The Passionate Olive (9 page)

Tomato Sauce for Polenta (or Pasta or Ravioli)

1 medium chopped yellow or white onion

2 cloves of garlic Extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 stalks chopped celery

1 medium-sized grated carrot

1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs

1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms

Two 15-ounce cans/jars stewed tomatoes

Two 8-ounce cans/jars tomato sauce

HOW TO PREPARE

• Sauté onion and garlic in extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan
  
• Add parsley, celery, and carrot and continue to sauté
  
• Add dried herbs
  
• In another pan, place porcini mushrooms and 1 cup water and bring to a boil; turn off the heat and let stand for 2 minutes
  
• Drain and chop mushrooms (save the water)
  
• Add mushrooms to onion mixture and continue to sauté
  
• In another bowl, drain the stewed tomatoes (saving the juice)
  
• Chop the tomatoes and add to the mixture and continue to sauté
  
• Add the water from the mushrooms and the saved juice from the tomatoes
  
• Add 2 cans of tomato sauce
  
• Simmer for 1 hour
  

Polenta and Quail (or Chicken)

6 quail (or if you don’t have quail, use 1 chicken—cut up)

Salt and pepper to taste Flour

5 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion

Dried Italian herbs to taste

4 cups water

2 cups polenta meal

1 stick butter

Tomato sauce (see
this page
)

Grated Parmesan cheese

HOW TO PREPARE

• Season cleaned quail with salt and pepper and dredge lightly in flour
  
• Put quail in a frying pan and sauté in olive oil until golden brown; set aside
  
• In a deep pan, put onion, extra virgin olive oil, and dried Italian herbs; sauté until onions are clear
  
• Add water; then add polenta, a little at a time, to the mixture and let it come to a boil
  
• While this mixture is cooking, add the stick of butter
  
• Keep stirring until polenta is done
  
• Pour into a glass or ceramic serving dish
  
• Top the polenta with tomato sauce
  
• Arrange the quail on top of sauce
  
• Top with Parmesan cheese and serve
  

17)
PRESERVE BASEBALL MITTS AND GIVE BATS GREATER SPRING

The many potential benefits within our ever-present large can of olive oil were certainly not lost on my own son,
Jeff. He has always been sports-minded, and his early training included the cleaning and preservation of his favorite leather baseball mitts—especially during the rainy season. We taught him to clean the mitt of any debris and then, after dripping a small amount of olive oil onto a soft cotton rag, rub the cloth over the entire surface of the mitt. After allowing the oil time to be absorbed, he would then use a dry cotton cloth to wipe off the excess. No need to use extra virgin olive oil for this process—just olive oil.

My son also used this wondrous liquid to oil the surface of his bats à la Joe DiMaggio. In his research, Jeff found that another baseball great, Ted Williams, used olive oil. He would massage the handle of his bat with olive oil and resin in the on-deck circle. The sound that emerged after the bat’s olive oil massage would produce a squeal that unsettled many pitchers!

Some people think that olive oil turns rancid too quickly … however, for years it has been used to waterproof and preserve porous elements, including wood and leather (as well as skin, but more about that in the next chapter). Try it and see.

18)
LUBRICATE AND POLISH SKIS, SNOWBOARDS, SKATEBOARDS, AND IN-LINE SKATES

My son is now handing the family olive oil tradition down to his children as he helps them take care of their sports equipment. My grandchildren, especially Evan and Isabella, love to ski, snowboard, skateboard, and skate. Having that handy bottle of olive oil is quite helpful. Olive oil can stop squeaks in ski boots and lubricate the moving parts or gears of both cross-country and downhill skis. To
keep sleds and toboggans shined and lubricated for slick movement, use a drop of olive oil.

Olive oil is also a good lubricant for snowboard bindings and for the wheel fittings on skateboards and in-line skates. To keep the gears of this equipment well lubricated, drip the olive oil into the mechanism where the gears move. Remember, only a drop or two is needed. For polishing, use the olive oil and baking soda formula.

