There is nothing like a pantry snack plate with homemade sauerkraut, Gort’s raw gouda, Vito’s homemade cured sausage, home canned hot banana peppers, and fast cured green olives. Vito is Joe’s friend and a Master of Italian meat curing. You will see more of Vito’s work this winter.
This recipe was taught to Shaen by Joe Trotta, a neighbor. Joe came to Canada from Italy when he was a young man. He brought with him a wealth of traditional food preparation methods from the old country.
5kg fresh green olives, crushed and soaked for at least two weeks
sea salt, to taste
2-3 heads of organic garlic, peeled and sliced
organic oregano, to taste (optional)
organic hot peppers, to taste (optional)
organic extra virgin olive oil, enough to cover
This recipe is for fast cured green olives. Whole olives take 8-9 months to cure. If you crush the olives — which exposes the bitter seeds — the olives will cure within a number of weeks to a month. This method requires a lot of rinsing with fresh clean water so it is best to keep the olive pail in the kitchen for easy rinsing.
- Crush olives to expose the seeds. Joe uses a 2 by 4 piece of lumber and removes the seeds. We used the smooth side of a wooden mallet and left the seeds in. Use even pressure and push down on the olives until they “pop” open. Do not pound the life out of the olives and bruise the surface. After crushing all of the olives put the olives into a large food grade plastic pail. Have enough room to place a plate and stone on top, to keep the olives below the water level.
- Rinse, rinse and rinse again until the water runs clear. Always mix the olives as you rinse. The more you rinse and mix the olives, the faster the bitterness will leave the olives. Rinse with fresh water several times a day for several weeks until the olives no longer taste bitter and the water runs clear. Always leave the olives soaking in water with the plate and stone on top. Do not expose the olives to the air during soaking. After two weeks, test the olives by taking a small bite. You will want to spit it out if the olive is still bitter. If the olives are bitter continue to soak, rinse and mix. The olives will taste bland when ready.
- When the olives taste bland, drain the water thoroughly. Mix the olives with spices, garlic and sea salt to taste. One common spice mixture is oregano, hot peppers, and garlic. Let the olives sit in a warm place for 24-48 hours and adjust the spicing, again. Water will come out of the olives; this is the brine. Normally, more sea salt is needed to make the olives pleasantly salty. Don’t over do the salt. You can always remix the olives and add more salt later, if needed.
- Once the spicing and saltiness tastes right, press down the olives into jars, add the brine, and cover with olive oil. The olives will last for months in a cool dark place.
Use a smooth side of a wooden mallet or a piece of 2 by 4 lumber to crush the fresh green olives. Don’t beat the olives to death or the olive skins will be bruised.
Remove the plate and stone. Mix and rinse the olives a number of times each day for at least two weeks. After a week or two, try a tiny bite of one olive. The olives are ready when they are no longer bitter and have a bland flavor. Have patience. This step takes time.
Once the olives taste bland, drain the water. Mix in spices, garlic and sea salt to taste. Let the olives sit in a warm place for 24-48 hours. Retest the olives, and adjust the spices and salt. Usually you will need to add more salt.
After you have adjusted the spice and saltiness of the olives, put the olives in glass jars. Pour some of the brine into each jar and press the olives down firmly. Add olive oil to the top.
This year we made 10kg of olives. That may sound like a lot but next year we will double or triple that amount. Even though I love olives, I stopped eating olives years ago because something used in the commercial processing of olives disagrees with me. These are the best olives I have ever eaten and they don’t make me sick. Fresh olives are available seasonally in early September from Fratelli Foods. You must call early and be put on the order list for olives. I haven’t found a source for organic fresh olives. If there is enough interest in organic olives next season maybe Fratelli Foods will bring them in.
Fratelli Foods
Mario and Peter Pietramala
223 Victoria St, Kamloops, BC, V2C 2A1
T: 250.314.0702
Compress the olives down as much as you can with your fist or a wooden mallet. Add more olive oil to cover if you are going to be storing for some time.
Frugal Tip: Do not throw out the olive oil after eating the olives. The spices and garlic give the olive oil a rich flavor. I found the olive oil and a small amount of brine great for making Crunchy Kale Chips. Also, the olive oil can be used to jazz up the oil portion for Whole Seed Mustard Dressing.
