Olive Oil

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Like all oils, olive oil will go rancid over time, especially when exposed to heat, light and air. Although rancid oils are harmless to consume, you can extend olive oil's shelf life by storing it in a cool, dark place; never keep your oil near the stove. Also look for oils packaged in large metal cans or dark-colored bottles, and decant smaller amounts into a bottle. If your kitchen is excessively hot, or if you forgo air conditioning in the summer and you don't have a cool dark pantry to store your oil, you may want to store it in the refrigerator as a last resort. However, if you store olive oil in a cold place like the refrigerator, parts of it will become solid and sink toward the bottom. Once the oil has a chance to warm to room temperature, the mixture takes on a uniform appearance again.

A really good bottle of olive oil makes a great hostess gift (and at this time of year who really wants another box of chocolates?) but it's also a great gift to yourself and the people for whom you're cooking. Purchase an expensive (but well worth it) bottle of extra virgin olive oil and pretend you're Greek as you douse everything in sight (see sidebar for product picks).

The following recipes are reprinted with permission from Olive Oil: From Tree to Table ($19.95, Chronicle Books, 2007) by Peggy Knickerbocker, a freelance food and travel writer living in San Francisco and Paris. She is a longtime contributing editor to Saveur and has also written for Gourmet, Food & Wine, House & Garden, the San Francisco Chronicle and the New York Times. She is the author of The San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market Cookbook, also from Chronicle Books. For more information about Ms. Knickerbocker and her books, check out www.peggyknickerbocker.com.

Italian Green Sauce

Makes about 1 cup, serves 4 to 6

Ms. Knickerbocker recommends serving this sauce with grilled fish or chicken breasts.

Ingredients

2 slices day-old country-style bread
3 tablespoons salt-cured capers, rinsed and drained
4 oil-packed anchovy fillets, rinsed and chopped
3 or more cloves garlic, chopped
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 to 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, preferably Tuscan
2-1/2 cups fresh Italian parsley leaves

Method

Break up the bread and place in a food processor. Pulse to make coarse crumbs. Remove and set aside.

Add the capers, anchovy fillets, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, and olive oil to the processor and pulse to combine. Add the parsley leaves and process until smooth.

Transfer the contents of the processor to a bowl and add the bread crumbs. Stir to combine. Use immediately, or cover and store for up to 3 days.

Note: The sauce can be made by hand: Crush the bread with a rolling pin between 2 kitchen towels. Chop the capers, anchovy fillets, garlic, and parsley by hand and combine with the bread crumbs. Stir in the lemon juice, zest and olive oil, combining well.