You know if a legendary Michelin three-starred restaurant like Eleven Madison Park in New York is a fan, then it’s got to have it going on.
Olio Piro certainly does.
Brother and sister, Romain Piro and Marie-Charlotte Piro, launched the Miami-based extra virgin olive oil company in 2020, cold-pressing a blend of olives from 300-year-old trees in Southern Tuscany.
The olives are pressed within hours of harvest. But what makes their olive oil unique is that it is filtered three times — not the standard once or twice — to remove sediment and particles that may cause the oil to turn rancid over time. The company does so with a proprietary vertical pressure filter system originally developed for making wine.
The result, the Piros say, is oil with an exceptionally long shelf-stable life of up to 18 months, along with 650 milligrams of heart-healthy, anti-inflammatory polyphenols per kilogram (compared to about 300 milligrams in many mass-produced supermarket brands).
The olive oil also has won a slew of gold medals in world competitions in New York, London, and Japan.
I had a chance to try samples recently of the Extra Virgin Olive Oil Piro and the Heat Friendly Extra Virgin Olive Oil Cucino.
Like most extra-virgin olive oils, the former variety is meant to finish dishes. It is lush and buttery tasting, with both a tomato leaf aroma and taste. It has an artichoke note, plus a gentle peppery finish. Drizzle it on most anything, from pastas to roasted or grilled veggies to grilled bread or pizza right out of the oven. Or use it in your favorite olive oil cake recipe.
The latter oil is quite intriguing because it’s actually an extra-virgin olive oil made for cooking at temperatures up to 380°F. So, you might not want to use it for super high-heat roasting. But definitely consider it for sauteing and stir-frying. It worked beautifully for wilting kale in a pan on the stovetop with no smoking or burning. The Cucino is milder tasting than the Piro, though, it has a livelier pepperiness that lingers long.
A 16.9-ounce bottle of the Piro is $56; a 25.3-ounce container of the Cucino is $39. There’s also an Essential Duo gift set available with one container of each oil for $109. Find them on the Olio Piro site or on Amazon. They make a great holiday gift for yourself or anyone who loves to cook.