Today, the traditional presentation of the new harvest extra virgin olive oils from the DOP Aceite Sierra del Moncayo was held at El Ambigú in the El Foro restaurant. To introduce these oils, the CRDOP collaborated with the four associated olive oil mills — Cooperativa Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Novallas, Cooperativa Agrícola de Borja, Aceites Ambel de Bulbuente, and Cooperativa Santo Cristo de Magallón; along with the AOVE Caius and that of the Cooperativa de San Atilano de Tarazona, and with the collaboration of chef Pedro Martín, who prepared four tapas and a dessert for the occasion.
After welcoming journalists and influencers to what is a very important day for us, the president of the CRDOP, Miguel Ángel Lacámara, provided insights into a somewhat complicated campaign, marked by early and intense heatwaves and some storms that, while beneficial where they brought rain, significantly reduced the harvest in the Novallas and Tarazona areas.
However, both the president and the olive oil producers agreed that although this campaign has been characterized by a decrease in the kilos of olives collected, it was largely compensated for by a higher percentage of oil extracted per kilo than usual, exceeding 20%. Furthermore, they all highlighted that the olives were harvested at their optimal ripeness and very healthy, resulting in extraordinary quality AOVE.
The presentation in a tasting menu format was handled by chef Pedro Martín, who emphasized the rich palette of aromas and flavors that the diversity of extra virgin olive oils brings to our cuisine, alongside the olive oil mill representatives who introduced their respective projects.
Before starting, Antonio Tejero, the head waiter, presented the wines paired with the tapas, a Bole white fermented on its lees and a Garnacha Centenaria, both from cooperatives that produce Aceite Sierra del Moncayo. In addition, César Cólliga, technical director of the CRDOP, emphasized the use of quality differentiated foods from Aragón.
An AOVE for each course
Miguel Ángel Vicente, director of El Gastrónomo Zaragozano and host of the event, welcomed Edurne Jarauta from the Cooperativa Nuestra Señora del Pilar of Novallas, who presented San Marcial, an AOVE predominantly made from the empeltre variety with some arbequina. Pedro Martín used this oil to create a Cheese Ball with truffle and Aragón mushrooms.
Next, the chef presented the Joya del Ambigú, a textured egg yolk with Jamón de Teruel DOP. For this dish, he chose OL10, a smooth and balanced AOVE made by the Cooperativa Agrícola de Borja.
For the Cococha al pilpil on a crispy borage base, the chef used Monte Jarén, an AOVE that gives the pilpil a silky texture. Jorge Roy, an apprentice master olive oil producer and fourth generation of Aceites Ambel, described this oil made from selected empeltre.
Juan Carlos Palacios from the Cooperativa Santo Cristo de Magallón presented Pago La Corona Olivos Centenarios, a coupage of selected batches predominantly featuring empeltre olives. Pedro Martín paired his Copa de Ternasco de Aragón IGP with this oil.
The sweet touch came from El Gastrónomo Gourmet and its premium AOVE Caius, also made by the Cooperativa Santo Cristo de Magallón. This oil, with fruity notes of green olives and almonds, complemented the Calanda peach pastry in syrup with chocolate ice cream and AOVE.
