Prep. time: 10
Cook Time:
Difficulty: 1 out of 5
Serve:
Ingredients: 20 lbs raw olives 1/4 cup sea salt
1/2 cup white vinegar
4 cup warm water
doubling as necessary
bay leaf
rosemary
black peppercorns
chili pepper
olive oil
Preparation:
Sort green olives and remove any with significant bruising, shriveling, or olive fly marks. Olives with tiny dots are fine. Mix olive brine by combining cold water, salt, and vinegar in the recipe's ratio until the salt is dissolved, doubling the brine until there is enough to cover green olives. Weigh olives down so none pop up or float above the brine solution. Cover the olive container with a tight-fitting lid and store olives undisturbed in a dark, cool place. Change the olive brine after 30 days and add spices like rosemary, bay leaf, black peppercorns and spicy pepper - to taste and depending on what you have in your kitchen at the time. The olives will be ready minimum in three month. It’s a long process, curing olives, but not a lot of work. If you like them the way they are, serve them as is. If, like me, you prefer a salty taste to vinegar, drain them, make a new brine as above without the vinegar, and put them back in the jar with fresh herbs and a new layer of olive oil to cover them. They're safe to eat at any stage in the curing process, but they're not very tasty when raw. You'll know when they're ready to serve. Remember, olives in brine usually good up to 24 months.
Wine pairing:
Vermentino
Barolo
Cannonau
Chef Tips
Olives are a popular aperitivo in Italy and you can find all sorts of delicious, marinated kinds behind the deli counters in supermarkets or little family run stores. What is better is that you can prepare it with your favorite herbs, spices and citrus flavours to make your own favourite olives.
Check more recipes from Chef Gianluca Deiana Abis
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