The Tubby Olive: Rare Ingredients For The Masses

Sprinkling white truffle oil on a perfectly ripe avocado, then finishing it with a little flaked sea salt creates an appetizer worthy of any restaurant. Adding a wild mushroom and sage-infused olive oil to a roasted chicken and finishing the pan juices with pomegranate balsamic vinegar can lift a simple family meal to new heights.

Good quality infused oils and flavored vinegars have been the tools of professional chefs for decades. Traditionally, availability has been limited to restaurant suppliers and specialty stores, usually in limited supply and range, or homemade with seasonal ingredients.

But Newtown’s The Tubby Olive is changing that status quo, offering a broad range of infused oils and vinegars in its State Street store.

The oils hail from Italy, Spain, Chile, Greece, France and California. Fifteen flavored oils and 26 flavored balsamic vinegars are sold from custom-made stainless steel barrels (or “fusti”).  Chefs and home cooks can blend and experiment, broadening their culinary repertoires. Hard-to-find oils like Hojiblanca (white leaf) olive oil from Spain, with its distinct smoothness and low level of saturated fat, is stocked with Chilean Picual, extra virgin oil that holds is flavor even when heated.

Both Greek Koroneiki, with its violet color, and my favorite, the highly aromatic and fruity Arbequina, are available to take out in 375 milliliter bottles for $15.95 or 750 milliliter for $29.

All-natural flavored oils (375 milliliter bottles for $16.95 or 750 milliliter for $31) broaden the choices with distinct infusions like blood orange, chipotle, roasted French walnut, herbs de Provence, Persian lime and even a butter-flavored olive oil.

Harissa oil infused with the traditional North African blend of hot bird’s eye chili, garlic, coriander and caraway was irresistible to me and now sits on my kitchen counter, ready to be added to a cous-cous or braised lamb dish whenever the time befits. Specialty oils such as toasted sesame, avocado and porcini mushroom, as well as a couple of that are always on hand in my house, like white and black truffle, with a distinct earthy tone, are offered and priced right.

Infused balsamic vinegars with diverse flavor additions like espresso, jalapeño, vanilla, lavender, peach, cinnamon pear, black currant and pomegranate will brighten any summer salad with just a drizzle.

At $15.95 for the 375 milliliter and $29 for the 750 milliliter, a little goes a long way for a reasonable price. Wine vinegars such as barrel-aged pinot noir, champagne and sherry reserva are available for $12.95 for the 375 milliliter and $23 for the 750 milliliter -- a bargain for the quality.

The staff can suggest a gift basket for the gourmet in need of inspiration. They offer a handy pairing guide with the price list to help with blending oil and vinegars for dressing and seasoning. Sea salt, dry pasta and sauce, mustard, orzo, pesto, crackers and pickles fill the shelves along with cook books and recipe cards for tips on how to use the products.  You can taste and smell before purchasing, which is a delightful experience.

The Tubby Olive is located at 17 South State Street, Newtown PA. It's open Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 10 to 4 p.m. It's closed Monday.

For more information, call 215 364 5085 or visit www.thetubbyolive.com