Calling olive oil “Italian butter” is a clever bit of marketing. It’s less a culinary term and more a way to help the rest of us understand just how essential olive oil is in Italian kitchens. Sure, butter is used in cooking, more so in some regions than others, but you won’t see it gracing the dinner table. Italians adore their olive oil. It’s what’s for dinner.
Olive oil is the go-to for cooking, dressing salads and finishing dishes. I’m sure if it were possible, it would be used for sunscreen at the beach. The low SPF is the only thing in the way.
I remember the first time a server asked if we would like some “Italian butter.” It was at a popular Italian chain restaurant in a Southern town. Our server poured olive oil onto a plate with a flourish, clearly expecting us to be impressed. We were, mostly by the performance. It took me a minute to realize the purpose, to help butter-lovers like us to understand the importance of olive oil in Italian cuisine.
And it worked, at least on me. While I’ll always have a soft spot for butter, I love a good olive oil—especially when it’s seasoned just right and sopped up with something soft and warm like a profiterole or gougère. Even plain, it’s lovely. But let’s be honest: “just pour olive oil on a plate” doesn’t exactly make for an exciting post. Print
Italian Butter
Extra virgin olive oil with herbs, spices and aged balsamic vinegar
- Prep Time: 15
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp coarse ground black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves – minced
- 1/4 tsp coarse salt
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano leaves
- Sprig of rosemary – optional garnish
- 1/8 tsp fresh rosemary leaves- chopped
- 1/8 tsp dried basil
- 4 TBL olive oil
- 1 drizzle of balsamic vinegar – per plate
Instructions
- Use small individual saucers or condiment bowls
- Combine the dry ingredients in a small plastic container and shake well to mix them
- Mince the garlic and divide between 4 saucers
- Divide and distribute the spice mix between the saucers
- Pour over the olive oil and add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar to each
- Serve with warm focaccia, profiteroles or gougere