A Spring Menu Featuring AGRUMATO®

On Friday, May 18th, dynamic father-daughter duo Francesco and Lucrezia Ricci of Agrumato® teamed up with Surfas Culinary District in Los Angeles for a tasting and cooking demonstration featuring their Agrumato olive oils (made from whole fresh citrus crushed with olives). The demonstration included a menu of four dishes featuring spring flavors, each dish paired with one of Agrumato's beloved olive oils.

Recreate the meal on your own‚ here are the recipes:

Seafood Crudo with Lemon Agrumato

Serves 4

Ingredients: 1 lb raw or cooked seafood of your choice (see Notes, below); 1 red onion, thinly sliced; assorted herbs (chives, parsley); radishes, thinly sliced; lemon zest; pink peppercorns; Agrumato Lemon olive oil; Fleur de Sel.

Directions:

Rinse your seafood and pat dry.

Thinly slice seafood into bite-sized pieces and place on serving trays.

Top seafood with an assortment of sliced red onions, herbs, lemon zest, pink peppercorns, and sliced radishes for visual appeal (pairing suggestions in Notes).

Generously pour Agrumato Lemon over seafood, covering each piece of fish.

Finish with a sprinkling of Fleur de Sel.

Notes: When selecting raw seafood, work with your fish monger to identify fish that is safe to eat raw, typically sushi-grade fish or previously frozen fish. We used farmed salmon (topped with shaved radishes and red onions), previously frozen bay scallops (topped with chopped chives and lemon zest), and cooked shrimp (served simply with oil). All work well for this preparation.

Rustichella d'Abruzzo Farro Couscous Salad with Tangerine Agrumato

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1/4 cup toasted pistachios or almonds, roughly chopped; 8 dried apricots, cut into small pieces; 1/4 cup Pojer e Sandri White Wine Vinegar; 1/4 cup warm water; 1 cup Rustichella d'Abruzzo Farro Couscous; juice of 1/2 lemon; Agrumato Tangerine olive oil; 3 scallions, green and white parts thinly sliced at an angle; 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves; Fleur de Sel; freshly ground black pepper.

Directions:

Combine the white wine vinegar and water in a small bowl then add apricot pieces. Let soak for about 30 minutes allowing the apricots to plump up. Drain thoroughly.

Meanwhile, prep the couscous. Boil water, and put couscous in a mixing bowl. Add the boiling water using a ratio of 1 cup couscous to 1 1/4 cups hot water. Add a pinch of salt, stir, then cover for approximately 10 minutes until the couscous has absorbed the water. Add the lemon juice and 1/4 cup Agrumato Tangerine to the couscous. Stir in and fluff with a fork.

Add the drained apricots, scallions, mint, and pistachios. Stir everything together. Finish with a generous pour of Agrumato Tangerine, and a sprinkling of Fleur de Sel. Taste, and adjust seasonings as necessary.

Recipe inspired by Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden, chef of Ava Genes and Tusk in Portland, OR.

Spring Salad with Orange Agrumato

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced into half moons; 2 tablespoons Volpaia Red Wine Vinegar; 3 oranges (such as Cara Cara or blood oranges); 2 small heads of salad greens, washed and torn (such as baby butter lettuce, or little gem); Agrumato Orange olive oil.

Instructions:

Optional: place red onion slices in a bath of ice water and let sit for 10 minutes, then drain. This removes the bite from the onion.

Soak the drained red onions in red wine vinegar to add flavor, soak for 3-5 minutes.

Segment oranges: Cut top and bottom off orange. Slice remaining skin away from the flesh from top to bottom, discarding any white pith. Carefully cut in between the membranes and flesh to release each of the orange segments. Repeat until all 3 oranges have been segmented.

In a large bowl, place salad greens, red onions with the vinegar, and oranges and top with generous pour of Agrumato Orange. Toss everything together.

Finish with Fleur de Sel and freshly ground black pepper.

Fresh Strawberries with Citron Agrumato Mascarpone

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 pint/basket fresh strawberries; 1 cup mascarpone cheese; Agrumato Citron olive oil; sugar.

Instructions:

Wash the strawberries, and cut lengthwise into quarters.

Whisk the mascarpone with a generous drizzle of Agrumato Citron, and sugar to taste. Whisk until the oil is incorporated and texture is smooth. The mascarpone will take on a light green color. Taste and adjust sugar and oil as desired.

Serve strawberries with dollops of mascarpone.