Heart Healthy for Valentine's Day

Muraglia Extra Virgin Olive Oil in Heart Bottle

 

With January being the month for New Year's resolutions like eating healthier, I just hosted a wine tasting featuring the wonderful Spanish Tempranillo wine - the only wine found in studies to reduce cholesterol and blood pressure. And in February in honor of Valentine's Day, I am featuring the wines and very healthy foods of the Mediterranean.

Meyer Lemons

Meyer Lemons

 

I have always loved all things lemon. When I was up in Saratoga Springs for the horse races, I ended up in Saratoga Olive Oil Company and picked up a bottle of their Meyer Lemon Olive Oil. It is made by crushing and cold pressing the pulp from fresh lemons and olives together. 

Olive Oil

Muraglia

I am headed later this morning to an olive oil class by a certified olive oil sommelier where we will learn about the olive oils of Greece, Italy, Spain, and Portugal, followed by lunch in the garden room of one of my favorite restaurants in Venice.

Chic Olive Oil

Frantoio Muraglia Extra Virgin Olive Oil in Striped Bottle

 

I think this is the prettiest bottle of olive oil ever. The ultimate kitchen-to-table olive oil, this award-winning Italian oil works equally well for cooking and finishing. To preserve its rich flavor and aroma and protect it from sunlight, the extra-virgin olive oil is bottled in a hand-painted ceramic container that can be enjoyed as a vase or serving vessel after the oil is finished.