Recipes That Feature Olive Oil

On the following pages you'll find some of my favourite recipes from my new book Tree to Table - Cooking with Australian Olive Oil.

They come from some of Australia's best known and loved food writers and chefs, such as Kylie Kwong, Tony Bilson, Damien Pignolet and Stephanie Alexander.

I've also included here my own biscotti recipe below - using olive oil.

And a very special bruschetta that my friend Meryan McRobert first made at her café in Scone, Kerv.

I love rhubarb, but had never thought of joining it with rocket and brie and olive oil! It’s worth a try.

Patrice Newell's olive oil biscotti

  • 240 g spelt or other wheat flour
  • 165 g castor sugar
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1⁄2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • grated rind and juice of 1 lemon or lime

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl, then add oil, egg and lemon rind and juice, and stir with a spoon until a dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured bench, then use a floured knife to cut it in half.

Quickly mould dough halves into two long logs; it shouldn't be handled too much as this affects the texture. Bake logs on a baking tray lined with baking paper for 20 minutes or until firm. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes or until you can handle it easily. Using a serrated knife, cut slices from the loaf, on an angle, to the size you want, then place slices flat on the baking tray and return to oven for another 10–15 minutes or until golden. You can bake them on both sides, but I usually don’t as this makes the biscuits very hard and I want to keep my teeth!

Makes approximately 20 Biscotti

Meryan McRobert’s Rhubarb Relish Bruschetta with Brie and Rocket

  • Bruschetta loaf
  • Brie
  • 4 cups of rocket
  • ½ cup Patrice Newell’s Virgo Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • Rhubarb Relish

Cut Bruschetta loaf into 8 pieces approx 2cm thick, toast or cook on a char grill. Place 2 slices on each plate, top with slices of Brie, then rhubarb relish and finish with rocket, drizzle over VIRGO extra virgin olive oil and vinegar.


Rhubarb Relish

  • 1 Spanish onion cut into fine wedges
  • ¼ cup sultanas
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, julienned finely
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 bunch rhubarb, cut into 2 cm pieces


Combine all ingredients except rhubarb, stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Add rhubarb and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain, reserving syrup, then return syrup to saucepan and reduce by half. Pour over rhubarb and cool.

Serves 4