Recipes From the 2007 Olivado Avocado Oil Chef Quest: Celebrating Women Chefs Competition

Women Chefs Rise to the Challenge and Create Award-Winning Recipes Using Olivado Avocado Oils

In a first-of-its-kind recipe challenge, three professional women chefs have proven once again that a woman’s place is definitely in the kitchen. Olivado Natural Nutrition and Women Chefs & Restaurateurs (WCR) announced the winners of the “2007 Olivado Avocado Oil Chef Quest: Celebrating Women Chefs” competition, selected from three recipe categories: Meat/Poultry, Seafood, and Vegetables.

The winners are:

Angie Armenise from the Pinelli Marra Restaurant Group in Providence, Rhode Island, for her “Olivado Commends Sea Bass … Fresca Style” — SEAFOOD

Ellie Basch from Everyday Gourmet, LLC, in Richmond, Virginia for her “Olivado Citrus Salad” —VEGETABLES

Charlotte Fekete from the Fire & Flavor Grilling Company in Athens, Georgia, for her East West Steak with Jalapeno Slaw — MEAT/POULTRY

Olivado chose to partner with Women Chefs & Restaurateurs because they believe in the organization’s mission: the education and advancement of women in the restaurant industry and the betterment of the industry as a whole. More than 50 percent of the food service industry workforce is women, yet few reach the upper echelons of their profession. Along with the WCR, Olivado is committed to helping change that. Chris Nathan, founder and managing partner of Olivado, felt that the competition, open exclusively to WCR members, would help shine the spotlight on the talent of women chefs in the U.S. Olivado challenged these talented women to create health-inspired recipes using Olivado’s heart-healthy, cold-pressed avocado oil.

Three of the culinary industry’s most respected women chefs — Helene Kennan, Executive Chef for Bon Appétit at the Getty Center in Los Angeles and president of WCR; Kersti Bowser, TV chef and owner of Gourmet Butterfly Media; and Eve Felder, associate dean for culinary studies at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York — sorted through the dozens of entries and narrowed the field to six final recipes. Under the watchful eye of Dean Eve Felder, seven of her women students prepped the six final recipes on May 5th at the school’s Hyde Park campus and the three winners were selected.

2007 CHEF QUEST WINNING RECIPES

Olivado Citrus Salad — WINNER VEGETABLE CATEGORY
By Ellie Basch — Everyday Gourmet, LLC

Serves 4

Olivado-Lime Dressing:
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Zest of 1/2 lime (about 1/2 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons honey
Pinch of salt
6 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olivado Oil

Salad:
1 Ruby Red grapefruit, cut into segments, sliced or chopped, pith removed
2 navel oranges cut into segments, sliced or chopped, pith removed
2 blood oranges (when available), cut into segments, sliced or chopped, pith removed
1/2 small red onion, freshly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh basil chiffonades (thin ribbons)
2 Haas avocados, ripe but firm
Watercress, arugula or other peppery green
1/2 lemon

Making the dressing:
In a small bowl, place lime juice, zest, Dijon mustard, garlic, honey, and salt, and whisk until the salt dissolves. Taste and adjust the balance of acid, sweet and salt.

Add one tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olivado Oil at a time and whisk to form smooth, velvety vinaigrette. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in the refrigerator while preparing the salad.

Preparing the salad:
Place the segmented, sliced or chopped citrus in a bowl, add the red onion slices and fresh basil, toss to mix.

Cut the avocados in half lengthwise. Remove the pit using a small spoon. Scoop out the flesh from the skin using a large spoon, place on a cutting board, cut into large chunks. Carefully transfer the slices into a bowl, drizzle 1 teaspoon of Olivado-Lime Vinaigrette.

Rinse and dry the pepper greens. These will be used to garnish the salad.

Assembling the salad:
Place the citrus on the plate.

Scatter the avocado over the top of the citrus.

Garnish the citrus and avocado with the peppery greens.

Drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons of Olivado-Lime Dressing over the salad. Serve immediately.

Grilled East-West Steak with Jalapeno Slaw – WINNER MEAT/POULTRY CATEGORY
By Charlotte Fekete – Fire & Flavor Grilling Company

Serves 4-6

For beef:
1 1-1/2 lb flank steak
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup lager beer
1/4cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Olivado Avocado Oil; divided use
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon ground chili powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

For slaw:
1/4 small head cabbage, thinly shredded, about 2-1/2 cups
1 medium red onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
3 medium jalapeños, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons Olivado Avocado Oil
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
Juice of 2 limes, about 1/4 cup
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons prepared wasabi paste

Place flank steak in large resealable bag. In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, beer, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons avocado oil, sesame seeds, chili powder and black pepper. Add this mixture to steak in resealable bag and turn to coat. Let marinate, refrigerated 30 minutes to 4 hours.

While steak marinates, prepare slaw. In a large bowl, toss together cabbage, red onion and jalapeno slices. In a separate small bowl, whisk together avocado oil, rice vinegar, lime juice, sugar, and wasabi paste. Toss dressing with slaw and season liberally with salt and black pepper. Set aside.

Remove meat from marinade and discard any remaining marinade. Let meat sit at room temperature at least 15 minutes before cooking. Pre-heat grill and cook steak until desired doneness, about 5-7 minutes per side for medium for a 1-inch thick steak. Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Plate jalapeno slaw and top with slices of steak.

May also be served taco style in corn tortillas.

Grilled Olivado Sea Bass with Crisp Fruit Avocado Hash – WINNER SEAFOOD CATEGORY
By Angie Armenise - Pinelli Marra Restaurant Group

Serves 4

Crisp fruit avocado hash:
2 avocados, medium ripe, pit removed, peeled and flesh diced into 1/4-inch cubes
2 limes juiced, seeds removed
1 Granny Smith apple, quartered and diced into 1/4-inch cubes
1 Bosc pear, quartered and diced into 1/4-inch cubes
1 ripe mango, peeled, pit removed and flesh diced into 1/4-inch cubes
1/4 cup fresh strawberries, tops removed, and diced into 1/4-inch cubes
1/4 cup Olivado Avocado Oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Dice all ingredients and reserve in a medium-sized mixing bowl.

Add Avocado Oil, vinegar, lime juice, zest, fresh herbs, and salt and pepper to taste.

Correct for seasoning.

Chilean Sea Bass:
4 – 6 ounce portions of fresh Chilean Sea Bass
Olivado Avocado Oil to coat fish
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

To prepare:
Pre-heat a grill or sauté pan.

Brush Avocado Oil over Sea Bass and season with salt and pepper.

Grill fish until it is no longer opaque or sauté until cooked through.

To plate:
Place 1/2 cup hash on the bottom of a serving plate and top with the grilled or seared fish.

Drizzle Olivado Avocado Oil on top and around side of fish.

Olivado, Cucumber Granita:
Juice of 3 limes
Zest of 1 lime
1 avocado, pit removed and peeled
1 cup English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
1/4 cup Olivado Avocado Oil
2 tablespoons fresh mint
1/4 cup simple syrup

To prepare:
Puree all ingredients in a food processor or blender.

Pour mixture into a shallow container (9x9 cake pan works well).

Freeze for about 1 hour or until mixture is solid.

Rake mixture with fork to achieve a snow-like consistency.

For more information about Olivado Avocado oil, visit www.olivado.com.