19)
REJUVENATE A PALM OR FERN AND MAKE PLANTS GLISTEN

For years my sister Mary Jill alternated living between Lake Tahoe and Palm Springs. She always had the most beautiful outdoor and indoor plants. In Tahoe, especially in the cold, dry winter months, her trick was to wipe the leaves with olive oil to give them moisture and make them shine. She also moistened the leaves of her plants in the dry Palm Springs climate. One day she told me her secret for her humongous palms and ferns (in fact, she named one of her plants “Hugh”). Once a month she would add 1 teaspoon of olive oil to the soil of a palm or fern. What a way to rejuvenate and feed a plant!

Repair and Maintenance

20)
LUBRICATE SQUEAKY HINGES

My childhood aversion to squeaky hinges was re-ignited several summers ago when a group of friends decided
to rent a villa on the outskirts of a small village in Tuscany for a week. Everything about the villa was unique, including the fact that it was owned by two feuding families who had built a wall down the middle and refused to rent the different sides of the villa to each other’s friends. It was quite large (even our half) and the views from our hillside location were stunning. When standing on the terraced garden, one could enjoy a 360-degree view of olive trees and vineyards. It was a truly magnificent sight to see the early-morning mist nestled in the valleys. The villa was within walking distance of the small village that included only a church, a small trattoria, and an olive oil mill (
frantoio
). I was told that the entire village is actually owned by a family in Milan, and that the patriarch of the family gave the village and the olive oil
frantoio
to his daughter as a wedding present years ago. (Certainly a different scale of gift-giving than the oar/rolling pin wedding present! However, both stories do involve olive oil.)

Because the village was remote, the nights were extremely still. There were six of us, and we each retired for the night at a different time. Several bedrooms and bathrooms lined the various hallways. Throughout the night, it seemed as if there were never-ending squeaking and creaking noises as people went into and out of their bedrooms and bathrooms. One night one of the men, Mark, unable to sleep because of the shrill squeaks, got up, went into the kitchen, and grabbed the olive oil. With quite a vengeance, he proceeded to oil every single hinge in the villa. We all slept well after that.

To lubricate squeaky hinges, get out your bottle of olive oil and a cloth. Hold the cloth near the squeaky hinge. Put a
small amount of olive oil at the top of the hinge and let the drops of oil run down by moving the hinge back and forth. Wipe away the excess with the cloth. No more squeaks! (I don’t think Mark carefully wiped each of the villa’s hinges, but the floors were tile, so any stray drop of olive oil provided a bit of gloss to the floor.)

You can use this method for the hinges on your oven doors, bird houses, closet doors, tool boxes, plastic coolers, crayfish traps, pruning shears, refrigerator doors, and galley latches.

21)
POLISH FURNITURE

We stayed for only a week in Tuscany before moving on, and as we were packing,
la signora della pulizia
(the woman who cleaned the villa in preparation for the next guests) started her cleaning. She had numerous rags and bottles with which to clean. She started in the
sala
(living room). She told us that to maintain a deep
lucido
(shine) on the walnut furniture, she used lemon juice, olive oil, and water.

Furniture Polish Formula

• In a bowl, mix the juice of one lemon with 1 teaspoon each of olive oil and water
  
• Dip a clean cloth into the solution and squeeze out excess
  
• Using a circular motion and following the grain of the wood, apply a thin coat to the wood surface. Let it stand for 5 minutes. Then, using a clean, dry, soft cloth, buff to a deep shine
  

You can also use olive oil, by itself, to remove water or alcohol spots or stuck paper from polished wood. If paper is stuck to a piece of wood furniture, do not try to scrape it off. Instead, dab some olive oil on the paper. Let the oil soak for a few minutes and then remove the paper by rubbing it with your fingers. What magic!

