Tis the Season for Co-Milled Oil

What do you do with 15 tons of newly harvested olives and 10 tons of fresh fruit? You make co-milled oils of course.

There is an enormous difference between olive oil made with a flavored essence added to the oil and a true co-milled oil. We mill fresh olives and fruit at the same time. The olives and the fruit go through the crusher together. It makes a superb oil, more homogenized and therefore more flavorful. The proportions of olive to fruit will differ each year, depending on the ripeness and taste of the fruit and oil content of the olives. The exact proportions are usually a closely held secret. We use the whole fruit, skin, seeds, flesh. The skins have an enormous amount of their own oil, and that translates directly to better flavor.

At IL Fiorello, we use olives that could be milled into certified extra virgin oil. Co-milled flavored oils cannot be certified or named Extra Virgin. Anything added to olive oil makes that product not acceptable to extra virgin standards. Companies may state on the bottle, extra virgin olive oil with citrus or herbs added. We simply mill the fruit and olives together and make luscious co-milled oils and call it co-milled. Remember that we mill and not press our olives. First cold press, although legal to use, is not really the process today. It is not first, not cold, and not pressed. These names are monikers from a historical perspective.

In competitions, savvy judges are asking the producers to state whether there is an essence has been added or if the product is co-milled. There is nothing wrong with adding an essence, just that the taste is quite different. We prefer to cut the fresh fruit and mill it with fresh olives.

The jalapenos go into the crusher whole, and you should smell the wonderful aroma of ground jalapenos as they are very gently warmed, going through the malaxation tanks. Absolutely amazing…… The roasted jalapenos are fabulous! Of course, this is the last oil of the season, as you can imagine, we are now in the process of taking the centrifuges apart and cleaning each little hose and tube.

One of the biggest questions we get is how do you use these oils? Here are a few suggestions:

Mandarin: Great with Chinese Chicken Salad, or a dressing for fresh avocado

Lemon: Serve this oil our Olive Oil Gelato or use as a garnish on grilled steak or chicken

Lime: Serve with fish tacos, on soup as a finishing oil, or as a cabbage salad dressing

Makrut Lime: Excellent in Thai dishes, Toma Ka Gi, or Coconut Curry Soup

Jalapeno: Serve Drizzled over guacamole, hummus, couscous, or tacos

Roasted Jalapeno: Jalapeno with a smoky, delicious depth of flavor. Great on a Fava Bean Puree with toast