News and a Recipe from The Golden Harvest
Fresh Padron Peppers
Pick a Padron Pepper
The first person we met in our research before filming was Dr. Luis Rallo at the University of Cordoba. He is a man who spent well over 40 years studying the olive tree to develop something called super high density planting, which is one of the reasons Spain is the number one producer of olive oil in the world. There are people who agree with the system, and others, who don’t. You’ll have to watch the film to figure which side you lean on. (Links to read below)
We were lucky to eat some great meals with Dr. Rallo in Cordoba and Seville, and he always ordered a simple tapa that you can find all over Spain, Padron Peppers. They grow so easily almost anywhere. They have only three ingredients, and uses plenty of olive oil up before your new supply starts coming in the late fall. Turn up the heat and start frying –heat of the fry pan, the peppers themselves are not spicy.
Ingredients:
Padron peppers (or similar variety) (not spicy peppers!)
Olive oil
Salt
Wash and dry the peppers very well. Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a pan—not deep frying, but be generous, like an inch. Before the oil smokes but is very hot, add the peppers. Fry until blistered and charred on one side and then flip and do the same on the other. Altogether this will take no more than five minutes. Drain paper towels and sprinkle with sea salt. Eat them at room temperature, whole except for the stems. That includes the seeds.
THE GOLDEN HARVEST UPDATES
Loving the Italian subtitles on The Golden Harvest
We have some more news about screenings coming up next month. For now, we are so excited to say that The Golden Harvest is now available with Italian and Spanish subtitles. Thank you, Valentina Navas and Amanda de Felice, and of course, our editor/producer Jaime Estrada-Torres.
SUPER HIGH DENSITY NEWS
Olives in July
Tuscany Gets Super
The region just received funding to start experimenting with super high-density planting. The system is growing like the tree
Best Olives to Grow in Texas
As attempts continue to grow olive trees for olive oil beyond the Mediterranean basin, we thought it interesting that researchers have found that the Spanish varieties of Arbequina and Arbosana, the main two types for super high density planting are the type doing best in Texas, too.