One World Kitchen

Italian chef Vanessa Gianfrancesco starts off this episode of OWK by tasting different kinds of olive oils and reminiscing about her Italian childhood running amongst the groves of olive trees. She then makes a version of her own olive oil by infusing it with hot chili flakes and garlic. This will be the base for her homemade salad dressing that will top her grilled Caesar salad. The oil, combined with anchovies, egg yolk, lemon and water, takes on a world of new flavours. She then grills some lettuce, fries up some pancetta and ends up with a fun twist on the popular Italian salad. Olive oil continues as the star when Vanessa creates two different pasta dishes with an EVOO base. First, the classic Italian midnight snack—pasta al olio made with just fresh tomatoes, spaghetti, parmigiano reggiano, and garlic. And then she makes a rich and creamy walnut, pine nut and olive oil sauce. All made in the food processor, it requires no cooking and simply melts into the hot pasta when they both hit the bowl.