Olive Oil Food for the Sweaty Season: The real Mediterranean diet

Heat and humidity are upon us and the Mediterranean people have a cure for that. They call it olive oil food. Almost all the cultures around that sea have recipes for right now that feature vegetables coated in oil intended to lube the body as it sweats out the moisture muscles, tendons and tissue need. You already know some of the more famous ones, just not their medicinal purpose: ratatouille in France, Imam bayaldi in Turkey, tabouli in Syria/Lebanon which is an olive oil parsley salad held together with a bit of bulgur. The trick is to be liberal with oil. And remember many of the vegetables Mother Nature is mercifully heaping on us are full of water--moisturizing we also need. So looked at this way, something like traditional Greek Salad becomes a double lube job: water filled tomatoes and cucumbers with salty olives and lots of olive oil--that's the basis.

Olive oil dishes are vital to your recipe collection and since most are already classics, they can bear repeating. So some of these are new and some have been posted same time every year for the same reason. You will find Imam Bayaldi and ratatouille in Veggiyana, the Dharma of Cooking and in an earlier post. Also true tabouli is in an earlier post.

Armenian Green Beans

The Greeks also have a version of green beans braised in olive oil and many other beans cooked the same way. This particular recipe has been the favorite of new cooks who bought Veggiyana, the Dharma of Cooking where I first shared it. It's handy to have around: for an appetizer, a salad, part of a vegetarian meal or tapas presentation, even a quick lo cal nutritious snack.

serves 6-8

2 lbs green beans (e.g. Kentucky wonder, Blue lake), ends off

1 cup olive oil

1 lg red onion, sliced in thin rings

5 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1 tsp dried oregano leaves

2 tsps dried thyme leaves

3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves

1 tsp coarse or freshly ground black pepper

1/8 tsp salt

3 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1/3 cup chopped fresh dill

Cut the beans into a seemingly uniform length, between 3 and 4 inches long. Try to keep them in one direction.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy gauge casserole. Add the garlic, then onion rings and sauté over medium heat until the onion is soft but not yet browning. Add the beans. Add the rest of the ingredients except dill. Cover, lower heat to simmer and cook 20-30 minutes until the beans are tender. Remove from heat. Stir in dill and cool uncovered. Serve at room temperature.  (You can store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. This lasts several days.)

Crete's Watermelon and Feta Salad

Note: you can't get more water per bit than from a watermelon which is why it's so perfect when we're sweating. This is not the usual run of the mill watermelon with feta. It's charred feta with mint and watermelon.

Serves 4-6

2-3 slices sourdough bread, cut in cubes (squares)

1/3 c olive oil at least

1+ lb watermelon flesh only (not the rind), cut into bite sized pieces

10 Kalamata olives, pittted

2 tbsp fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

a handful of purslane or arugula or flat leaf parsley. finely chopped 

1/2 lb fresh sheep milk feta, cubed

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350º. Put the sourdough squares on a baking tray. Drizzle liberally with olive oil and bake until golden. 

While that's happening, combine 5 tbsp olive oil with the watermelon, olives, mint, purslane or equal, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Mix gently to coat everything with the oil. 

When close to serving, put a small heavy frying pan on high heat and when it's really hot, add 1 tbsp olive oil then the feta cubes. Toss to coat the feta and coot on med heat until the edges of the feta are slightly charred. Toss into the salad, add the toasted sourdough, and blend everything.

Panzanella, Italian Bread Salad

This is a great way to use yesterday's bread. It's a terrific party dish which includes pot luck ventures.

Serves 6

6 thick slices yesterday's Tuscan, French or Levain bread (any very crusty, dense bread)

2 sm red onions, sliced into thin rings

1 lg green bell pepper, diced into bite-sized pieces (about 1” sq)

4 med/lg freshly ripe tomatoes (these are the star of this show), chunked

½ cup shredded Parmesan, Romano or Asiago cheese

12 black olives, pitted

1 tbsp capers

½ cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

¼ cup fresh flat leaf parsley, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

½ cup best quality olive oil + 3 tbsp more

Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste

Put 3 tbsp olive oil in a shallow bowl. Cut bread into bite sized chunks and soak in the oil.

Toast the bread at 400º for 5 minutes or until crunchy and browned.

In a small bowl, whisk together garlic, salt, vinegar and olive oil to make a dressing.

Put toasted bread into the bottom of a large serving bowl. Add the onion rings, chunked tomatoes and diced pepper. Add olives, cheese and herbs.

Pour on the dressing and blend everything. Season liberally with black pepper freshly ground and serve.
(not my photo)

Greek style Stuffed Peppers
serves 4-8 people (whole or half)

4 large unblemished bell peppers (any color is fine)
1 c short grain rice  (Basmati won't work well here) 
1/3 c and 2 tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
1 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 bunch scallions, cleaned and finely chopped, greens too
1/2 c currants
1/2 c pine nuts
1/3 c dry white wine
1/3 c tomato paste
1 tsp ground oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper 
optional: 1 tsp aleppo chili powder
1 tsp ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 325º.
Clean out the peppers of their seeds and pith by cutting a small piece off the top. If they don't stand up straight trim the bottom so they do but be careful not to pierce any holes. Submerge the cleaned peppers in boiling water to blanch for 2 min so they are slightly softened.
Boil 1 c rice in 2 c water. It will be partially cooked and that's okay.

In a med sauté pan, warm 1/3 c olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, dill, parsley, scallions and pine nuts and sauté over med/low heat 5 minutes to soften the scallions and brown the pine nuts. Don't burn or brown the scallions. Add the currants, white wine, tomato paste, oregano and optional aleppo pepper and continue to sauté on low heat. Add rice when it's ready. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.  Blend everything. Remove from heat and stuff the mixture into the peppers to the top remembering the rice will expand a bit more. Top each with a sprinkle of nutmeg.

Cover the bottom or a square baking pan with 3 tbsp olive oil and 3 tbsp water. LIne the peppers up in the baking pan. Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake at 325º 20-25 minutes until peppers are soft and the rice is fully cooked.  Cool slightly to serve. Or these may be refrigerated and served at room temperature. They pack well for a picnic or boat ride. In the photo I have garnished with mint leaves and surrounded with pitted kalamata olives.

Pesto Shrimp Salad
Pesto is a summer delight of basil blended with lots of olive oil. We forget it's an olive oil food.
serves 4-6

to make the pesto (pine nuts not included as they will be on the salad):
2 1/2 c fresh basil leaves
1 tbsp coarsely ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
pinch of salt
1/3 c freshly ground Parmesan cheese
2/3 -3/4 c good quality olive oil (enough to thin the pesto into a thick sauce)
Combine all that in a blender or processor and prepare a thick smooth sauce.

For the salad:
1 lb small shrimp, cooked
1 lb fresh peas, cooked
1 lg red onion, finely diced
2 stalks of fennel or celery, finely diced 
1 lb small pasta (rotini, penne, cavatelli, orechietti) cooked
1/2 c pine nuts, toasted golden
Combine all that in a serving bowl. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste. Stir in the pesto and combine everything. (You may not need all that pesto so be careful and go in increments.) 
Serve immediately or refrigerate. Serve garnished with more pine nuts and/or pitted black olives and fresh basil leaves.