These aren’t my mama’s olives. Not the pickle-like sharpness of the pimiento-stuffed olives that swam in Mom’s occasional martinis. Not the pitted crow-feather black olives that cuddled between gherkins and pickled watermelon rind in our holiday relish dish; those were tasteless gloomy orbs cured with lye and dyed with chemical additives. I used them for jolly fingertip adornments.
Today’s marketplace is filled with olives of a much hipper sort, more than a mere cocktail garnish or holiday amusement. Intense, flavor-packed Mediterranean-style beauties — bronze, mauve, jet black or army green, are fleshy fruit that set taste buds atwitter. Some are tiny football shapes. Others range from small, shriveled nuggets to glossy, smooth, walnut-sized wonders.
Bite into one. The delicious flavors and juices spread to every part of your mouth. Imported olives and their domestic imitators are turning up in everything from salads to sandwiches to stews. Chopped and rubbed on steaks, chicken and fish, or tossed into vegetables, pasta and rice. Dig in.
Open-Faced Mortadella Sandwiches with Black Olives and Capers
For this delicious open-faced sandwich, I buy an unsliced country-style loaf, such as La Brea Bakery’s Tuscan loaf (cut it into 1-inch-thick slices), or Trader Joe’s sliced multigrain sourdough bread from Artisan Bakery. If you prefer, use ham instead of mortadella. I like to serve this open-faced beauty with a green salad and a cold beer.
Yield: 6 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 cup pitted imported black olives, such as Kalamata, drained
1/2 cup capers, drained
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided use
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 slices rustic bread, see cook’s notes
1/2 pound sliced mortadella
1/2 pound low-moisture mozzarella cheese, grated (not the fresh one that is stored in water)
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
DIRECTIONS
1. Adjust oven rack to 6 to 8 inches below broiler element. Preheat broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. With the motor running, drop garlic into feedtube of the food processor. When minced, stop machine. Add olives, capers and onion. Pulse until finely chopped but not minced. Add 2 tablespoons oil, vinegar and pepper; pulse 1 or 2 times to combine.
3. Turn on the oven light. Place bread in single layer on prepared baking sheet; broil, until crisp and nicely browned but still soft in the center; in my oven this takes 1 1/2 minutes — watch carefully because bread burns easily. Remove from oven; turn bread, brush with remaining oil and return to broiler until lightly browned (in my oven this takes 1 minute). Spread olive mixture on bread; top with mortadella and mozzarella. Broil until cheese melts, about 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle on parsley. Provide diners with knives and forks.
Slow Cooker Italian White Beans with Pancetta and Olives
This Italian white bean concoction is adapted from a recipe by slow-cooker mavens Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann. They made it with only 1 cup of beans; I doubled the recipe and added more vegetables. The garnish of black olives and goat cheese is a winner. At supermarkets, dried cannellini beans are sometimes sold in the “natural foods” section, often among the products with the Bob’s Red Mill label. Natural food stores such as Mother’s Markets stock them, as does Whole Foods Markets. And they are also sold online. For a hurry-up version you can use canned cannellini beans and cook them with a little chicken broth, thyme and sautéed pancetta, plus chopped shallots, carrots and celery. Cook until the vegetables are tender; finish the dish as directed in Step #3. Garnish with chopped parsley.
Yield: 8 servings
INGREDIENTS
2 heaping cups dried cannellini beans
3 ounces diced pancetta
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 shallots, halved lengthwise
3 medium-size carrot, peeled, cut crosswise into 4 pieces
4 celery stalks, cut crosswise into 3 pieces
2 bay leaves
2 good-sized sprigs of fresh thyme
32 ounces canned chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley
8 ounces chilled fresh (log-style) goat cheese, crumbled
1 cup sliced pitted Kalamata olives, drained
DIRECTIONS
1. Spread beans on a colored towel and remove any debris, such as small stones or damaged beans. Put beans in pan and cover with cold water, using enough water to come 3 inches above the beans. Soak for 6 to 12 hours; drain.
2. In large, deep skillet on medium-high heat, cook the pancetta in the olive oil, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Add shallots, carrot, and celery; cook, stirring frequently, until just starting to soften. Transfer to slow cooker. Add beans, bay and thyme. Add broth and enough water to cover the beans by 2 inches. Cover and cook on High for 4 to 4 1/2 hours. The beans need to be covered with liquid at all times to cook properly (don’t worry if some beans float to the top of the broth during cooking — as they cook, they will sink). Towards the end of cooking, season with salt and pepper. When done, the beans will be tender and hold their shape, rather than fall apart. Remove bay leaves and herb sprig and discard. Stir in parsley.
3. Serve beans in shallow soup bowls along with a small portion of broth; top with crumbled goat cheese and sliced olives.
Roasted Cauliflower with Castelvetrano Olives
This roasted cauliflower dish, featuring Parmesan, garlic, and Castelvetrano olives, makes an excellent side dish. Or as a salad, it can be served at room temperature or chilled.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 medium-large head of cauliflower, about 2 pounds
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3/4 cup pitted Castelvetrano olives
2 tablespoons (or more) chopped fresh Italian parsley
Juice of half lemon
DIRECTIONS
1. Place a pan of water about 4 inches deep in a Dutch oven on high heat. Add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, trim off large outer leaves of cauliflower, leaving small delicate leaves in place. Cut bottom stem flush with the head of the cauliflower. Place cut-side down on cutting board. Cut in half from top to bottom. Cut each half into large florets.
2. Place florets in boiling water. Cook about 3 to 4 minutes, or until florets are tender-crisp (don’t overcook). Place florets in colander and allow to cool about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a small bowl stir the oil, Parmesan, and garlic. Place cauliflower in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Stir oil mixture and drizzle over cauliflower. Toss to combine (I use a silicone spatula because it is gentle on the cauliflower). Add olives and gently toss again. Spread out on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. If cauliflower isn’t lightly browned in spots, turn the oven to broil. Turn on the oven light and watch to make sure the cauliflower doesn’t burn but just is lightly browned. Sprinkle with parsley.
Source: Adapted from “At My Italian Table” by Laura Vitale