Cooking tips with olive oil

• • Drizzle it over salad or mix it into salad dressing.
    
    
  • Use in marinades or sauces for meat, fish, poultry, and vegetables. Olive oil penetrates nicely into the first few layers of the food being marinated.
    
    
  • Add at the end of cooking for a burst of flavor.
    
    
  • Drizzle over cooked pasta or vegetables.
    
    
  • Use instead of butter or margarine as a healthy dip for bread. Pour a little olive oil into a small side dish and add a few splashes of balsamic vinegar, which will pool in the middle and look very attractive.
    
    
  • For an easy appetizer, toast baguette slices under the broiler, rub them lightly with a cut clove of garlic, and add a little drizzle of olive oil.
    
    
  • Replace butter with olive oil in mashed potatoes or on baked potatoes. For the ultimate mashed potatoes, whip together cooked potatoes, roasted garlic, and olive oil; season to taste.
    
    
  • Make a tasty, heart-healthy dip by mixing cooked white beans, garlic, and olive oil in a food processor; season to taste with your favorite herbs.
    
    
  • Use olive oil in your sauces -- whisking will help emulsify, or blend, the watery ingredients with the oil in the sauce.