Our estate olive harvest kicked off on November 4, with a general 10% decrease in production, but fruit in excellent sanitary conditions. I invite you to watch this video of Angelo Ribero, Quinta do Tedo’s agriculture and viticulture technician, explaining when and how we harvest Quinta do Tedo’s 4 hectares (10 acres) of 150-200 year old olive trees.
As our estate olive harvest nears end, and the season for festive smorgasbords, lengthy meals, and free-flowing libations in good company approaches, we’d like to inspire you with a few Quinta do Tedo Extra Virgin Olive Oil recipes Kay tested out with her sister Diane and friend Sally during their November visit. Of course, Vincent did his part too, opening the wines to enjoy with the food, and complementing the Chefs on their delicious and successful creations.
Mushroom Phyllo Triangles
Autumn means earthy, savory flavors and mushrooms are high on my list. Winged with extra inspiration, helpful hands, and kitchen aprons during Diane’s and Sally’s visit, when Odile asked us to make Extra Virgin Olive Oil-friendly recipes for Quinta do Tedo’s November blog, we set out mushroom foraging in the hills of Chianti, where we raised our family from 2002-2014 and have since renovated a house to spend more time in the near future.
This is perfect party food! Play around with the recipe, use different herbs, increase or decrease the amount of onions and garlic, and omit the cream or currants, or use only the wine or the Port. A good recipe should be frill-free and modifiable! I find that currants blend nicely with the savory mixture.
6 persons
½ kg (1 lb) mushrooms (cremini, button, or a mixture of your favorites)
1 onion (red or yellow)
2 garlic cloves
Your preferred herbs and spices (thyme, cumin, black or pink pepper)
80 g (⅔ c) dried currants or cranberries
60 ml (¼ c) broth (chicken or vegetable)
60 ml (¼ c) Quinta do Tedo Douro DOC Rosé wine (or mix it with some Tawny Porto)
40 g (⅓ c) feta cheese
1 package phyllo dough
Salt to taste
Arugula or fresh parsley for decoration
Chop mushrooms finely, and sautée in a pan with 3 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil until the mushrooms “sweat” and then their juices evaporate. Add onion and garlic cloves, both finely chopped, and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.
Add a pinch of salt and an assortment of spices – I like to use thyme, cumin, ground pepper (I dare you to add ground pink peppercorns for an extra kick!) and dried currants or cranberries, and cook for several minutes.
Add warm broth and Quinta do Tedo Douro DOC Rosé wine (or mix in a bit of Quinta do Tedo Tawny Porto, depending on if you are looking for a more sweet and round filling with some Porto, or acidic and crisp filling with just wine!), and cook 10-15 minutes until the flavors are well integrated.
Add feta cheese, and reduce to a dense mixture. Adjust seasoning, and let cool.
Unwrap and extend the phyllo dough sheets and lightly brush top with Extra Virgin Olive Oil with a pastry brush. Cut into 8 cm (3 in) strips. Add 1 tablespoon of filling and make a 45 degree turn and then repeat, folding repeatedly to form a triangular-mushroom-phylo-package. Make sure that the dough sticks together in the last fold. Repeat with all phyllo sheets. This should yield about 24 mushroom triangles. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes.
Arrange on baking paper on one or two oven tray(s) and bake for 20-25 minutes at 200 C (400 F). Turn the triangles over midway through cooking and brush lightly with Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Serve on top of colorful autumnal grape leaves, or other pretty fall foliage, surrounded by colorful garnishes like rucola or fresh herbs. These savory packets are full of flavor, one begging for another – they’ll disappear fast!
Pair with Quinta do Tedo Porto Rosé, Douro DOC Rosé wine, or Douro DOC Red wine.
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Baked Squash Slices with Extra Virgin Olive Oil-infused sage leaves, prosciutto crisps and nutmeg-garlic coulis
Be it acorn, butternut or the many other types of squash that transform so easily into sweet and nutty baked goodness, adorned with sautéed sage leaves, prosciutto crisps and not-your-everyday coulis, this dish works well with a salad as a main course, or as a side dish. Preparation can be done days in advance – the flavors improve with time!
