dish like pizza with olives. Most of my early consumption of olives was right out of the jar or container. Or maybe you enjoy picking out the little circles of olive pieces from a slice of deli olive loaf. You may know that the best, or highest grade, of. olive oil is "extra virgin olive oil," and that it must be coldpressed, have acidity level of less than 1% and perfect taste to be the best. But few know that if you heat olive oil the flavor diminishes, so you really don't have to buy the top grade for cooking. Likewise, you should use the best grade of extra virgin olive oil for cold salad dressings and other cold dishes like dips. But buying the actual whole olives can be a daunting experience for the novice who ventures into a Greek or Italian market. There are so many varieties to choose from in these speciality stores. Just be daring and buy some jumbo specialty olives. Keep in mind, you don't have to use the very best olive oil for frying.
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