Pietro Coricelli’s 70th Anniversary at Mi Piace

I was invited to the commemoration of Pietro Coricelli’s 70th anniversary at Mi Piace at the Manila Peninsula hotel. Pietro Coricelli is one of the oldest family owned and managed olive oil companies in the world. Their products are sold in 70 countries.


Mi Piace

This was the star of the night, Riserva del Presidente extra virgin olive oil. According to their web site:

Coricelli’s President Selection 100% Italian extra virgin oil has a light fruity taste, with hints of freshly cut grass, ripe olives and artichokes. It is fabulously smooth on the palate, exudes freshness and has just the right touch of pepper on the finish. The color is gold-yellow with green reflections. Sporting a low acidity of .3%, it will stay fresh for a long time. Its beautifully balanced, fresh, smooth taste and lovely aroma comes from a 100% top quality Italian extra virgin olive oil especially produced for the 70th anniversary of the Coricelli Company.

Pietro Coricelli has a wide range of products available in the market. I was excited to see that they had several varieties of infused olive oil.

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL INFUSED WITH GARLIC
This versatile oil is a deliciously flavored infusion – once you have this in your store cupboard you will not want to be without.Whip some into potatoes to create truly sublime mash, or drizzle over carpaccio or a toasted baguette. It’s perfect in a salad dressing and means you can always have the flavor of garlic without the mess.

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL INFUSED WITH BLACK TRUFFLE
It is best used to enrich traditional recipes such as pasta and rice with the unmistakable taste of truffle. It is also ideal on toasted bread served as an appetizer.

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL INFUSED WITH GARLIC AND CHILI PEPPER
This condiment has a robust taste and embodies all of the flavors of the Mediterranean kitchen. It is ideal for first courses but also enhances soups and legumes.

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL INFUSED WITH HOT PEPPER
Our Hot Pepper Olive Oil will spice up all of your favorite home cooked meals. It’s perfect for jazzing up your favorite pasta dishes. Try some drops on your pizza, or spray over the minestrone soup. it will always lighten up your dishes.

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL INFUSED WITH BASIL
It is ideal for the preparation of gravies and sauces that accompany rice and pasta and is also perfect for the preparation of the best appetizers.

These were the men responsible for the successful dinner and product launch. On the left is Mr. Pino Cipolla, Pietro Coricelli’s director for export who flew in from Italy just for this event. In the middle is Chef Massimo of Mi Piace who was responsible for the excellent meal we had. On the right is Mr. Lucio Cochanco Jr. the corporate president of Fly Ace Corporation, the exclusive distributor of Pietro Coricelli in the Philippines for over 10 years.

The Riserva del Presidente or President Selection olive oil really lived up to it’s name. We loved dipping our bread in the pesto and tomato dips made with this olive oil as well as plain olive oil with Parmesan cheese. We ate so much of the delicious bread that it had to be refilled three times

It was my first time to try beef carpaccio or raw slices of thinly sliced beef. I poured more olive oil on the beef to make it more palatable. Let’s just say it’s not my favorite thing. Give me cooked beef anytime.

beef carpaccio- thinly sliced US beef tenderloin, button mushrooms,
crispy celery, Parmesan cheese and Pietro Coricelli olive oil

Who would have thought such a simple pasta dish would be so spectacular? It was the sweetness of the fresh tomatoes, the touch of fresh basil and the generous quantity of Riserva del Presidente olive oil that brought it all together for one of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever eaten.

spaghetti with fresh tomato sauce, basil and Pietro Coricelli olive oil

They always say fresh tuna is best eaten raw because when it’s cooked it will become tough. Not this tuna loin. It was very tender and flavorful.

tuna loin w/ potato confit, green beans, tomato petals,
quail eggs & lemon dressing

I don’t like eating fresh pears. There’s something about the gritty texture that I don’t like. I wasn’t excited when I read on the menu that dessert was poached pears. Nevertheless, I took a leap and tried it. It was so, so, so good! The pear’s texture totally changed into a firm, smooth and sweet fruit. The red wine lost its alcohol taste and all that’s left was the sweet grape flavor infused into the pear. The olive oil ice cream provided a cool and creamy contrast to the pear. It tasted just like vanilla ice cream.

red wine poached baby pears, Pietro Coricelli olive oil ice cream,
pine nut crisp

We had Casillero del Diablo Chilean wines with dinner. I’m no wine expert but I liked both the Chardonnay and the Cabernet Sauvignon.

I never had brand loyalty when buying olive oil. I’d usually just grab the cheapest bottle in the supermarket. But after trying Pietro Coricelli olive oil I realized they offer the best taste and value for your money. I suggest you try Pietro Coricelli Riserva Del Presidente 100% Italian extra virgin olive oil. A 750ml bottle retails for P575.00 and is available in Landmark Makati and Tri-noma, Unimart, Cash n Carry and Makati Alabang Supermarket. That’s a very reasonable price for such a special olive oil.