How often have you been at the store looking a bottles of olive oil and not know which one to buy? How many times have wished you had more uses for that expensive extra virgin oil you purchased other than a salad dressing or sautéing up a quick dish? A new book has come out that provides all the answers. COOKING TECHNIQUES AND RECIPES WITH OLIVE OIL by Mary Platis and Laura Bashar, provides easy yet detailed techniques for poaching, braising, marinating, infusing, and baking with olive oil -- everything home cooks need to know about olive oil: from purchasing to storage to delicious recipes.

Olive oil is a staple of the Mediterranean diet and largely responsible for making it one of the healthiest and delectable diets in the world. And, like a fine wine or exquisite cut of meat, olive oil is known for its dynamic and diverse flavor characteristics. But surprisingly, most people don’t really know how to cook with olive oil and have no idea what to look for when buying it.

“Our goal in writing this book is to teach people new ways to cook with olive oil and master fundamental skills,” the authors state. “The techniques in our book will sharpen skills in the kitchen and acquaint cooks at all levels with basic methods of cooking with olive oil.”

Beautifully photographed, the authors go into great detail explaining the various characteristics of olive oil and their flavors so home cooks know what to buy and how to use it. “It is our hope that by understanding basic olive oil profiles home cooks will feel inspired to experiment with new flavor combinations in dishes and try different ethnic foods and oils."

The recipes in COOKING TECHNIQUES AND RECIPES WITH OLIVE OIL are cataloged by chapters that cover Lessons in Olive Oil, Poaching, Braising, Marinating, Steaming, and Baking. There is also a chapter on Other Techniques that shows how to infuse and preserve oils with recipes for confits, mayonnaise and mustards, dressings and more. Recipes in the book include:

? Rosemary-Garlic Lamb Chops with Mashed Potatoes and Artichokes
? Tuna with Citrus and Avocado Salad
? Figs with Muscato Grapes
? Greek Style Vegetables with Tomatoes
? Beef Stew with Root Vegetables
? Chicken Kabobs with Cucumber-Mint
Barley ? Sockeye Salmon with Spinach and Beet Greens
? Stuffed Grape Leaves with Brown Rice, Kale and Fresh Herbs
? Whole Wheat Scones with Blueberries and Lavender
? Olive Oil Almond Cookies with Rosewater and Cardamom
? Kalamata Olive Bread with Rosemary
? Olive Oil and Vanilla Ice Cream
? Watermelon Shooters with Persia Mint Syrup an Olive Oil

The authors also provide conversion charts and references and encourage home cooks to buy locally produced oil from farmers markets in their area if available.

A Gold-medal winner of Dan Poynter’s Global Ebook Award, COOKING TECHNIQUES AND RECIPES WITH OLIVE OIL is the go-to cookbook and reference guide that will change the way you think about olive oil. It’s not just an ingredient, it’s a way of life!