Guest Post and Recipe by Cibaria Culinary Writer: Mary Rose Gahon

Last Minute Meatloaf

Have you had one of those days where you were caught unprepared?  That amidst your repertoire of know-hows in the kitchen, how great you can whip up some pan fried chicken breasts or spaghetti with meat sauce, you still catch yourself uncertain of what to make for dinner?  I think we all have been in the same dilemma several times before.  For any cook, it’s a natural occurrence.  But we get through it.  And once we do, the seemingly daunting task of coming up with a descent last minute meal has bigger rewards in the end.

It was late Wednesday afternoon and because of sudden changes in everyone’s schedule, it would seem that everyone would be home.  Rare was this occasion, all my family under one roof, so I decide I would cook.  I tried to figure out what meal to make different this time.  I wanted something good and easy.  I asked members of my family if they were craving anything, but none supplied me with a definite answer.  At this point, feeling pretty exhausted from work, I didn’t want to think too hard myself.  So I turned on the computer and perused the internet to joggle my mind.  And in one of those popular recipe sites, it would seem that they understood my dilemma… for there it was, a word sure to equate good and easy: meatloaf.

I haven’t had a meatloaf for a while.  Since culinary school, I haven’t made meatloaf.  But reading through a basic recipe, I decided that, based on my experience as a cook, I would make it my own by using extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  That and I wanted to make use of everything that was already in my pantry and refrigerator.  So in addition to the extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, I added garlic and paprika.  I had old ciabatta bread that needed to be moved so I cubed it and combined it with the meatloaf.  To my balsamic glaze, I whisked in some prepared mustard which had only been used once from a barbecue during Superbowl Sunday.  With this meatloaf so much was accomplished; not only did it feed a  family of five, but it also became an excellent way to deplete those ingredients that were already in my kitchen.

Balsamic Glazed Meatloaf

4-5 Servings

Meatloaf Mix:

• 1 cup dry rustic bread, cubed
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp Cibaria’s 25 Star Balsamic Vinegar of Modena
• 1 ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground pepper
• ½ tsp paprika
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• ½ cup onion, chopped
• ½ cup bell pepper, chopped
• 1- 8oz can diced tomato, drained
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 lb ground beef

Meatloaf Topping:

• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 2 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp prepared mustard

Preheat oven to 375º.

In a small bowl, whisk together the ketchup, balsamic vinegar and mustard for the topping and set aside.  Meanwhile in a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients, except the ground beef, and mix really well.  Once this is done, fold in the ground beef, careful not to over mix because it will result in a tough meatloaf.  Fit the mixture into a loaf pan that in turn is placed on another tray to catch drippings.  Bake for 1 hour.  After an hour, let rest for fifteen minutes before serving.

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Ah yes, and they also just happen to feature some ingredients that we’re quite fond of – such as Olive Oil or Balsamic Vinegar!

‘Ino’s Tuna with Black Olive Pesto Panini

For Pesto’s, we recommend a nice, hearty Extra Virgin Olive Oil such as a Spanish Olive Oil. Cibaria’s Signature Olive Oil featuring Spanish EVOO’s such as Hojiblanca, Picual, and Arbequina varietals would work incredibly well in this dish.

What It Takes:

Lemony Olive Oil Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

Food Writer, Mellisa Clark has created a heavenly delight with this delicious Olive Oil Bread that features almost everyone’s weakness…chocolate chips. This recipe is featured in her book, that is due out later this year. For baking light, sweet, breads such as this one, we recommend a smooth Tunisian Extra Virgin Olive Oil, or even the famed Fior D’Italia Extra Virgin Olive Oil Tin. (Everyone should have one of these on standby in their kitchen, and we’re not just saying that because it’s our brand!)

What It Takes:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups mashed, VERY ripe bananas (3 to 4 bananas)
• 1/4 cup sour cream or plain, whole milk yogurt
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Surprisingly, many people have noticed no dramatic taste differences when using Olive Oil instead of butter in their cooking. In fact, many have reported a smoother, more richer flavor and texture in their cooking, as well as their baking. Of course, there is an Olive Oil to fit your every taste. For peppery or more robust oils, you could turn to an olive oil such as our Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil. For recipes calling for a smoother, more buttery flavor, our rich and buttery Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil would be a perfect fit.

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We see a growing trend of baking aficionados using more and more Olive Oil in their specialty baked creations. Everything from cakes, cookies, to cupcakes can benefit from this miracle oil.

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Substitute Olive Oil for Butter – A Helpful Replacement Chart

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• Brilliant Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes
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Cooking with olive oil is like cooking with wine. Never use a wine or olive oil that does not taste good to you. An inferior one will leave an aftertaste. If you do the taste test and compare the “pure” to the “extra-virgin” and the you’ll understand the difference.

