Seasoned explores olive oil, plus chef JJ Johnson’s ‘The Simple Art of Rice’

By Robyn Doyon-Aitken ,

Meg Dalton, Tagan Engel, Katrice Claudio, Stephanie Stender

Published January 17, 2024 at 9:39 AM EST

A clear bottle filled with olive oil sits on a table covered with a tablecloth. Light coming through a window shines directly on the bottle.

1 of 5 — Olive Oil In A Glass Bottle

A great olive oil is balanced in its spiciness and pungency. To keep the oil flavorful, beware of the four enemies of olive oil: Heat, Age, Light, and Oxidation (HALO).

Photographer: Angel Garcia / Bloomberg Creative Photos/Getty Images

2 of 5 — November 10, 2023 - Tassos Kyriakides

Tassos Kyriakides is a Certified Olive Oil Sommelier. Small, red bowl-like glass cups are used when tasting olive oil to neutralize the color of the oil so the taster can not tell whether the oil is yellow or green. "The only senses you want to engage when tasting olive oil," Tassos says, "is your nose and your mouth."

Mark Mirko / Connecticut Public

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Since 2010, Tree of Life, a social justice non-profit based in Old Lyme, Conn. has sold Palestinian olive oil to fund partial scholarships for students in Gaza and the West Bank.

Meg Dalton / Connecticut Public

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Rebecca Crosby and Ghoufran Allababidi, of the Tree of Life Educational Fund, sold Palestinian olive oil and other goods at a holiday market at the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme.

Meg Dalton / Connecticut Public

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JJ Johnson is the co-author of 'The Simple Art of Rice' and the founder of FieldTrip in New York City.

Provided / Flatiron Books

Olive oil is a thing of beauty—and essential in so much of our cooking. Olive oil sommelier Tassos Kyriakides teaches us how to better appreciate olive oil – both for its flavor and its health and ecological benefits.

And, Senior Director of Storytelling Meg Dalton reports on one Connecticut organization using Palestinian olive oil to educate the community about the region. We’ll also hear from Wafa Shami, a Palestinian food blogger, about the importance of olive trees.

Plus, we talk with James Beard Award-winning chef JJ Johnson about his new book, The Simple Art of Rice.

GUESTS:

Tassos Kyriakides: Certified Olive Oil Sommelier and Assistant Professor of the Yale School of Public Health
Ghoufran Allababidi: President of the Tree of Life Educational Fund (@TreeofLifeEducationalFund)
Rebecca Crosby: Board member of Tree of Life and a retired pastor of the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme
Wafa Shami: Food blogger behind Palestine in a Dish and author of several children’s books, including Olive Harvest in Palestine. (@palistineinadish)
JJ Johnson: James Beard Award-winning cookbook author and the founder of FieldTrip in New York City, a trio of restaurants focused around rice. His latest book is The Simple Art of Rice: Recipes from Around the World for the Heart of Your Table with Danica Novgorodoff (@chefjj) (@novgorodoff) (@fieldtripusa)

Learn More:
Education in a Bottle
Wafa Shami’s recipe for Chicken Musakhan

Featured Recipes from The Simple Art of Rice:
Seafood Paella
Filipino Adobo
Bibimbap with Pickled Vegetables

Tassos Kyriakides' Olive Oil Tasting Notes:

Olive oil tasting with olive oil sommelier Tassos Kyriakides at Elm City Market in New Haven (Mark Mirko/Connecticut Public) — Olive oil sommelier Tassos Kyriakides lead producer/host Robyn Doyon-Aitken through an olive oil tasting at Elm City Market in New Haven, Conn. They tasted oils from Greece, Spain and Italy.

Country: Greece
Locale: Laconia
Cultivar: Kalamon
Flavor Profile: Robust. Young green fruit, green grass, banana, and notes of almond. Fruity, green tomato, green almond, bitter almond, notes of artichoke
Food pairing: Fresh wild green salads, feta cheese
Producer/year: Laconiko Zoi/2022

Country: Spain
Locale: Andalucía
Cultivar: Picual
Flavor Profile: Olives and grass. Tomato, tomato plant, herbs, green banana. Thyme?
Food pairing: Bitter green salads and roasted/grilled veggies
Producer/year: Castillo de Canena/2022

Country: Italy
Locale: Emilia-Romagna
Cultivar: Nostrana
Flavor Profile: Robust. Green apple, herbs, tomato leaves; green olives
Food pairing: Carpaccio, soups, green veggies
Producer/year: Palazzo di Varignana/2022

Country: Italy
Locale: Emilia-Romagna
Cultivar: Maurino Vittoria/Verzola/Leccino
Flavor Profile: Mild/Medium. Aromatic, artichoke, freshly cut herbs, arugula. Bitter balance
Food pairing: Bruschetta, salads, grilled vegetables, and meats
Producer/year: Palazzo di Varignana/2022

This show was produced by Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Meg Dalton, Tagan Engel, Katrice Claudio, Stephanie Stender, Meg Fitzgerald, and Sabrina Herrera.

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