10 Delicious Recipes with Extra Virgin Olive Oil

🍞 Perfect Mediterranean Breakfast

Ingredients (2 servings):

• 4 slices rustic bread (day-old is best)
• 2 large ripe tomatoes
• 60ml EVOO extra virgin (medium-high intensity)
• 2 garlic cloves (optional)
• Sea salt flakes

Preparation:

1. Toast bread lightly until crispy outside but tender inside
2. Rub garlic clove on hot bread (optional but highly recommended)
3. Cut tomatoes in half and rub vigorously on bread
4. Drizzle generously with EVOO (about 15ml per slice)
5. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes
6. Serve immediately while bread is still warm

Time: 5 minutes | Difficulty: Easy | Origin: Catalonia, Spain

Chef's Secret: Use seasonal tomatoes at peak ripeness and good artisan bread for maximum flavor

🥗 Traditional Village Salad

Ingredients (4 servings):

• 4 ripe tomatoes cut in wedges
• 1 cucumber in thick slices
• 1 green bell pepper in strips
• 1 red onion in thin rings
• 200g feta cheese in one block (NOT crumbled)
• 100g Kalamata olives with pits
• 80ml intense Greek EVOO
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

1. Cut all vegetables in large, rustic pieces (this is NOT a finely chopped salad)
2. Arrange in a wide bowl: tomatoes, cucumber, pepper and onion
3. Place the whole feta cheese block on top in the center
4. Distribute Kalamata olives around the feta
5. Drizzle generously with EVOO over everything
6. Sprinkle dried oregano abundantly, add salt and pepper
7. DO NOT toss or mix - serve as arranged, family style
8. Each diner breaks their own piece of feta and mixes on their plate

Time: 10 minutes | Wine pairing: Dry white wine, Assyrtiko

Important: Authentic Greek salad contains NO lettuce or vinegar!

🍝 Perfect Minimalist Pasta

Ingredients (2 generous servings):

• 200g quality spaghetti (bronze-die cut preferred)
• 100ml mild EVOO extra virgin
• 6 garlic cloves thinly sliced (NOT minced)
• 1 red chili pepper (or red pepper flakes)
• Fresh Italian parsley chopped
• Coarse sea salt for pasta water
• Grated Parmigiano Reggiano (optional, some consider it heresy)

Preparation:

1. Bring large pot of salted water to boil (should taste like seawater)
2. Cook spaghetti 1 minute less than package instructions (al dente)
3. RESERVE 1 cup of starchy pasta cooking water before draining
4. While pasta cooks: heat EVOO in large skillet on LOW heat
5. Add sliced garlic and whole chili, cook gently 2-3 minutes (garlic should be golden, NOT brown)
6. Add drained pasta directly to the oil in the pan
7. Toss vigorously, adding reserved pasta water gradually (this creates the creamy emulsion)
8. Remove from heat, add chopped parsley, toss again
9. Serve immediately, optionally with Parmesan

Time: 15 minutes | The Secret: The emulsion of starchy pasta water with olive oil

Pro Tip: The dish should be slightly "soupy" with the oil emulsion, not dry

🐟 Mediterranean Whole Fish

Ingredients (4 servings):

• 1 whole sea bass (1-1.5kg) cleaned and scaled
• 100ml mild EVOO
• 4 garlic cloves finely minced
• Fresh herbs: thyme, rosemary, parsley, dill
• 2 lemons (1 sliced, 1 for juice)
• 500g baby potatoes halved
• Sea salt and black pepper

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F)
2. Pat fish completely dry with paper towels
3. Make 3-4 diagonal cuts on each side of fish (helps cook evenly)
4. Season inside cavity and outside generously with salt and pepper
5. Stuff cavity with lemon slices and fresh herb sprigs
6. On large baking tray: create a bed of lemon slices and potatoes
7. Place fish on top, drizzle with 50ml EVOO
8. Mix remaining 50ml EVOO with minced garlic and chopped herbs, spread over fish
9. Bake 25-30 minutes (fish is done when flesh is opaque and flakes easily)
10. Serve family-style with pan juices and additional raw EVOO at table

Time: 45 minutes | Wine pairing: Crisp white wine, Vermentino or Albariño

🥙 Ultra-Smooth Levantine Hummus

Ingredients:

• 400g cooked chickpeas (canned OK, but homemade is superior)
• 80ml mild EVOO (plus extra for serving)
• 60ml tahini (sesame paste - quality matters!)
• 2 garlic cloves
• Juice of 2 fresh lemons
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon baking soda (if using dried chickpeas)
• Ice cold water as needed
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

1. If you want ultra-smooth hummus: peel chickpeas by rubbing between hands (tedious but worth it)
2. First blend tahini with lemon juice only - this emulsifies it and makes it creamy
3. Add chickpeas, garlic, cumin and salt to food processor
4. Blend, adding ice water gradually until desired consistency (should be smooth and flowing)
5. Add 60ml EVOO while blending to incorporate
6. Taste and adjust: more lemon for tang, more salt, more garlic
7. Serve in wide shallow bowl
8. Make a well in center with back of spoon
9. Fill well with additional 20ml EVOO
10. Garnish with paprika, sumac, pine nuts, fresh parsley