When cooking with olive oil, save your extra-virgin expensive oils for salads, dressings, and vinaigrette. You can also drizzle it over slices of crusty bread or onto open-face sandwiches. Use it on a baked potato or add it to mashed potatoes instead of butter. Extra virgin olive oil tastes great on cooked vegetables or brushed onto fish or meat before serving.

When sauteing or frying, use either a combination olive oil (one that is simply a blend of extra virgin and regular olive oil) or a straight olive oil.

For deep frying, the olive oil grade “olive oil,” is excellent because it has a higher smoke point (410º F) than virgin or extra virgin oils.

Buying oil in small sizes, or splitting larger bottles with friends, is a practical way to buy expensive oils. Oil purchased in bulk should always be poured into smaller containers, preferably in a can or a dark-colored bottle.

Remember – Olives are fruit; olive oil is a fruit juice. Air, heat, and light will cause olive oil to turn rancid (rancid is the flavor which is imparted in an oil after it has undergone the process of oxidation. Since prolonged contact with oxygen is the rot cause of oxidation, rancidity is a common defect, so it should be stored in a cool place in an airtight container). If your oil has a buttery taste, then it’s probably rancid.

The ideal temperature for storing olive oil is 57°F or 14 degrees C, although a normal room temperature of 70ºF works very well if the olive oil is stored in a dark area where the temperature remains fairly constant. A kitchen cabinet located away from the stove and away from direct sunlight will work quite well. If you have a wine cellar, store your olive oils there and keep a small amount in your kitchen. Do not put olive oil in a container without a tight cap.

Refrigeration does not harm most grades of olive oil, but it is not recommended for expensive extra virgin varieties because condensation may develop in the bottle, affecting the flavor. When chilled, or in cold weather, the oil may turn cloudy and even solidify. Such oil will clear again as it warms, so cloudiness should not be taken as an indication that the oil is past its prime. Be sure bottles are tightly sealed. Refrigeration will extend the life of olive oil without harming the oil. Doing so will cause it to congeal and turn cloudy, but should not affect flavor. If refrigerated, olive oil will return to its original, liquid state when warmed to room temperature again.

Tinted glass, porcelain, or stainless steel are the best materials for containers; oil should never be stored in plastic or in reactive metals. Stay away from plastic containers as the oil can absorb PVCs.

Other Posts You May Find Interesting:

• Adulterated Olive Oils – Fraud in the Marketplace
• Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegars, and Specialty Oils in the New Year
• The Secret to Buying Wonderful Olive Oil
• An Olive Oil, Specialty Oil, and Vinegar Company on a Mission for Growth
• Important- New Olive Oil Standards in the USA

Since olive oil is used for so many different purposes, choosing an olive oil for an individual dish may not be a sound idea, unless you’re a five-star chef with a hefty budget in hand. In most cases, you’ll want to get the best use out of a finer olive oil, so you must be sure you are 100% happy with it, and that it’s versatile in your cooking style.

Regional Olive Oils, and What You Should Know

Greek Olive Oil: Greece is one of the top three olive oil producing countries, and Greek olive oil is the finest in the world. Greece devotes 60% of its cultivated land to olive growing. Before buying you should consider that green olive oil is most likely a product of green olives, harvested before ripening, and is highly prized by many. Golden-yellow olive oil is generally the product of olives that have been allowed to ripen longer. Both green and golden-yellow oils can be extra virgin oils.A bitter or sharp taste usually indicates that the olives were not ripe when picked. Oil made from ripe olives has a mild, fruity taste. Taste is entirely a matter of preference, and oils made from both unripened and ripened olives have wide appeal.

Italian Olive Oil: The Italians take great pride in their superb olive oil production and bottling. Some of the finest olive oils in the world are also produced in Italy. In fact, many of the world’s top olive oil awards and honors come straight out of Italy, and many of the winning olive oils are produced right in Italy. Since many regions of Italy produce olive oil, the tastes can vary greatly from region to region, and from crop to crop. Since the variety is so large, it is best to try your hand at many different regions, and take notes on which flavors you liked and disliked from specific regions, while narrowing down your top choices.

Spanish Olive Oil: Of the European production, 93% comes from Spain, Italy and Greece. Smooth, Vibrant, Bold. Just like a fine wine, the varietal, climate and region determine an olive oil’s taste. From the southern olive groves of Andalucía to the northern region of Catalonia, Spain, the number one producer of olive oil, offers the largest variety of unique oils that are as distinctive and diverse as nature itself. They will heighten the flavor of your meals and really do well in most dishes.

Turkish Olive Oil: For years Turkey has been the 3rd largest producers of olive oil, right after Italy and Spain. The olive oils of some small producers are treated like fine vintage wines, and are often grown by wine producers. Some of these oils are priced like fine wines as well. The great varieties of subtle flavors and textures from different regions, producers & vintages make them well worth trying. Used sparingly in salads and dips, a bottle should last weeks or months.

