Top Right: Cesare and Paola Dell’Orso. Together they have a business producing wine, preserves and wonderful organic oil in Abruzzo.
Bottom Left: Guglielmo Francesconi. Has an organic grove in Monte San Pietrangeli where he also has an agriturismo and pizzeria.
Bottom Right: Ardelio Cavalieri. Ardelio has a breathtaking view of Mogliano in one direction, and in the other, a marginally less breathtaking view of a dilapidated farmhouse. The trees are knotted and gnarly as you could hope for and so are Ardelio’s hands.
Don’t you just love meeting real people… real family farmers! The unique twist on Nudo is that the consumer is able to adopt an olive tree on any one of the Nudo family of farms and receive all their tree’s extra virgin olive oil, and a trio of Nudo’s finest flavoured olive oils. They’ll even allow you to visit and touch your very own tree!
How does this work for the farmer? from Nudo
What Nudo offers the olive producers in the adoption scheme is the certainty of consistent, reliable payment at a fair price. (we commit in advance to buying all the olive oil produced by trees within the scheme of a pre-agreed price). This in turn means they have the confidence to commit to maintaining and caring for the groves they love without the annual uncertainty about whether they will find a market for their oil.
You can see right away why I was so excited about this Company! They have a clear mission to support local farmers and are also committed to sustainability. Like other types of farming olive growing is becoming more and more mechanised which is leading to soil erosion and blander. Supporting Nudo ensures sustainability of the land. When I spoke directly to Nudo, I asked them how their oil was shipped abroad. They responded that most of their oil is shipped on boats to save on fossil fuels.
After researching and falling in love with the mission behind this company, I was ecstatic to receive a sample of Nudo Italian Olive Oil. Before I go on, I was given this olive oil for free, However, I do not review products that do not align with my own goals and mission of my blog. The people of Nudo, the farmers of Nudo, although not local are just as much a part of the local food movement. As a consumer we have the power to choose organic, local, family farmers!
When I received my super cute tin (hey, I’m a graphic designer!) of Nudo Olive Oil, I immediately opened it up, and took a spoonful down the hatch. The olive oil that you receive will definitely come from different trees, however, the batch I had was smooth, fresh, subtle. I poured some into a jar and the color was a beautiful yellow.
I took a deep smell in and it just brought me back to Spain… sweet, olive oil! Que Alegria!
This olive oil is perfect for dipping, drizzling over salads and in my recipe below, roasting vegetables!
The secret to a beautiful dish of brussels sprouts is to first roast them in olive oil. This version is roasted and pan tossed with sauteed red onions and pancetta cured ham. The right amount of salt and sweetness of the onions brings this dish to another level. Finally topped with sauteed bread crumbs and garlic. Buen Provecho!
This recipe is also a part of Oprah.com featured Holiday blogger recipes! That’s right, I have been invited to be a featured Holiday blogger over at Oprah.com. Stop on by and check out my profile 😉
Brussel Sprouts Roasted and Drizzled with Nudo Olive Oil
- 1/2 lb Brussel Sprouts, cleaned and halved
- 8 slices Pancetta
- 4 cloves garlic
- Nudo Olive Oil
- 1/2 red onion, sliced
- 1 slice of bread
Method:
- In a large ziplock baggie, toss the brussel sprouts, 3 pressed garlic cloves and 2 tbls Nudo Olive Oil.
- Empty the contents into a ovenproof dish and roast at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
- While the brussel sprouts are roasting, in a pan heat 1/4 cup nudo olive oil. When the olive oil is heated through, saute a slice of bread until browned on both sides. Set aside.
- When the brussel sprouts have finished roasting… In the same pan that you sauteed the bread, add the onion and saute for about 3 minutes. Do not let them get fully tender. Add the pancetta and heat through for an additional minute.
- Add the brussel sprouts and heat through for an additional 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
- In a food processor, blend the bread and 1 – 2 cloves of garlic.
- Sprinkle on top of the brussel sprouts mixture and finish by a last drizzle of Nudo Olive Oil!
Want to get in on the deal? Just use promo codes EARLYBIRD1 for the Three Tenors or EARLYBIRD2 for the Citrus Club on the checkout page. Please note that the free oil and the gift box will be sent together, so need to go to the same address.
Love this recipe. Don't like Brussels sprouts but since I ate those ones last weekend at Foodbuzz, I think I might be a convert. Especially when there's pancetta involved!!
I LOVE this company. It's a brilliant idea!
We just found a local olive oil company here in Texas and I'm excited as can be! These brussel sprouts look heavenly.
what a great idea, and recipe. Yum.
I love the concept and mission of this company, and yes, this is a great Christmas gift! btw, sent you a message on FB. 🙂
I know a lot of people who dislike brussel sprouts but I adore them! Especially with some pork fat thrown in! Nice recipe.
I only like Brussel Sprouts when they're done right and am still experimenting with the right combination, so thank you for this!
