Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Extra-virgin olive oil comes from the first cold pressing of the olives. It’s the most flavorful and the most healthful. I tell my friends who want to learn to cook as the Sicilians do not to worry about herbs and spices, but to just buy the best extra-virgin olive oil they can afford, because it’s so basic to our flavorful cooking. Although olive oil is generally used in cooking a recipe, there are many dishes such as soups, vegetables, and salads that are finished with a drizzle of uncooked extra-virgin olive oil. It’s this last addition of olive oil to a dish that gives it a richness of flavor that no amount of flavorings used during the cooking process can equal. Some restaurants now serve a little dish of extra-virgin olive oil to dip bread in, and customers are beginning to really appreciate and enjoy the taste and the flavor of good, uncooked olive oil as Sicilians have done for centuries.