Virgin olive oil is actually the juice of the olive. Virgin olive oil is considered top quality.
The main characteristics of the olive oil from the Autonomous region of Madrid are its low acidity level, its bright yellow color with a greenish hue and its taste.
Madrid's olive oil is mainly extracted from two different olive varieties: 'cornicabra' and 'manzanilla'.
It must be kept away from air, light and high temperatures.
Virgin oil is regarded as healthy dietary oil because of its high content of monounsaturated fat, antioxidant substances and vitamin E. It is especially healthy for children and the elderly.
It is a must in the Mediterranean kitchen as it is a basic ingredient of this diet. It is both rich and digestive and has a characteristic fruit taste which makes it delicious when served uncooked on a slice of bread.
It is used to fry all types of food, to bring out the taste of fish and mainly to prepare cold sauces.
Ingredients (for aproximately 50 'pestiños'):
300 grams of flour. 1 small cup of extra quality virgin olive oil from Madrid. 1 small cup of white wine. Lemon rind. 2 tablespoons of aniseed. 250 grams of liquid honey. Confectioner's sugar. Extra quality virgin olive oil from Madrid to deepfry.
Preparation:
Heat the small cup of oil with the lemon rind in it, remove from heat, remove the lemon rind and place the aniseed in the oil. Let cool.
Place the chilled oil in a bowl and add the white wine and the flour.
When you can gather the dough up into a ball stop handling it and place it on a floured rolling surface. Let it sit for 30 minutes.
Roll the dough until it is fine. Cut into 10x 6 centimeter rectangles. Join opposite angles to form a flattened cylinder. Dampen your fingers in cold water and press one of the outer angles, to keep the shape of the dough when placed in the hot oil.
Sprinkle the honey lightly with water and place over heat. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Dip the 'pestiños' in the honey and let them drip.
Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar before serving.