California Olive Oil: California is a newcomer to the game of olive oil processing, and their quality is consistently getting better and better. There are now over 200 producers of world-class olive oil in California. Since California olive oils are generally a bit more “peppery” and have a bit more of a bite than most of their European counterparts, your preference generally lies in the fruitiness, but especially the amount of “peppery” bite at the back of your tongue after tasting the oil. Some oils elicit a cough or two..or more. Thus, gaining labels such as “one cough oils” or “two cough oils” and so on.

There are many other regions of olive oil, each producing it’s own unique flavors. A good idea for someone looking to learn what best suits their tastes is simple good note taking. If you’ve got an iPhone, the Evernote app is great for things like this. Otherwise, a simple notebook will do the trick. Log the brand, region, and tastes. You can get really into it and download and fill out Olive Oil Tasting sheets from the internet.

Other Tips to Remember when Purchasing Olive Oil

• Although rarely found on store shelves today, oils that have been bottled in reactive metal containers such as copper, should not be purchased.
• The quality and flavor will differ greatly between different brands of olive oil. Some shops specializing in olive oil may offer samples to help you decide on a specific selection. Prices for a half liter of high quality extra virgin olive oil may range from $7 to $32, which is comparable to a bottle of wine. In order to be a bit more affordable, expensive olive oils can be purchased in smaller sizes and then used occasionally for salads or as a condiment.
• When purchasing an expensive, single estate olive oil, the age of the oil is important. Look for the harvest date on the label and ask questions before buying. Olive oil does not improve with age, so any oil that is older than 1½ years should not be purchased. Olive oil is always of the best quality in the year it is produced, unlike wine, which may require several years to reach its peak.
• Other popular sources for purchasing high quality edible oils are mail order catalogs and the Internet. Many individual edible oil producers issue catalogs and/or have Web sites that allow consumers worldwide to purchase various products.

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• Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegars, and Specialty Oils in the New Year
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Just a few things chefs, foodies, and everyday cooks fret over:

• Ingredients
• Recipes
• Recipe tweaking and outcome
• Specialty ingredients
• Preferred Brands of products used
• Pots
• Pans
• Measuring cups
• Mixers
• Special techniques that help along the way

Imagine after years of trying recipes, that you have to remember most of these elements the old fashioned way? Pen and paper were likely your grandmother’s way of keeping track of her prized recipes. Papers get lost, tossed in boxes, and forgotten about in the attic. That prized recipe that you wish you had the time to make again is now a buried memory in the back of your mind, amidst the new recipes and new ingredients you’re toying with.

Now onto the fun part! With the internet at our disposal, recipe books are no longer the primary way to obtain and organize recipes. They can’t help us remember much when it comes to notes, or what we’d do differently the next time we got around to making that culinary masterpiece.

What can a person do?

Evernote! What is evernote? It’s an online organizing resource that literally lets you place your world into clips, files, photos, notes, and whatever you need to organize the best way for YOU.

Evernote is especially useful for foodies and cooks because of it’s clipping and instant photo intake properties. Want to snap a shot of that recipe you just made to add to your own recipe book? Discover a new find that you HAVE to save!? Declutter your browser bookmarks, and use evernote. We use it for all kinds of things, and can’t sing it’s praises enough.

Here’s some useful ideas to help you get Organized:

- 10 ways to run a restaurant with Evernote: http://s.evernote.com/foodrestaurant
- Cooking a meal with Top Chef contestant Laurine Wickett (video): http://s.evernote.com/foodtopchef
- Using Evernote to digitize a prized family recipe book: http://s.evernote.com/foodcookbook
- Evernote’s CEO’s catalog of everything he ate while visiting Japan: http://s.evernote.com/foodjapan
- Evernote as a food blogger’s tool: http://s.evernote.com/foodblog
For more information on Evernote, go to www.Evernote.com

Other Posts You May Find Interesting:

• Win Olive Oil From CA Olive Oil Ranch!
• Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegars, and Specialty Oils in the New Year
• A Gourmet Kind of Recession
• Food Friday! Glorious Recipes From the Web
• Happy Thanksgiving From Cibaria International!

The same holds true with cooking oils and specialty cooking oils. Expanding your horizons when it comes to cooking oil is a great way to maintain health. The health benefits of many oils are great. Many already know that Olive Oil is a wonderful ingredient to cook with. However, did you know that Almond Oil can reduce bad cholesterol and lower your risk of heart disease?  In addition to healthy fats and vitamin E, a quarter-cup of almonds contains almost 99 mg of magnesium (that’s 24.7% of the daily value for this important mineral), plus 257 mg of potassium.

So how do you determine which oils are suited to your cooking style? First, you’ll need to become familiar with each oil and it’s primary tastes and functions.

Refined Cooking Oils

Unrefined Cooking Oils

(chart cited from MissVicki.com)

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• Exploring The Wide World of Healthy Cooking Oils
• Community Poll: What is your favorite Cooking Oil?
• Welcome to Cibaria’s Blog!
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• The Secret to Buying Wonderful Olive Oil