Suzy Scherr - The Olive Oil & Sea Salt Companion: Recipes and Remedies from the Pantry

THE OLIVE OIL
& SEA SALT
COMPANION

100 RECIPES AND REMEDIES
FROM THE PANTRY

SUZY SCHERR

THE COUNTRYMAN PRESS

A Division of W. W. Norton & Company

Independent Publishers Since 1923

In memory of my dad

Olive oil and sea salt. Theyre two of the most common kitchen staples around. Youve probably used olive oil in a dressing here or there or dipped a crusty hunk of baguette into a golden puddle of the stuff. Or maybe youre like me, a devotee to the core, treating it as your go-to for all manner of cooking from sauts to pastas to roasted dishes and even baked goods. But maybe not. Maybe youre like a lot of cooks for whom olive oil isnt the oil of choice. (Well, not yet, anyway.) And what about sea salt? For many of us, using salt means wielding a shaker over a pot or a plate a couple of times and considering a food seasoned to taste. End of story. But it isnt the end of the storybelieve me, theres much more to tell.

So, where does it begin? Im a chef, so if you ask me (and by picking up this book, I suppose you just did), the story always starts in the kitchen. There, olive oil (specifically extra virginmore on that distinction later) and sea salt are pretty much the building blocks of all good food. Theyre kitchen basics, yes, but they are also ingredients thatif used in just the right waywill make your food stand out, pop, and sparkle. Together or separately, olive oil and sea salt are indispensable and powerful, and I absolutely cannot imagine cooking without either one of them. To put it another way, olive oil and sea salt are a bit like Diana Ross and Lionel Richie. Theyre both amazing, celebrated, iconic artists. But unite them, and what do you get? You get Endless Love, the greatest duet of all time and the biggest number one hit for either artist! Olive oil and sea salt each bring something different, something big to the tablebut use them together and they make magic happen.

Culinary magic aside, I dont wear my chef hat all dayIm a busy mom and wife, with a never-ending to-do list and not enough hours in the day. I need all the help I can get to steer this ship to shore and, at the risk of mixing metaphors, olive oil and sea salt are my life preservers. They do wonders well beyond the four imperfect, glitter glue and construction paperdecorated walls of my kitchen. They are the ingredients I rely on daily to improve and maintain my familys health, to clean our house, and to make my skin glow. (Hang on. Nope, that glow is actually sweat from my 75th trip down the stairs to simultaneously help with math homework and locate a missing stuffed animal. Trust me, though, olive oil and sea salt are amazing for your skin.)

And when I say that they do wonders outside the kitchen, what I mean is that they are multitasking superstars. Sea saltall at once antiseptic, softening, smoothing, and oil-absorbingis great for the skin, for dental hygiene, and in self-care products that contribute to overall wellness. Its indispensable around the houseone of those endlessly versatile ingredients that works as a go-to part of any green cleaning arsenal. And ingesting appropriate amounts of salt provides you with trace minerals; prevents dehydration; promotes brain, nervous system and muscle function; supports digestive health; and promotes nutrient absorption. Plus, it can help with conditions ranging from fatigue and adrenal disorders to blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Olive oil, meanwhile, has been credited with everything from reducing type 2 diabetes and preventing strokes to fighting depression, osteoporosis, and certain kinds of cancer. It has anti-inflammatory properties as well as fatty acids that can help to protect the brain from the toxic substances that may lead to Alzheimers disease. Plus its one of the most hydrating products you can put on your skin or hair, and it has been proven to prevent signs of premature aging and sun damage (after you have been out in the sun, that is). Go ahead, see whether you can find one other thing in your kitchen that can simultaneously quiet a squeaky door; give you gorgeous, shiny hair; soothe a sore throat; lower your risk of heart disease; and help you get dinner made. No chance.

This book will walk you through many of the easy and accessible ways in which I use olive oil and sea salt every single day to nurture and care for myself and my family. My hope is that it will inspire you to cook great food and give you some simple tools for staying healthy, saving time, and finding joy and ease in your everyday life.

Olive oil is my go-to fat. Yes, I have a go-to fat. And Im sure you do, too, if you stop and think about it. It brings so much more to the table than any other fat or oil I can think of. Of course, theres a time and a place for canola and vegetable oils. And butter? I get butter, believe me! But olive oil is something else. It tastes great, can be used on pretty much anythingnot just food, of course, because, as we know, there are loads of beauty and household uses for olive oil, tooand it has health benefits out the wazoo.

In the most basic terms, olive oil is fruit juice. When olivesthe fruit of the olive treeare crushed, olive oil is extracted. Thats it, really. Thats olive oil.

Of course, there are all kinds of olive oils that come from many different types of olives. And there are various grades of olive oils, too. Well get into the varieties and the reason that I refer mainly to extra virgin olive oil for the purposes of this book, but for now, know that what distinguishes olive oil from most other oils is the fact that it is extracted from the whole fruit, rather than from a seed or nut.

Suffice it to say olive oil has been around for a very, very long time. Olive trees have grown wild in the Mediterranean for tens of thousands of years and were the first plants to be actively cultivated there. Its no wonder, then, that much of the worlds olive oil still comes from such countries as Greece, Spain, and Italy. Thats where its history runs deepest. Since Homer was the first to call it liquid gold and winners of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece brought it home as their victory prize, olive oil has long been considered one of lifes treasuresnot just for its culinary virtues but also as medicine, a beauty aid, and an important part of religious rituals.

One of the Western worlds most mythical, powerful, and alluring ingredients, olive oil has been shaping civilization for the last 10,000 years. The depth and importance of olive oils antiquity and the hugeness of the mark it has made on civilization is beyond significant. So, its rather amazing that American kitchens didnt really come to meet olive oil until roughly the 1980s, where it would be used only occasionallyand sparingly. Fast-forward another 35 years or so and, today, the market for olive oil is massive, by comparison. Its produced all over the worldfrom Greece, Spain, and Italy to California, Georgia, and Texasand is used more and more as an all-purpose cooking oil.