Olive You

Treat your olive oil with care to make the most of its health benefits

LOOKING FOR A TASTY, healthful solution for sautéing vegetables? Look no further than olive oil, one of the current darlings of the culinary world.

Olive oil is hailed for its monosaturated fatty acids and its low levels of saturated fat. And for those looking to go dairyfree, it’s an easy substitute for butter in almost any situation.

But no one in the Tri-Village area loves olive oil more than Nathan Laslow, coowner of the Oilerie. The idea for a local olive oil shop arose after Laslow’s parents visited the Hilton Head, S.C. location of the Oilerie, where they fell in love with the concept. Laslow himself visited shortly after and sealed the deal on opening up a store of his own.

While the Oilerie may be a new experience for Columbus residents, the idea of owning part of a franchise is not new to Laslow, whose father is a Burger King and Donato’s franchisee.

“My father, being a franchisee, kind of gave me education on business around the dinner table,” says Laslow. “That’s helped out a lot.”

The Oilerie, 1409 Grandview Ave., opened its doors Oct. 1. It is owned by Laslow and his mother, which contributes to a friendly, family-owned atmosphere. The local shop is the sixth of seven Oilerie stores to open up in the United States, so the chain still has a small business feel, despite being a national franchise.

“Our franchise owner and founder is not just opening up a bunch (of shops) just for the sake of opening them,” says Laslow. “There’s sort of a family feel even within the franchise. It’s a good organization to be a part of.”

In the olive oil world, freshness is king. The oils featured at Laslow’s shop get their start from a third-generation producer in Italy, Laslow says.

The olives, gently raked from the trees to ensure that only the properly ripe olives are picked, are harvested early in the season. Overly-ripened olives produce more oil of a lower quality.

After the olives are picked and washed, they are turned into a mash – leaves, stems and all – which is placed into a centrifuge and spun at high speeds, extracting the oils. Extra virgin olive oils are cold pressed, as adding hot water during the extraction process pulls out lower quality oils from the olives. Because exposure to light and oxygen causes a breakdown in taste and in health benefits, the oils are shipped in vacuum-packed stainless steel containers.

The store’s oils come from the freshest harvest. Because the oil is best when fresh, it is best to avoid buying more than one needs in a short period of time, and to store it at room temperature away from a hot stove and in a dark place. The refrigerator is an acceptable location as long as condensation is not allowed to mix with the oil, which will increase the rate of spoilage.

The Oilerie offers 33 types of oils and vinegars, but Laslow has a suggestion in mind.

“I like the garlic (olive oil) a lot,” says Laslow. “I use the garlic on a lot of different things. It’s really nice on pasta, I make garlic mashed potatoes with it, you can even just drizzle it over a nice steak after you take it off the grill. It’s really multipurpose.” inGreDienTS

Christopher Braun is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at laurand@ pubgroupltd.com.

• 2 large cucumbers, sliced

• 1/2 tsp. Curt’s Table Spice

• 1/4 cup slivered onion

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar

• 1/3 cup Dill EVOO

• 1 Tbsp. Garlic EVOO

• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

• Dill weed or celery salt, optional

DireCTiOnS:

Place sliced cucumbers and slivered onion in a large bowl. Season with Curt’s Table Spice and toss to mix. In another bowl, whisk together the sugar, white balsamic vinegar, Dill EVOO, Garlic EVOO and Dijon mustard. Pour dressing over cucumbers and onions, tossing to coat. Garnish with sprinkle of dill weed or celery salt, if desired. Let stand for 30 to 45 minutes before serving.

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