Tagliata (Cut) Ribeye with Olive Oil, Garlic and Parsley

This past year has had it’s share of ‘moments that suck’ I won’t deny. I realize I never set foot in my garden all last year so am excited about how far I’ve come. There will be gardening this year and…hey, the cane makes it easier to corral my dog!  Luckily there have also been many rewards. I’ve made a lot of friends and clients in the blogging world, on Twitter and in the local blogging group I’ve helped form. Those relationships are special and mean a lot to me; they are the cake. The icing on that cake has been the rare moment of actually winning something special and I can’t deny those moments have brightened my day!

Still, ‘win’ I did from contests held by blogging friends and I’ve been so fortunate. A beautiful Laguiole carving set from Elle at Elles New England Kitchen, some amazing chocolates from Ken at Hungry Rabbit NYC, and just recently, the most fabulous olive oil from Lael and Giuliano Hazan (which can be purchased online at Cybercucina, a great online Mediterranean gourmet food shop).

I use olive oil a lot but admit (please don’t stone me Lael) that my source is Costco’s Kirkland brand. I have a bottle of Organic Extra Virgin, First Cold Pressed from there and the bottle indicates it’s packaged in Italy with oils from Italy and Spain. Sounds fine and really, it is. But I was excited beyond belief to have won a case of 6 bottles of the Hazan’s olive oil though. Listen to this label information:

A Giuliano Hazan Marilisa Allegrini Selection
Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Apulia; produced exclusively with Ogliarola olives from Bitonto. From their blog Lael writes:

“Giuliano and I are often asked, “How do you choose an olive oil”?  Which ones do you like best?  What does “extra” mean?  How can you be a very virgin?  Extra virgin refers to olive oil that has no more than aa 0.8% acidity level and comes from the first cold pressing of the olives. Giuliano and I import our own line of extra virgin olive oil from Apulia, where the spur and heel of Italy’s boot is.  It is made from 100% Ogliarola olives, Apulia’s most prized varietal.”

I mean I’m not sure I could come closer to the real deal unless I had red hair piled on my head and was walking on the olives in my bare feet! (If you don’t know who I’m talking about, ask @thepioneerwoman; she is the trivia queen!)

I did do both a taste test and a color test to see the difference. The color of the oils were very similar but the taste? Let’s just say that I’m hiding my cache; I thought of giving a bottle to each of my girls but I’ve been rethinking that decision – see the Costco stuff…go ahead, take that kids! So rich…so olivey (again, my own words sometimes), so oh very good!

I love the bottle too; the label is beautiful with an embossed gold logo. I have a thing about bottles; wine and otherwise. I have wine bottles throughout my living space interspersed with olive oil bottles and I imagine my home an Italian villa (a very small one in a Denver suburb, but still..). I do not buy the fact that I’m Swiss, German, English and Irish. I just know someone stole away one night to Italy, had a tryst and my heritage surely includes a touch of Italian. My excitement at this prize could hardly be contained and I wanted to make something that would really make the olive oil shine and not hide it in a big dish with a bunch of big flavors.

So I went to the source. I asked my new best friend Lael, (@educatedpalate) who conferred with her husband Giuliano (aren’t I special?) and they suggested this dish. So simple. So amazing. So utterly Italian. So me.

The Hazan’s are synonymous with Italian food and I personally can not think of anything I could wish for more than time spent at their summer villa where they offer a spectacular week long culinary experience set in the incomparable Renaissance Villa Giona. It is a full immersion into Italian food, wine and life that is a hands-on adventure not to be missed by culinary enthusiasts.

Cooking with Giuliano Hazan at Villa Giona was named one of the ten best cooking schools in Italy by Food and Wine magazine.  It has been featured on the Food Network, Newsweek magazine, Departures Magazine, MSNBC, Gourmet; and other media.  Most importantly, the students have all given them rave reviews. Who wants to go with me? :)

I admit the beef industry would be in trouble if I were the norm. I love chicken and seafood and limit my red meat intake to the occasional flank steak or burger. That was then, this is now! Oh My Ribeye! Tender and juicy and simply enhanced. After grilling it outside, it’s quickly immersed in an olive oil, sea salt, garlic and parsley saute. It was heavenly. I love preparing it like this too; the slices of meat are more appealing to my palate and my budget! I served mine with just a salad. I love salads with good tomatoes but that tomato qualification would see me rarely eat one at all since good only happens for a brief moment in the summer so I used strawberries and pecans and dressed it as simply as the meat. One part red wine vinegar to three parts olive oil plus a splash of balsamic and a touch of sea salt; a bit of Parmesan grated on top. Perfect accompaniment to the perfect steak dish. And yes there was wine; St. Supery Cabernet Sauvignon to be exact.

Thank you Lael, thank you Giuliano, thank you Marcella, thank you all Hazan’s, and hey, just a thought…maybe we’re family?!!