October in Tuscany marks the turning point between two harvests. The grape harvest is over, the must is already resting in the cellar at Villa Dianella, and as the vine leaves begin to turn yellow and red, another job begins — slower and quieter: the olive harvest. In the estate’s olive groves, overlooking the same Montalbano hills, the first olives reach the mill before the end of the month, and from there comes the absolute protagonist of this season — the new oil.
At the Bistrot delle Scuderie, October’s recipe starts right here. Wild mushroom and young leek velouté with extra virgin olive oil wafers: a dish built around a single ingredient, the freshly pressed oil, left free to express itself both inside the cream and on its own, in a crisp wafer that brings it to the table almost raw.
The new oil: this month’s product
New oil is a product that lives for only a few weeks. It’s oil cold-pressed within hours of harvest, not yet filtered, still cloudy and full of the green notes of just-crushed olives: cut grass, artichoke, unripe tomato, with that peppery catch in the throat — the typical “bite” at the finish — which is the mark of an oil rich in polyphenols and not yet softened by time. As the months pass those notes mellow: that’s why new oil is a seasonal pleasure, to be caught right now, in the weeks right after pressing.
At Villa Dianella the harvest is still done by hand, or with small electric combs, so as not to bruise the fruit: a whole, undamaged olive reaches the mill within hours of being picked, and it’s this speed — more than any other factor — that determines the quality of the new oil.
The olive oil wafers: the technique
The wafer is the most honest way to bring oil to the table: no other ingredient to mask it, just flour, water and extra virgin olive oil in a thin batter, spread into a veil and baked until it turns into a golden, brittle, almost glassy sheet. It breaks into irregular shards, and it’s exactly that irregularity that makes it interesting: each shard has a slightly different thickness, and so a different crunch, a sweeter spot where the batter has caramelised a little and a slightly bitter one toward the edge, where the heat was more intense.
It’s a simple technique, but an unforgiving one: the oven temperature has to stay constant, and the wafer must come out at the exact moment it stops bending and starts to crack, because from there to burning takes only a few seconds.
The velouté: wild mushrooms and young leeks
Under the wafer, the velouté plays on the opposite register: soft, enveloping, built on the vegetal sweetness of young leeks — the small, tender ones from the start of the season, not yet carrying the woody fibre they develop later in winter — and on the depth of mushrooms, here porcini, the same mushroom that at the Bistrot also becomes the cappuccino that replaced the pea version at the end of summer.
The method is the classic one for a well-made velouté: a base of leeks slowly stewed in butter, without letting them colour, to which the roughly cut mushrooms are added and sautéed over high heat so they release their water and reabsorb it, concentrating the flavour. A light vegetable stock to loosen it, a short cooking time so as not to dull the aromas, and a long blend with a steady stream of oil that makes the cream smooth, almost silky, with no need for cream: it’s the new oil, poured raw into the blender and again raw onto the plate, that gives the roundness you’d otherwise get from dairy fat.
The recipe: wild mushroom and young leek velouté with extra virgin olive oil wafers
Ingredients for 4
- Young leeks: 4, white and light green part only
- Fresh porcini mushrooms: 400 g
- Shallot: 1, finely chopped
- Light vegetable stock: about 1 litre
- Villa Dianella extra virgin olive oil (new, if available): about 80 ml, split between cooking, blending and finishing
- Butter: 20 g
- For the wafers: 70 g plain flour, 100 ml water, 40 ml extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper: to taste
- Chives or fresh thyme to garnish (optional)
Method
Start with the wafers, since they need to rest before baking. Mix flour, water, oil and salt into a smooth, fairly runny batter, similar to a light pancake mix. Let it rest in the fridge for at least thirty minutes: the batter firms up just enough and spreads more evenly.
Heat the oven to 180°C, conventional setting. Spread the batter in a very thin, even veil over a baking tray lined with parchment paper, using the back of a spoon or a spatula. Bake for eight to ten minutes, checking often: the wafer is ready when the edges start to turn golden but the centre is still slightly pale. Let it cool completely on the tray — it’s as it cools that it turns crisp. Break it by hand into irregular shards only when plating.
For the velouté, clean the leeks and slice them thinly. In a saucepan, melt the butter with a spoonful of oil, add the shallot and leeks and let them stew over low heat, covered, for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally: they shouldn’t colour, only soften and release their sweetness.
Meanwhile, clean the mushrooms with a damp cloth, avoiding washing them under running water, and cut them into rough chunks. Sauté them in a separate pan over high heat, with a drizzle of oil, for four to five minutes: they first release water, then reabsorb it and start to colour. Season with salt only at the end of cooking, never before, since salt draws out the water too soon and stops the browning.
Add the mushrooms to the leeks, setting aside a handful for the final garnish, and cover with the hot vegetable stock, just enough to cover the vegetables. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for twelve to fifteen minutes, until the leeks are very soft.
Blend everything thoroughly, in a powerful blender or with an immersion blender, adding the remaining extra virgin olive oil in a steady stream: this is the step that gives the velouté body and sheen without needing cream. Adjust salt and pepper, and if the cream is too thick, loosen it with a ladle of hot stock.
Plate by pouring the hot velouté into wide, shallow bowls, garnish with the reserved mushrooms, a drizzle of raw new oil, a grind of pepper and, if you like, chives or thyme. Place the wafers at the last moment, broken by hand, so they stay crisp until the first spoonful.
Pairing with Villa Dianella wines
A soft, velvety cream like this one, with the peppery bite of the new oil cutting through its roundness, calls for a fresh, savoury white wine that won’t be overpowered.
This month’s pairing is Sereno e Nuvole, the estate’s organic Vermentino: its citrussy acidity and mineral edge go with the sweetness of the leeks without weighing it down, and play well with the green, slightly bitter note of the new oil.
For those who prefer red, a young Chianti Dianella, served lightly chilled, stands up well to the earthy character of the porcini, while staying light enough not to overpower the delicacy of the velouté.
October at Villa Dianella
The wild mushroom and young leek velouté with extra virgin olive oil wafers is on the menu at the Bistrot delle Scuderie all month, alongside the Sunday brunch calendar: after the Harvest Brunch, running until 18 October, the New Oil Brunch starts on 25 October, dedicated to the very product at the heart of this recipe.
For information and bookings at the Bistrot delle Scuderie, you can contact Villa Dianella at +39 0571 508166, via WhatsApp or by writing to info@villadianella.it. Villa Dianella is located at Via Dianella 48, 50059 Vinci (FI), about 40 minutes from Florence.
