Olive oil is such a staple in the kitchen these days that many people don't realize the numerous kinds that vary in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. Check out the nuances of olive oils at stores such as O&Co. in Cherry Creek Shopping Center to get a hint of the wide variety.

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Spanish Garlic Soup

Serves 4

1 medium head of garlic, cloves peeled and thinly sliced

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

8 (1/2-inch-thick) baguette slices

1 quart chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes

4 eggs

Salt to taste

1/2 cup packed small fresh cilantro sprigs

4 lime wedges

* Cook garlic in oil in a deep, heavy 10-inch skillet over low heat, stirring occasionally, until tender and pale golden, 8 to 10 minutes.

* Transfer garlic to a bowl with a slotted spoon.

* Add bread slices to skillet and cook over moderate heat, turning once, until browned, about 4 minutes. Divide toasts among 4 large soup bowls.

* Add broth, red pepper flakes and garlic to skillet and bring to a simmer. Break one egg into a cup and slide egg into simmering stock. Repeat with remaining eggs. Poach eggs at a bare simmer until whites are firm but yolks are still runny, 3 to 4 minutes.

* Transfer eggs with slotted spoon to toasts and season with salt. Ladle soup into bowls and top with cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

- Olive Press

Nutritional information per serving: 385 cal., 20 g fat (4 g sat.), 211 mg chol., 39 g carb., 14 g pro., 2 g fiber, 487 mg sodium

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Olive Paste

Makes about 2 cups

1 sprig fresh rosemary

Pinch of fresh thyme

2 cups pitted, cured olives

1 teaspoon anchovy paste

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

* Remove rosemary from stem and mix with thyme in a blender or food processor. Add olives. Blend thoroughly until mixture forms a paste.

* Remove from blender and place in bowl. Stir in anchovy paste.

* Add olive oil a teaspoon at a time to keep more on the dry side.

* Serve with toasted crostini.

- Carol Firenze, The Passionate Olive: 101 Things To Do With Olive Oil

Nutritional information per serving: 84 cal., 9 g fat (1 g sat.), 2 mg chol., 2 g carb., 1 g pro., 1 g fiber, 332 mg sodium

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Roast Chicken With Olive Oil

Serves 4

4 tablespoons olive

oil

1 whole chicken, 3 to 5 pounds

Salt and fresh ground white pepper, to taste

1 garlic clove, minced

5 whole garlic cloves

1 sprig fresh rosemary needles only, chopped

3 rosemary sprigs

1/4 cup butter

* Dampen hands with olive oil and massage the chicken with it.

* Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper, then rub the minced garlic and chopped rosemary onto it.

* Fold wingtips back and underneath the arm pits. Then, in the fatty part in the entry to the cavity near the legs, make a small incision in one side of the loose skin and take the leg from the opposing side of the incision and push it through the cut. This is a fast and easy way to truss the bird.

* In a roasting pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil to medium-high heat.

* Gently brown the chicken on all sides in the oil, then place in a preheated 350-degree oven.

* Roast for about 40 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken has reached 160 degrees. Add the butter and the remaining garlic and rosemary to the pan, letting the rosemary fry in the butter.

* Baste the chicken with the now-scented butter and pour on remaining olive oil. Return to oven for about 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, basting often.

* Remove from heat and place on a carving board.

* You must allow it to rest for 15 minutes before carving.

- Kristen Cofrades, executive chef, Warwick Hotel, and Jay Shedlin, chef de cuisine, Randolph's in the Warwick

Nutritional information per serving: 669 cal., 40 g fat (15 g sat.), 328 mg chol., 2 g carb., 76 g pro., 0 fiber, 466 mg sodium

.

Chocolate Arbequina Truffles

Makes 36 to 40 small truffles

8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (60 percent to 62 percent cacao), chopped

51/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1/3 cup arbequina extra-virgin olive oil

Pinch of fine sea salt

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably non-alkalized)

1 bright-skinned orange for zesting, washed

* Place the chocolate, butter, olive oil and salt in top of a double boiler over barely simmering water. Stir frequently until chocolate is melted and smooth. Pour the mixture into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (or up to 3 days) to harden. Remove and let the mixture stand at room temperature for 14 minutes or longer to soften slightly.

* Spread cocoa in a shallow pie or cake pan. Use a zester to grate zest from half the orange directly over the cocoa. Scrape a tiny scoop or melon baller across surface of chocolate mixture to form an irregular round truffle, 1 inch or less in diameter. Place truffle in pie pan. Shake pan to roll truffle in cocoa. Repeat for remaining mixture.

* Remove truffles from cocoa to a covered container. Refrigerate to store. Remove truffles from fridge about 10 minutes before serving.

- Alice Medrich for the California Olive Ranch

Nutritional information per serving: 65 cal., 6 g fat (3 g sat.), 5 mg chol., 4 g carb., 0 pro., 1 g fiber, 1 mg sodium

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