Olive Recipes

Olives Alive

Olives have been in continuous cultivation since, well, forever, or at least as far back as recorded history can go. It forces one to wonder - who was the first person to discover that you could press a bitter berry and acquire an oil that you could not only eat and cook with, you could use it in your lamps to light your home? No wonder the olive has been prized throughout the ages.

Types and Uses

Americans are most familiar with the green olive. Typically offered in jars, with the pit removed and a square plug of pimentio pepper filling the gap where it used to be, olives are considered a 'relish' or a 'savory' - something to pop into one's mouth before dinner as an appetizer or palette cleanser.

Or perhaps your main experience with olives is as a topping on a pizza. Yet olives can be so much more.

Green olives are bitter and pickled in a brine solution to soften the taste and preserve the berry. The black olive is a ripe version - mellower in taste and texture than the green olive. 'Cracked' green olives are broken open before curing or marinading so that the curing solution reaches the interior. They retain the pit, and are crisper than traditional green olives.

Add olives, black or green, to your spaghetti sauce for color and zing. They pair nicely with pine nuts on a salad or even in a savory soup. They make great additions to a meatloaf - use pitted olives here, please!

Don't Forget the Oil

Use extra virgin olive oil, seasoned with freshly ground black pepper, as a dip for crusty hearty breads - a great way to start a meal.