I discovered a couple of new olive oils this week that are worthy of a place on my shelf.
Sorelle Paradiso is a family-owned company with a nice story and a very nice olive oil. The Scianamblo family has been farming olives in California's Central Valley for more than 30 years. Recently they started to turn some of those olives into an organic extra virgin olive oil that is pressed at Frantoio Ristorante and Olive Oil Co. in Mill Valley, CA.
The "sorelle," Italian for sisters, were Anna and Francesca, the aunts (and great aunts) of
the Scianamblo clan.
Anna and Francesca came from the family homestead in Puglia in the early 1900s, bringing with them, according to the Web site, the family's culinary traditions.
Sorelle Paradiso's 100% Sevillano Extra Virgin Olive Oil recently won "Best of Show" at the 2008 Las Vegas Restaurant Show. It's an olive oil that will please all palates -- smooth and mild, with a buttery richness and fresh, bright olive aroma and taste. It's equally at home on sauteed vegetables and in a vinaigrette.
The family's Mission Blend of 90% Mission olives and 10% Sevillano olives also won an award from the California Olive Oil Council. It's good, too, with plenty of the "bite" and bitterness expected from a high quality EVOO. I like it drizzled over bruschetta topped with pureed white beans and arugula. It also adds pizzazz to a pasta sauce of chopped raw tomatoes, fresh basil ribbons and grated parmesan.
At present, the oils are only sold in California. You can find them at The Pasta Shoppe in Berkeley and Mill Valley Market Grocery in Mill Valley.
I was also intrigued by the name and bottle design of EvooRoo, an extra virgin olive oil from Australia. The name combines EVOO, short for Extra Virgin Olive Oil and ROO, nickname of the bouncy creatures for which the continent is known.
It's a nice enough olive oil, with a pleasantly peppery bite. But there's not a lot of finesse there. Nonetheless, the clever name and eye-catching label make it an ideal hostess gift. I found it at Whole Foods. Available in a 16-ounce bottle, EvooRoo is a good value at $10.
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