22)
POLISH BRASS

The villa had a beautiful chandelier in the
entrata
(entry hall). The large chandelier glistened with a shining brass base and hand-painted ceramic ornaments. I noticed that a trusty bottle of olive oil emerged from the pocketed apron of
la signora della pulizia
as she stood on a ladder to polish the brass. She told me that the brass looks brighter and requires less polishing if rubbed with a cloth moistened with olive oil. Olive oil retards tarnish and helps maintain a shine.

23)
APPLY TO STUCK ZIPPERS

As we were packing to leave the villa, I wanted to put just one more item in my suitcase but discovered the zipper was stuck. To the rescue—la
signora
and her olive oil. She saw me struggling with the stuck zipper and put a few drops of oil on the zipper, then carefully wiped off any excess oil. The zipper immediately started to move freely. You can use a drop of olive oil on most stuck zippers, including suitcases, makeup kits, wet suits, camping equipment storage bags, and bocce ball or bowling ball bags. However, be
extremely
careful if you ever try to lubricate a stuck zipper on clothes; the oil will stain the fabric around the zipper.

In a Pinch

24)
POLISH LEATHER SHOES

To many, Italy and beautiful shoes are synonymous. While Italy may not be credited with the invention of foot coverings, somehow I imagine the shining and polishing of shoes did begin in Italy and probably involved olive oil. Frequent polishing and shining not only gives shoes a glossy finish, but also preserves their workmanship and quality by moisturizing the leather, thus adding years to their life. Left untreated, leather will dry, crack, and fall apart.

Keeping leather smooth and supple was noted in a 1909 formula, right here in America: “Use Vaseline and olive oil for lubricating dried-out leather.” So if you ever run out of your favorite shoe polish, you can use olive oil “in a pinch.”

Shoe Polish Formula

• Clean dirt from leather shoes using a water-dampened cotton cloth
  
• Towel dry
  
• Drip a small amount of olive oil onto a soft cotton cloth and rub over the entire surface of the shoe
  
• Allow the oil time to be absorbed
  
• Using a dry cotton cloth, buff the shoes until they shine
  
• You may wish to apply a small amount of petroleum jelly to a cotton cloth and rebuff the shoes
  

25)
SUBSTITUTE FOR LINSEED OIL ON SADDLES AND OTHER TACK

Don’t we all experience those moments when we don’t have just the right product at hand? My granddaughter Victoria is simply wild about horses, and she’s learning everything she can about their care. She recently joined an equestrian center for young equine enthusiasts. Every young equestrian at her riding school is responsible for the care of her mount’s bridle. After her weekly class, she brings home her horse’s bridle to clean it.

One day, not having any of the recommended linseed oil, Victoria followed her
nonna’s
suggestion and used olive oil instead. She wiped off the headstall and the reins and polished them with olive oil. She even wiped off the bit with olive oil, confident that it was healthy for the horse and joking that her horse may even develop a taste for Italian food. When she returned the bridle the next day, she received compliments from her instructor about how supple, clean, and shiny each part was.

26)
USE AS AUTOMOTIVE TRANSMISSION FLUID—EMERGENCY ONLY!

One use for olive oil that has been reported to me, but that I have never tried (and am not recommending), is as a temporary transmission fluid for automobiles. Even in an emergency, I would be very hesitant to put this to the test—since olive oil burns at around 400 degrees, it would be very dangerous over the long haul. But then, what are the odds that you will run out of transmission fluid (on the
side of the road) and have a bottle of olive oil in the glove compartment?

Are You Convinced Yet?

Olive oil provides very simple solutions to many household chores and common everyday problems. Some of the uses you may have already known … some are quite novel. Just know that you can keep your entire home running smoothly with my guide to cleaning, preserving, preventing, repairing, and maintaining.

Let me recommend that before you tackle your own personal list of household tasks with olive oil in hand, put on your favorite CD … perhaps a bit of “Funiculi, Funicula”; it has great iambic pentameter for doing everyday chores around the house.