Fresh olives

1 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
20 Fresh Shasta olives (up to 22)
2 Peeled garlic cloves
½ teaspoon Dried oregano
⅓ cup Chopped celery
⅓ cup Chopped carrots
⅓ cup Olive oil
⅓ cup Good wine vinegar, preferably white, boiled for thirty seconds
Hot pepper flakes to taste

Directions

Fresh olives are easy to cure. I first ran across them in Melbourne. My greengrocer gave me a recipe of sorts. Make up a strong brine, he said, add some herbs and spices, and cure until done.

I did make a brine, which was easy. Added, oh, bay leaves, peppercorns, fennel seeds, and probably some other goodies. Then I simply tasted the olives until they were done. I think it took three or four weeks. I probably packed them in jars with some olive oil and garlic.

They were smashing. I've never see fresh olives in a market in the States alas. They certainly don't have them here in Tennessee.

Here's a second recipe. It's from one of Ed Gobbi's cookbooks, Pleasures of the Good Earth, and it's for Shasta olives, although I'm sure it would work with any fresh olives. It's a bit different in that you don't have to brine the olives. It makes a pint of olives Scald a one-pint jar. Put the olives, garlic, oregano, celery, and carrots in the jar so that the olives are tightly packed. Add the olive oil, vinegar, and pepper flakes. Cover loosely so the air can escape. After two weeks, tighten the cap. Allow the olives to rest for four to five weeks until the bitterness is gone.

They'll keep for four to five months, but who'd want to wait that long? Posted to FOODWINE Digest 23 October 96 Date: Thu, 24 Oct 1996 07:34:09 -0500 From: "David L. Rados" <radosdl@...>

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