I also love the design of nudo. Very modern and appealing.
Sounds like a great preparation for brussels sprouts! Will check out nudo olive oil!
So funny! I posted about olive oil today too. We must be thinking on the same wavelength. That Brussels sprouts recipe looks really yummy. I still can't stop thinking about those Brussels sprouts we had at the Foodbuzz dinner. Maybe I'll have to try your recipe.
what a lovely story about nudo. I am going to pass on their name to all the Italian/Med cooks I know. The tree adoption is a wonderful idea also.
I echo some comments too that brussel sprouts are low on my list of foods to eat, but your recipe makes them look delicious-yum!
As a Spaniard you should use Spanish olive oil ;-). I use Aceite Almagral, they store organic oil, but I guess they don't export small amounts. Anyway, here's the link: http://www.almagral.com/english/flash/index.html
WONDERFUL recipe, Diana !!!
Have a beautiful weekend with your family and friends 🙂
xoxoxo
Thanks everyone for the comments! I know many people do not like brussels sprouts. This is usually because they are boiled and in my opinion the worst way to eat them. I love them in a combination of ways but they always start off being roasted in garlic and olive oil!
Miriam, I wish I could get some good quality Spanish Olive Oil in the states, it's nearly impossible to find 🙁 I keep telling my mami, next time I go to Spain I'm lugging some olive oil back with me, haha!!
Alta – I'm interested in finding out what the name of the local olive oil in Texas is! Much closer to me than California 🙂
During these cold Autumn/Winter months we eat sprouts almost daily. I've read about this way of cooking them but have yet to try- but will now!
only the packaging of this olive oil has gotten me! such a chic design.
i love your brussels sprouts recipe. with the crunchy bread and aromatic garlic, it's such a flavorful veggi dish.
Yum, I was just thinking about cooking with brussel sprouts this weekend and you won me over! 🙂
The Brussels sprouts look & sound amazing. And nudo sounds like a really nice olive oil.
I love the packaging of the olive oil and their mission in producing these oils. I haven't had Brussels sprouts in a long time. It's either we don't grow it here or they are truly expensive. They're probably imported so I don't buy them at all. But I love them.
Olive oil is just way too expensive over here. But it's still OK to use it once in awhile, in salad making! I like brussel sprout too but I like it spicy. hehe…
Olive oil is just way too expensive over here. But it's still OK to use it once in awhile, in salad making! I like brussel sprout too but I like it spicy. hehe…
Its beautiful.. and I bet the flavor is just divine…
Blessings!
Amanda
i just made roasted brussel sprouts a few weeks ago! They were delish!
thanks for the olive oil info – i love finding new ones to use. mmmm, those brussel sprouts look amazing!
These are the best Brussel Sprouts that I have ever seen!!! I CANNOT WAIT TO GIVE THEM A TRY!!!!!
Awesome, Dianna
Oh yum! Good quality olive oil makes such a difference. I've been craving brussel sprouts ever since those ones we ate last Saturday night. MUST MAKE SOME NOW! XOXO
I didn't even know how amazing olive oil could be until I went to a tasting this summer. I also just barely learned about brussel sprouts. AAAAAAA! I need some right now. I wonder if I can get this olive oil somewhere in Hawaii?
I love olive oil. Thanks for telling me about Nudo! It's a great gift idea!
From your description, I can already smell this beautiful-sounding olive oil (with the adorable tin!) Those Brussels sprouts would be lovely with pancetta and a great olive oil.
great recipe and i love this company as well
I love both Olive Oil & Brussels Sprouts…
I can't live without good quality of Olive Oil… I always get mine from Lebanon & al madina(city here in saudi arabia)
This recipe looks very delicious so perfect for me 🙂
Thanks for the post on Nudo, and the brussels sprouts recipe as well.I am thinking of using fresh brussels sprouts on my Thanksgiving table and your recipe sounds amazing. I usually buy my Spanish ingredients from La Tienda which is only about 20 minutes from my house, butI will definitely give Nudo a try!
Love the Nudo idea–may even have to adopt one!
The recipe is great, but I couldn't resist adding my own touches. I added baby carrots, some halved, some not, like the brussel sprouts. I also threw in one tablespoon of brown sugar before baking, and I added a small chunk of parmeggiano (1 tbsp.) to the bread and garlic and processed it all together.
It was delicious!
Thanks for the comments! So encouraging!!
Mariko – Thanks for visiting! I hope you give this recipe a try!
Deborah – So great to have La Tienda so close to you! I'm jealous!!
Epicurious – I'm so glad you tried this! I love the addition of parmeggiano to the bread crumb mix! I'll have to try this next time 🙂
delicious and easy – love it! also love the part about using a split pita for the crust – would have never thought of that, and it's a great idea for pizza for kids. definitely having that soon. 🙂
Regards,
Looks amazing!
Thank you for sharing your find with us—it's that time of year, and I think I will order some of this oil for some of the people on my list!