6 persons
1 squash (acorn, butternut, delicata, kabocha, hokkaido – whatever your preference, just as long as it’s sliceable into 6 thick wedges)
3 garlic cloves
1 small can (800 ml/29 oz) tomato purée
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
6 prosciutto slices (or however many come in an 85-100 g pack – prosciutto crisps are great sprinkled on many other dishes)
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
(For an optional spicy kick) Cayenne or red pepper flakes
12-15 fresh sage leaves
Salt to taste
Pomegranate, toasted pumpkin seeds and/or raw sage leaves or cilantro for decoration
Place 6 thick wedges of squash in a bowl and drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and salt, and arrange with sufficient space between the wedges for crisping) on a baking paper-lined oven tray. Bake at 170 C (375 F) for 30 minutes, or until a knife pierces through smoothly.
Sauté 3 garlic cloves until golden in 4 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and add tomato purée, red wine vinegar, honey and salt. Cook over low heat to reduce until thick. Add ground nutmeg (and optionally, if you’d like a spicy kick, a couple of shakes of cayenne or spicy red pepper flakes). Adjust seasoning.
Sauté fresh sage leaves in Extra Virgin Olive Oil until crisp, then dry on paper towels, and lightly salt.
Cut prosciutto slices into thin strips and sauté in a separate pan until crisp, then dry on paper towels.
To assemble – decoratively place squash slices on a serving platter or individual plates with a big dollop of warm nutmeg-garlic coulis on the side, and sprinkle with sage leaves and prosciutto crisps. I garnished with pomegranate seeds and raw sage leaves for color – use your imagination!
Pair with Quinta do Tedo Douro DOC Rosé wine, Douro DOC Reserva Red wine, or Fine or 10 Year Tawny Porto.
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Extra Virgin Olive Oil Chocolate Mousse
When daughter Odile asked me to make a chocolate mousse using our Extra Virgin Olive Oil, I was not inspired, thinking “there you go, another younger generation’s food trend”, but what fun would gastronomy be in the 21st century if not for liberty to tweak the classics? Low-and-behold, Quinta do Tedo’s smooth and bold Extra Virgin Olive Oil creates a silken and absolutely delicious chocolate mousse with a savoury tinge!
Using Nigella’s Lawson’s recipe, I only reduced the amount of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, so it wouldn’t dominate the chocolate. After all, we do want this to be “dessert”, not to remind us of a savoury lunch or dinner. Here, the olive oil blends in oh-so-elegantly to lift and complexify, rather than dominate, the chocolate mousse.
6-8 persons
170 g (6 oz) 70% bittersweet chocolate (roughly chopped)
80 ml (⅓ c) Quinta do Tedo Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 large eggs at room temperature (separated)
1 pinch + ¼ teaspoon sea salt flakes (Maldon is my preferred brand)
50 g (¼ c) superfine sugar
Decorative red fruits – raspberries, pomegranate seeds – and mint leaves
Heat chocolate in a double boiler (“bagno maria”) over low heat until almost melted. Remove from heat (the latent heat will continue to melt the chocolate – never over-melt chocolate!), and add the Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Beat the egg whites until almost stiff with a pinch of sea salt flakes. Without washing the beaters (overkill!), beat the egg yolks and sugar until airy and light yellow. Add the chocolate-Extra Virgin Olive Oil mixture to the egg yolk-sugar mixture, and then fold in the egg whites in thirds until combined. The final mixture does not need to be perfectly mixed – you do not want to deflate the eggwhites by overmixing.
Pour into a large desert bowl or individual cups, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. The mousse can keep in the refrigerator for days. As the mousse is rich, serve small portions.
If serving from the large bowl, soak 2 large spoons in warm water before drying and using to form the chocolate mousse into beautiful “quenelles”. Drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a pinch of sea salt flakes. Decorate with raspberries, pomegranate seeds and/or mint leaves.
I am sure that you will receive pleasantly-surprised oooh-aaahs and recipe requests. This is “dynamite” paired with Quinta do Tedo Ruby, Ruby Finest Reserve or Late Bottled Vintage Porto.
Are you curious to cook any of these recipes up for yourselves at home? Share your feedback with us via email, and/or tag us via social media. Do you have any other favourite Extra Virgin Olive Oil recipes? Send them over – we’d love to try them too!
~ Kay & Odile Bouchard