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Olive glossary and 5 Recipes for Seasoning
Arbequina. As small as a nicoise olive but rounder and paler. Grayish- brown; vinegary; firm, crisp and nutty. Large pit, not much meat, but great tasting.
Cerignola / Bella di Cerignola. Two names for the same olive, a jumbo olive from Southern Italy. Most Cerignolas are either bright green or black. The green ones have been lye cured, then fermented in brine. The black ones have been processed like Lindsay olives, which is to say that they are not ripe olives. They are picked green, cured with lye, then blackened through an oxygenation process. Both types are meaty but bland.
Dry cured. Also sometimes labeled as salt or oil-cured, these wrinkled ripe olives are cured by layering them in salt. France, Italy and Morocco are good sources of dry cured olives. They tend to have a concentrated, rather salty taste and take well to being plumped in olive oil or a marinade.
Farga Aragon. Small, dark Spanish olive, similar to a large nicoise but richer, meatier and better tasting.
Gaeta. Small, ripe, somewhat rounded Italian olive, available both dry and brine cured.
Hondroelia. Large, fat Greek olive, pale brownish purple, firm, meaty and tart, with a wine vinegar taste. Excellent.
Kalamata. Greek olive, black or mottled purple-black, kalamatas are cured in brine with red wine vinegar. Shape is elongated, with a nipple on one end. Pit is pointed on both ends. Semi-firm; briny and vinegary. The best are meaty and mellow, without excessive sharpness or salt.
Ligurian Green. May be from Australia, despite the name. Mottled green. Firm, yet creamy. Not too salty.
Ligurian Black. Small, mild Italian brined olive, similar to a nicoise but larger.
Lucques. Elongated green olive from Southern France; firm, nutty and mild; crunchy texture. You can differentiate Lucques from Picholines by their shape. Picholines are uniformly oval; Lucques have a slight curve, like a clove of garlic.
Manzanillo. A plump, rounded, purplish-black olive from Australia; very soft, fruity, briny and ripe-tasting. Inky color leaches into the brine. Don't confuse it with the Spanish manzanilla olive, a large green olive that is often pitted and stuffed.
Nicoise. Small black olive from Southern France or North Africa; mild flavor.
Picholine. An elongated green, brine-cured olive from Southern France; firm, mild and crisp.
Sicilian Cracked Green. Large, crunchy, bitter, salty; cracked to absorb flavor of seasonings (hot pepper, garlic, herbs)
Tunisian. A green olive seasoned with lemon and red pepper paste; very spicy.
Seasoning is best done hours or even days ahead. It works well if you try to use an herb, a spice and an aromatic (1 of each or less) so what makes the olive taste good enough to want to season it isn't covered up.
You need to keep olives refrigerated but they are best when served at room temperature or even warm, so leave them out or warm in a skillet or oven and remember not to serve them cold.
Blend A:
2 c various size and color olives (rinsed in warm water and patted dry), 3/4 t fennel seed (toasted and crushed), zest of 1 orange, 1/2 t hot red pepper flakes - toss together, stir occasionally, and let stand at room temperature for at least one hour.
Blend B:
Using a food processor, combine 1 T packed capers, 1 T toasted pine nuts, 1/2 pound pitted firm green olives, 1 thinly sliced small garlic clove, hot red pepper flakes, 1-2 anchovy fillets and 2-3 large fresh basil leaves until well chopped. Add enough olive oil to leave a slightly chunky but spreadable texture.
Blend C:
Combine 1/4 pound firm green olives, pitted and diced, 1/3 c toasted walnuts, chopped, 1 small piquillo or other mildly spicy pepper, 1 small inner rib celery, finely diced, 2.5 T chopped Italian parsley, 1 T chopped cilantro, 1 small minced garlic clove, 2 T extra virgin olive oil and grated zest of 1/2 lemon. Taste and adjust. Serve at room temperature within 8 hours from preparation.
Blend D:
Fill a steriled jar with 8-10 ounces of unpitted dry cure black olives to within 1 inch of the top, add 1/2 t ground cumin and crumble in 1 t dried thyme. Combine 3 peeled garlic cloves, the zest and 1 orange (peel and julienne), 2 T red wine vinegar, 1 T sea salt with 1 c water in a small saucepan, bring to a full boil and fill the jar with this liquid to within 1 inch of the top. Using a clean utensil, tuck the garlic and orange zest and fill the jar with olive oil. Screw the lid on tightly, give the jar a shake, and set aside in a cool place for 10-15 days (shake occasionally). DO NOT OPEN during this time. When you open, you must refrigerate, and use within 3 to 4 weeks.
Blend E:
Combine 1/3 c olive oil, 1-2 peeled and sliced garlic cloves, a small sprig of rosemary, a bay leaf and hot pepper flakes in a small skillet. Cook gently on low heat for about 5 minutes to release the flavor of the seasonings and not color the garlic, then add 1 c large, firm, green olives and 1 c oil cured olives and cook gently about 5 minutes so the olives are hot all the way through. Let cool until they are just a little warm, then serve.
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