All About Olives The Art of cooking with Olives
Diana Mora
All About Olives
All About
lives
The Art of cooking with Olives
Diana Mora
Kalamata
Black Beldi
Pincholine
Castel Veltrano
Nicoise
Cerignola
Contents Introduction 6 Olives
9
Salads
13
Chicken
17
Tapas
19
Introduction There is something surprisingly modest about olive trees, given their noble history and legendary reputation, going back far before biblical times. For an American, the first time you meet the tree in person, you may well be shocked by the extraordinary ordinariness of it. Its shape and proportions are remarkably reminiscent of a dowdy, good-natured housewife - the kind who greets you in a tattered apron, with a disarming smile. But for an Italian, as for most Mediterranean people, the olive tree has been seen throughout history as almost holy - a symbol of peace, victory, and the endurance of life itself - evoking feelings of harmony, vitality, and health. In Greek mythology, Zeus pronounced Athena the victor in a competition because it was she who had bestowed upon mankind the most useful plant of all: the olive tree. These ancient trees, which originat-
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ed in the region that is today called Turkey, have had a huge impact on all the important civilizations of the Mediterranean for at least 4000 years - providing food, medicinal potions, and the most nourishing of oils. Today there are 800 million olive trees growing on Earth, and no less than 500 different "cultivars," or varieties of olives.olives," meaning those intended to be eaten - as antipasti, condiments, or used in sauces - as opposed to crushed into oil. Most of the table olives we eat come from Italy, Greece, France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey, and California. The varieties of table olives harvested in the Mediterranean area are particularly rich - such as the Picholine and Niรงoise from France; the Calamata from Greece; and the Gaeta, Taggiasca and Bella di Cerignola cultivars from Italy.
Depending on the cultivar, the shape and texture of olives vary greatly - from tiny spherical orbs to large, plump ovals. Their colors vary as well, but this has to do with how long they have been allowed to ripen on the trees, not with the cultivar: the fruit starts out a yellowish green, then during the many months of ripening on the tree, they slowly turn to green, then light brown, then a dark purplish and eventually black - though some varieties are green when considered ripe. When picking olives to make into oil, the fruit must have reached the right level of ripeness to ensure good quality oil with a low level of acidityand tastes.
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Olives
Fried Olives Makes 4 or 5 servings 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 egg, lightly beaten 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs 1 tablespoon cornmeal 20 pitted kalamata olives Vegetable oil, for deep frying 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese 2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
Set up three small bowls for dipping and coating the olives. In the first, add the flour. In the second, add the beaten egg. In the third, combine breadcrumbs and cornmeal and mix well. Roll the olives in the flour, then dip them in the beaten egg and roll in the breadcrumb mixture to coat. Set on a plate or small baking sheet in a single layer. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour in about 1 inch of oil – you’ll need enough oil to just cover the olives when you begin frying. Heat oil over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer reaches 350°F. Fry the olives in batches until golden brown, about 45 seconds to 1 minute. Do not crowd the pan. Remove olives with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Cool about 5 minutes. Arrange in a serving dish or bowl; sprinkle with cheese and parsley to garnish. Serve immediately.
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Salads
Orzo and olives salad 1 box of Orzo 1 jar of 10oz Pastene Kalamata Olives 1/2 of bouquet of italian parsley 1/4 of peeled red onion and diced 1/2 of lemon juice 3 to 4 tables of extra virgin oil
In a pot of boiling water pour extra virgine oil and one box of Orzo. Add salt as you like and let it boil for 7 to 8 minutes. Drain Orzo and cool of with cold water. Add extra virgin olive oil and Refrigerateuntil is completely cold. Chop 1/4 of a red onion, Use 1/2 of lemon and about 1/4 of choped italian Parsley. Use 1/2 of a 10 oz jar of Pastene kalamata Olives. Add all the ingredientes to the Orzo and serve.
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