Time: 10-15 minutes | Storage: Up to 5 days refrigerated, drizzle with olive oil to prevent drying

🍅 Refreshing Cold Tomato Soup

Ingredients (6 servings):

• 1kg very ripe tomatoes (summer tomatoes are essential)
• 1 medium cucumber
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 small garlic clove (or more to taste)
• 100ml fruity EVOO (plus extra for serving)
• 50ml Sherry vinegar (or good red wine vinegar)
• 100g day-old white bread, crust removed
• Salt to taste
• Optional: ice cubes for serving

Preparation:

1. Soak bread in water for 5 minutes, squeeze out excess
2. Blanch tomatoes in boiling water 30 seconds, peel and deseed
3. Peel cucumber, cut in chunks
4. Blend all ingredients except 30ml EVOO until completely smooth
5. Pass through fine strainer for silky texture (optional but recommended)
6. Taste and adjust salt, vinegar, garlic
7. Refrigerate minimum 2 hours (gazpacho improves overnight)
8. Serve very cold with raw EVOO drizzled on top
9. Traditional garnishes: finely diced cucumber, tomato, pepper, hard-boiled egg, crispy bread cubes

Time: 20 min + chilling | Best served: Next day | Origin: Andalusia, Southern Spain

🍰 Moist Mediterranean Dessert

Ingredients:

• 200ml mild/fruity EVOO (plus extra for greasing pan)
• 250g granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs at room temperature
• 300g all-purpose flour
• 200ml fresh orange juice (about 3 oranges)
• Zest of 2 organic oranges
• 1 packet (16g) baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• Optional: powdered sugar for dusting

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F)
2. Grease a 24cm round cake pan with EVOO and dust with flour
3. Beat eggs with sugar using electric mixer until pale and fluffy (about 5 minutes)
4. Add EVOO in steady stream while beating continuously
5. Add orange zest and orange juice, mix well
6. Sift flour with baking powder and salt
7. Fold dry ingredients into wet with gentle folding motion (don't overmix)
8. Pour batter into prepared pan
9. Bake 40-45 minutes (toothpick inserted in center should come out clean)
10. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack
11. Dust with powdered sugar before serving

Time: 60 minutes | Storage: Keeps moist for 5-7 days in airtight container

Flavor note: The olive oil keeps this cake incredibly moist and adds subtle fruity notes

🧄 Essential Mediterranean Garlic Sauce

Ingredients:

• 4 fresh garlic cloves
• 300ml mild EVOO (very important: must be mild, not bitter)
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• Large pinch of coarse salt

Traditional Preparation (mortar and pestle):

1. Add garlic cloves and salt to mortar
2. Crush to a completely smooth paste (this takes patience)
3. Begin adding EVOO DROP BY DROP while crushing continuously in same direction
4. Continue adding oil very slowly - this is crucial for emulsion
5. Once mixture starts to thicken and emulsify, you can add oil slightly faster
6. Add lemon juice at the very end
7. Result should be thick, white, glossy cream

Modern Preparation (blender):

1. Blend garlic with salt until paste forms
2. With blender on medium speed, add oil in very thin stream
3. Process for 5-7 minutes total until thick
4. Add lemon juice, pulse to combine

Time: 15-20 minutes | Storage: 3 days refrigerated

⚠️ Troubleshooting: If aioli "breaks" (separates), start over with 1 garlic clove and slowly add broken mixture

🥔 Classic Andalusian Side Dish

Ingredients (4 servings):

• 800g potatoes (Yukon gold or similar)
• 2 Italian green peppers (or 1 bell pepper)
• 1 large onion
• 150ml EVOO
• Sea salt
• Optional: fried eggs to serve on top

Preparation:

1. Peel potatoes and cut into 5mm thick slices (not too thin)
2. Cut peppers and onion into strips
3. Heat EVOO in deep frying pan or shallow pot on medium heat
4. Add potatoes, peppers and onion all at once
5. Cook for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally
6. Potatoes should be tender but hold their shape (not crispy, not mushy)
7. Drain excess oil (save it - it's delicious for other cooking)
8. Season with salt and serve hot
9. Traditional serving: topped with fried eggs

Time: 45 minutes | Perfect with: Fried eggs, grilled fish, or as tapas

Name origin: "Poor man's" because it uses simple, inexpensive ingredients

🍨 Avant-Garde Dessert

Ingredients (4 servings):

• 500ml premium vanilla ice cream (best quality you can find)
• 60ml intense fruity EVOO (Picual or Arbequina variety ideal)
• Maldon sea salt flakes (or other quality flaky salt)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Optional: fresh herbs (basil, mint), lemon zest

Presentation:

1. Remove ice cream from freezer 2 minutes before serving
2. Scoop into wide, shallow bowls (2 scoops per person)
3. Drizzle 15ml EVOO generously over each serving
4. Scatter 3-4 flakes of Maldon salt on top
5. Grind black pepper over (this is optional but highly recommended)
6. Serve immediately while contrast of cold/liquid is strong

Time: 3 minutes | Wow factor: Extremely high

Tasting experience: The sweet ice cream contrasts with fruity olive oil, salt enhances all flavors, pepper adds complexity. A revelation for first-timers!