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On a beautiful fall day in late November of last year, I spent an amazing afternoon at the Kelseyville Olive Mill to witness an olive pressing.
The olives, ripe little jewels that they are, wooed me from their bins as they awaited a crushing fate, their metamorphosis into the rich, tasty oil that tickles our taste buds and promotes good health. I thank them for their sacrifice.
Lake County is home to a growing number of boutique olive oil producers, and I’d encourage you to treat your palate to oils crafted in our own backyard.
While some olive growers have their own press (The Villa Barone near Hidden Valley Lake, for one), chances are good that the olives in the local oil you enjoy were pressed at the Kelseyville Olive Mill. Olives for many lake county growers are pressed there, as well as olives from Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties. The day I visited, olives from Ceago del Lago’s orchards in Nice were being pressed. Ceago’s oil won the People’s Choice Award at last year’s Kelseyville Olive Festival.
I’ve been waiting for just the right time to share the best of the more than 200 photos I took that day, and a weekend trip to see my sister’s new baby provided the right excuse.
While I’m savoring my new nephew, I hope you’ll enjoy this photo essay of a day in the life of an olive press.
I’ll leave you with my recipe for mixed olive risotto presented at my 2009 “All About Olives” culinary class. It highlights both olives and olive oil, and I was certainly in the mood for it after sorting through all those olive photos! If you can get your hands on a Meyer lemon, I’d recommend using its gentle zest for this recipe; otherwise, any lemon will do. Enjoy.
Risotto with mixed olive medley
4 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large leek, well cleaned, green and white portions thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup Arborio rice
1 cup high-quality mixed pitted olives (such as Kalamata), quartered
Grated zest of ½ lemon
½ cup Asiago cheese, grated
½ cup prosciutto, diced, OR ½ cup Feta cheese, crumbled, OR 4 slices crisp bacon, crumbled
Bring broth to boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat so that broth stays at a constant gentle simmer.
In a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil. Add leeks and cook five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and rice; cook one minute, stirring frequently.
Using a large ladle, transfer about one cup of the simmering broth to the rice mixture. Cook until most of the liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Continue adding broth, one ladleful at a time, until rice is slightly firm to the bite, 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally and keeping the rice mixture at a constant simmer.
Stir in olives and prosciutto; heat through. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Grate lemon zest into risotto and stir to combine. (You may wish to add ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, reconstituted or packed in oil, and/or ½ cup artichoke hearts, roughly chopped. They should be added along with the prosciutto.)
Esther Oertel, the “Veggie Girl,” is a culinary coach and educator and is passionate about local produce. Oertel teaches culinary classes at Chic Le Chef in Hidden Valley Lake, Calif., and The Kitchen Gallery in Lakeport, Calif., and gives private cooking lessons. She welcomes your questions and comments; e-mail her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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