Episode 008- Dan Gagliardo is an expert on olive oil.  He is the the owner of D’Avolio Purveyors of Fine Olive Oils, Vinegars, and More. He offers you advice about shopping for olive oil– what to look for and what to avoid.  He also discusses starting his food business and how he decided to olive oil and vinegar was a business for him.

In the interview I mention a recipe for an olive oil cake that I bake. I usually use regular olive oil but recently have taken to using flavored ones such as blood orange flavored oil from D’Avolio.  This is a very tasty recipe and one that I have been making for years.

If you are looking for help selecting olive oils, the blog of the North American Olive Oil Association provides a list of 21 olive oil brands that are certified for authenticity. Also, here is a list of ten olive oil recipes of 2016 from the association.   Note:  I have not had a chance to test drive any of these recipes yet.

On New Year’s Eve, we were invited to the home of some friends and I made my favorite “go to” appetizer, chorizo stuffed dates wrapped in bacon.  Here is a recipe that is very close to the one that I use.  I bake mine for about 15 minutes in a 375 degree oven instead of cooking them in the skillet.  I place them on the baking sheet, bacon seam down and do not use a toothpick to secure them.  Also, I use dried chorizo (not fresh) that is very similar to a stick of pepperoni.

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