Olive Oil-eana
- Details
- Published on Wednesday, 01 February 2012 14:29
- Written by Matt Robinson
Chef Ana Sortun shows how to get up oily
On February 13, acclaimed chef Ana Sortun of Oleana (www. oleanarestaurant.com) will partner with local “huile” honcho Paul Hat- ziiliades of Extra Virgin Foods in Watertown (www.extravirginfoods. com) in a cooking class that will benefit your taste buds as much as your heart.
“Olive oil has been more than mere food to the peoples of the Mediterranean,” Hatziiliades sug- gests. “It has been medicinal, magi- cal, an endless source of fascina- tion and wonder and the fountain of great wealth and power.”
At the event, Sortun will pres- ent a number of rare oils from small Greek farms and invite guests to in- vestigate the differences that make each special. Hatziiliades will then discuss his lifelong passion for the pressed pour and explain what he looks for when seeking a source. Among the recipes that will be presented in this tribute to the squeezed substance often called “liquid gold” (which is also the name of the event, which is part of a new series of cooking classes at Oleana’s sister site, Sofra Bak- ery in Cambridge) are chick pea pancakes with herbs, oil souflee with oregano, olive oil & chocolate Panini, and the traditional Greek spread known as skordalia. Each of these has been specially selected to showcase the flavor and texture of the quality oils on display.
“My family’s known Ana since she was at Casablanca,” Hatziili- ades explains, citing another poplar Cambridge venue with a Mediter- ranean flavor. The bond between Sortun and Hatziiliades goes even deeper, as their families have trav- eled to Greece together and Hatzi- iliades’ father helped Sortun build her signature restaurant! “We’ve always supplied her with olive oil,” Hatziiliades explains.
Though Hatziiliades admits that the oil business began as “a side thing,” the explosion of oil- friendly medical studies allowed and encouraged him to take it full- time. Hatziiliades now specializes in offering rare oils and other prod- ucts from his ancestral homeland. ”My entire family [is] farmers back home,” he explains, noting that his parents still own farmland in Greece and that his father used to be an expert olive cultivator.
In addition to being able to take home some of the tasty treats they prepared (and the oils with which they prepared them), students at Sortun’s seminars will also get rec- ipe booklets and time for personal and professional questions with Sortun. So whether you are a chef on the rise or a heart-healthy foodie looking to broaden your horizons, get with Sortun and Hatziiliades and see what getting oily can do for you!
