Making Ube Local with Texas Olive Oil

This year, the world is going to go mad over one little happy purple sweet potato named ube! The hype over this humble yam is more than due to its vibrant color. It is a healthy food that offers the best of both worlds - flavor and health benefits. And you can boost those health benefits (and flavor!) with Texas olive oil. Here's how.

The Foundation

Before we dive into the various ways you can incorporate Texas EVOO into these recipes, it is good to begin with a base. Most ube recipes start with a creamy yam jam called halaya. Traditionally made with butter and condensed milk, it is sweet. Ube jam is the ideal filling for donuts, pies, cakes, or spread on a piece of bruschetta.

The foundation of this spread is butter, but you can swap it out with a light buttery EVOO. Try swapping out the other ingredients for plant-based alternatives too; full-fat coconut cream or vegan condensed milk are best. The best part of the halaya is that you can use it as a dessert on its own.

Sweet and Tasty Ube With Texas Olive Oil

Most of the recipes you will find made with ube are sweet. This is due to its natural sweetness and the creamy texture you get from this healthy, complex carb. Here are some of our favorite sweet Ube treats.

Seasalt Candied Ube

The fusion of sweet and savory flavors will be another significant trend to keep an eye on in 2023. It is the perfect balance of flavors. Because of this, sweet potato fries have become such a phenomenal success that they have swept the entire world off its feet. They have the right amount of sweetness, airiness, and saltiness in every bite. Candied ube is not an exception.

Thinly sliced ube, dipped into sugar and fried until it's caramelized, makes an ideal snack for any occasion. We recommend using a neutral extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) for this recipe as it will bring out the snack's inherent sweetness. You can create a salty and sweet treat by sprinkling freshly cracked sea salt on top.

Ube and Texas Olive Oil Swirl Bread

For this recipe, you will want to make sure you use the best cinnamon roll dough recipe you can find. You can use ube halaya instead of cinnamon and sugar to achieve the same effect. Roll out the dough on a cold surface dusted with flour. Brush on a layer of buttery extra virgin olive oil. Then dollop spoonfuls of ube halaya onto the dough and spread it out.

Carefully roll the dough into a log, cutting it into rounds measuring one inch thick. Place the rounds into a greased loaf pan; layer the rolls to create pull-apart style rolls. To finish, brush the top with a little extra-virgin olive oil and then sprinkle with some sugar. Bake and enjoy!

Find the perfect Texas Olive oil for sweet recipes here

Not Just The Sweet Stuff

Although you'll typically find this ingredient in dessert recipes, it is the ideal complement to savory dishes because of the subtle sweetness it imparts, which helps balance out the dish's saltiness. Give this one a try:

Ube and Sundried Tomato Foccacia

This delightfully tasty bread treat is ideal for any party, whether for lunch or dinner. When making your go-to focaccia, add some mashed cooked ube to the dough. You can do this by exchanging some of the flour in the recipe for the ube. Stick to a robust and hearty variety of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) with a strong peppery finish when preparing this recipe. The sweet base of the ube will accentuate the peppery and herbaceous notes in the EVOO.