I have heard about it lately: ice cream without dairy AND sugar, made with olive oil. I read a few weeks ago on Facebook someone has been in a gelateria in Rome and tried that kind of ice cream. But you know: it sounds incredible. How can ice cream taste if made with olive oil? Come on.. olive oil on bread, olive oil for the salad, olive oil on pasta… the taste is fantastic. But ice cream?
Anyway.. I was on visit home in Ischia and of course I visit always also some special friends if possible. One of my best ever friends has his own pastry shop and of course also a gelateria. For many years I made ice cream there as well.. but that is another story.
When I was there he told me he can make some ice cream for me. Totally without dairy nor sugar. I looked at him and said that I don’t eat soy either. “No soy, don’t worry, something totally new”. OK, let’s try!
He showed me a small bag of a product with nothing in than inulin, a dietary fiber from plants, and carob bean gum to stabilize. You put this powder mixture into water and olive oil, add a flavor you like – in my case fresh made almond butter of roasted almonds and some drops of bitter almond to increase the almond flavor.
He put the almond olive oil water mixture into the ice maker machine and me sitting in front and waiting. I was so excited you can’t imagine! What came out then was PURE HEAVEN!
The taste is sooo good and for nothing different than dairy ice cream. The result of this beautiful gesture of a beautiful friend: he gave me two ice cream containers full of this heavenly ice cream I had to carry home in the sun and around 40°C. And then I had ice cream for breakfast, after lunch, before going out in the evening and then before going to bed. For 4 days. And I left ¾ of a container to my friend I stayed with in Ischia.
Thank you Vito for taking me to heaven! I had for decades no ice cream and this was the best ever! Happily I found out that there a many gelaterie in Italy and I will find some other and try there as well!
Did you ever tried this vegan and paleo ice cream somewhere? Please let me know!
For further information:
Olvi Gelato
