Olive oils can be used in so many ways to make some of the most delicious and healthy recipes. Often most people see olive oils as just a cooking oil or a salad dressing, but there are so many other ways to cook with olive oils.
In this article, we have for you three of the most delicious and easy recipes you can cook up with our own Avlaki organic olive oils.
- Olive Oil Garlic Confit
Have you heard of garlic confit? If not, you are in for a treat! This recipe will be your absolute favourite.
So, what is confit?
Confit is a French cooking technique that involves submerging and cooking something in fat over low heat for a long time. Usually, the fat used are butter, oils, animal fats, and in our recipe below, we will be using extra virgin organic olive oil.
Garlic confit is whole garlic cloves cooked in lots of organic extra virgin olive oil for about 20-25 minutes until they become nice and tender. These are sweet, soft, and full of flavours.
You can mash the garlic and spread them to your bread, add them to your dips and spreads, add them to homemade pizza, marinades, your roasted vegetables, and more! And the garlic-infused oil can be used to cook many other flavourful recipes such as pasta, salad dressing, garlic prawns, and more. Are you tempted yet? Here is how you make it!
Ingredients:
- 3- 4 whole heads of garlic
- 500ml of Avlaki organic olive oil
- Thyme, rosemary, and dried chili flakes for extra flavours.
Direction:
- Separate the heads of garlic and peel each clove.
- Place the peeled garlic cloves in a small pan, cover with Avlaki organic olive oil and place it over very low heat. Allow it to simmer slowly.
- Cook for about 15-20 minutes, stirring carefully until the garlic cloves are tender and cooked through but ensure that they are not heavily caramelised.
- Remove from the heat, add fresh herbs as desired, and transfer them to a heat-proof jar. Refrigerate it, covering it with a leak-proof lid tightly.
Make sure they are refrigerated for safety reasons. We suggest eating them within 4-5 days, but if stored correctly, it lasts for up to 2-3 weeks.
2. Full of flavour dipping oil
If you like hosting dinner parties and love entertaining, this dipping oil is full of flavours and works perfectly as an appetizer along with some home-baked bread.
Your bread and dipping will run out so fast that you will be urged to make some more. Here is how you make it:
Ingredients:
- Garlic cloves (use as desired)
- 2 tablespoons of capers
- Fresh rosemary, thyme, and dried oregano
- 3 tablespoons on grated parmesan cheese
- Salt and fresh ground pepper
- Crushed red pepper flakes for heat
- ½ cup of Avlaki’s extra virgin olive oils
- Homemade bread
Direction:
- Finely mince garlic and capers and add to a bowl with your herbs. Add salt and pepper as desired. Mix well so that the herbs get into the garlic and capers.
- Make small round bombs of the garlic herb mixture and finally drizzle it with some olive oil. If desired, add a splash of balsamic vinegar for more flavours.
Serve with bread and enjoy!
3. Olive oil cupcakes
These olive oil cupcakes are perfect with afternoon tea and as an after-dinner treat.
An alternative to butter that is known to be high in cholesterol, olive oil works as a better and healthier replacement. Similarly, we can alternate sugar with honey, apple sauce, or a smashed banana.
To make these cupcakes, you will need the following ingredients:
For cupcakes:
- 2 cups of self-raising flour
- ¾ cups of caster sugar or alternate with honey
- ¾ cups of milk
- 2/3 cups of Avalki olive oil
- Vanilla extract
For icing:
- ½ cups of icing sugar
- Food colouring (optional)
- One or two tablespoons of water
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 200c. Line muffin pan with paper cases.
- Place flour and caster sugar in a bowl. Mix well. (Skip this part if you are not alternating sugar with honey)
- Mix the wet ingredients. Add milk, oil, eggs, honey, and vanilla extract and mix well. Add it to the dry ingredients and stir gently to combine.
- Spoon the mixture into the muffin pan, and bake for around 15 minutes. Let it stand for 5 minutes to cool.
- While the cupcakes are cooling, get your icing ready. Start by sifting icing sugar into a bowl, add colouring and water, and stir until smooth.
- After the cupcakes have cooled down, spoon icing over them, and decorate with sprinkles as desired!
So, there you are! Three of our delicious and easy-to-make Olive Oil-based recipes you can try at home.
And if you are looking for organic extra virgin olive oil to try out these recipes, look no further! At Avlaki, we produce the finest certified organic, allergen-free, and registered vegan olive oils with a fantastic aroma, all grown in the fields of Lesvos Island in Greece. Visit our shop to see our range!