Olive oil worth sharing!

It’s been said that the Mediterranean diet or ‘Crete Diet’ is one of the healthiest diets in the world. Heavy in olive oil, fresh vegetables, fish and citrus – the Greek take their food very seriously, while keeping it quite simple. And when you really get down to it, the essence of a good meal is simple food made with the best ingredients you can find. It’s safe to say that food has gotten way too complicated these days. Regardless, there are a few staples that every good cook needs – and good olive oil is definitely one of them. Not sure what defines good olive oil? It’s not surprising. The name brand olive oil producers you find in your mainstream grocery stores are selling you a very bland cousin of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. In its simplest form, Extra Virgin Olive Oil is simply fresh olive juice, extracted from any of hundreds of olive varieties that were picked at the grower’s desired level of ripeness and pressed as soon as possible. In general, an earlier harvest yields greener, more peppery oil; oil from a later harvest is more golden and mild. To be designated “extra-virgin,” the oil should meet certain standards set by the International Olive Council (IOC) in Madrid. Unfortunately, these strict standards aren’t enforced in the US which is why most olive oil you find in the supermarket is a far cry from this ‘olive juice’ I speak of.

Stavra’s father and her sons in their olive grove in Elika, Greece.

That is where Stavra Conlon and her family come in. In the small village of Elika in Southern Greece, Stavra’s father grows their Koroneiki and Athenoelia olives with love and care. The olives are grown without any pesticides and then hand picked. Minimal processing produces a fruity, peppery olive oil that – guess what – actually tastes like an olive! Stavra is throwing in a free bottle of her delicious olive oil for every bottle purchased Today Only! So take advantage of this opportunity to have your world rocked by some fantastic olive oil. And hey, you’ll have an extra bottle in case you want to share the love. Read more to learn about Elikan Harvest and their olive oil.

Stavra (left) and her sisters.

1. So your family is originally from the village of Elika (hence the name!) in Southern Greece where your olives are grown for your olive oil. How was it growing up as a kid in NJ visiting your family in Greece?

It was a lot of fun spending summers in Greece with my entire extended family. My sisters and cousins and I would swim, go for walks and spend hours reading and playing card games. In the early years, some parts of the village did not have electricity and there was only one telephone which was in the town square.  It’s changed quite a bit since the 80′s, and we have all the modern conveniences, but it’s still just as beautiful and quiet. My parents have been living there full time for about 10 years now and I spend time in the summer there with my own children.

2. Most commercial olive oil doesn’t really even taste like olives. What makes your olive oil so flavorful?

Elikan Harvest Olive Oil is first cold press extra virgin olive oil which means that the olives are pressed and the juice is extracted using absolutely no heat or chemicals. There is no further processing, mixing or refining. This first pressing of olives retains the color and flavor of the fruit.  Much of the commercial olive oil sold in the US is refined and has very little taste.

Our small farm has olive trees of the Koroneiki and Athenoelia variety and the oil is a natural mixture of these two olives. The trees are cultivated without the use of pesticides  and the olives are hand picked when they are still green and immediately pressed into oil. Extra virgin olive oil must contain less than .8 percent acidity, the lower the better. Our oil typically has less than .3 percent acidity, which is extremely low. The unique climate and topography of our region in Greece is well suited for producing great olive oil, but not much of it finds its way to the U.S.

3. Elikan Harvest is run by you and your two sisters. How is it working with your sisters?

We collaborated on the idea to import our family’s olive oil a few year’s ago and my sisters are a great help in promoting the business and offering ideas and advice.  They both have full time jobs as teachers and I have responsibility for the business. My sisters and I are very close and we have fun whether we are running tastings together or working frantically to get holiday orders out.

4. What are three adjectives that describe your olive oil?

Bold, Healthy, Peppery

5. Summer has arrived! What is a great summer recipe that uses your olive oil?

I love making chicken souvlaki on the grill in the summer. Here is a quick and easy recipe:

Chicken Souvlaki (or pork)

1/2 cup Elikan Harvest Olive Oil

Juice of 2-3 lemons

2-3 cloves of garlic crushed

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp mint (optional)

1 tsp salt

Pepper to taste

4 Chicken breasts, cut into strips or chunks

Tzatziki Sauce

1 pint of Fage yogurt (or any greek style plain yogurt).

1 cucumber peeled and then shredded (or finely chopped).  Make sure you remove the seedy part and press the shredded cucumber to remove the water.

1-2 crushed garlic cloves

1 tsp chopped dill or mint (personal preference)

1 Tbs Elikan Harvest Olive Oil

1 tsp red wine vinegar

Salt to taste

Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours. (Pork can be marinated overnight). Thread the chicken on skewers and grill until cooked through.

You can also add chunks of onion, tomatoes and/or  bell peppers to the skewers between the chicken pieces.  Just quickly brush the vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle with lemon before grilling.

Serve the skewers over rice or with pita bread and tzatziki (greek yogurt and cucumber sauce).