I was sent two samples of two unique and special Gaea olive oils :

1. Gaea D.O.P. Sitia, Crete Extra Virgin Olive Oil: This has a rich, intensely fruity flavour, gentle aroma and a soft emerald hue. This oil is made from handpicked and cold pressed Koroneiki olives – a variety unique to Greece – this oil is a winner of many prestigious international prizes.
2. Gaea D.O.P. Kalamata Extra Virgin Olive Oil:  This comes from Kalamata in Southern Peloponnese and is also made from cold pressed Koroneiki olives. This Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a favourite of gourmet and wine experts worldwide, due to its uniquely balanced and harmonious fresh-green flavour and peppery aftertaste. Like its Sitia sibling, it is rich in health-giving polyphenols and antioxidants.

I used the oils to make some spicy pasta.  We loved the extra flavours the oils added to the pasta and pasta sauce.

Ingredients for 4 Servings

• 2 cups of fusilli pasta (spiral shaped pasta) (you can use any Pasta)
• 1 cup any mixed vegetables
• 2 cups passata (Passata is made from ripe tomatoes that have been puréed and sieved to remove the skin and seeds and is available in all supermarkets)
• 2-3 cloves of garlic – use a garlic press and blend the garlic
• 1 finely chopped jalepeno
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp coriander and cumin powder (often referred to as dhana jeeru in the Asian stores)
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 2 -3 tsp Gaea Crete Extra Virgin Olive Oil (you can use any olive oil)
• 2 -3 tsp Gaea Kalamata Extra Virgin Olive Oil (you can use any olive oil)
• ½ tsp rosemary

Method:

1 Cook the pasta as per the instruction on the manufacturers packet. I boiled mine in hot water with some ½ teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon olive oil.

2. Once cooked, drain off the water and add  2-3 teaspoons of Gaea Crete Extra Virgin Olive Oil and lightly toss the pasta and transfer to a serving bowl.

3. Add 2 teaspoons of Olive Oil in a frying pan. When the oil gets hot, add in chopped jalapeno and garlic.  Stir these and quickly add the frozen mixed vegetables and the spices such as  salt, pepper, turmeric, chili powder, cumin and coriander powder (dhana jeeru) and stir well.

4.  Once the vegetables soften, add the pasatta and stir well.  The sauce should be ready in 5 -6 minutes.  Add a couple of teaspoons of Gaea Kalamata Extra Virgin to the sauce just before you are ready to serve the sauce.

5.   Serve some pasta in a dish and pour some of the cooked sauce over the pasta.  Garnish it with rosemary and grated cheese and serve it hot.