Mediterranean Flair: Cooking with Olives

By Jonathan Berohn

Before I say anything else, let me first define what I mean by olives.  Anything with a pimento ought to be simply thrown out.

Yes, it’s possible to find the rare exception of a decent olive that comes pre-stuffed, but the risk of ending up with the disgusting lobs that American supermarkets pass off for olives is just too great to mess with.  And while you’re cleaning out your pantry, any canned black olives ought to follow your pimentos right to the garbage.  You might want to use tongs or some sort of hazmat gear here, though.  Any contamination could scar you for life and—worse—sour you on the prospects of finding actually good olives.

Types of Olives

As you might be able to figure out from the last paragraph, I’m a bit particular when it comes to olives.  This all started quite a few years ago when an article in The Atlantic explained how American olive vendors create black olives by bubbling lye—yes, the chemical—through the same lousy green olives that they cram full of pimentos.  Not a very appetizing image, but when you consider the end result, it is somehow appropriate.  At least it explains why the common American olive is so pitiful in relation to its European cousins.

As for specifics, it is certainly no big revelation that olives come in two broad classifications: black and green.  The big distinction here is ripeness.  Green olives are unripe black olives.  That’s not to say you should avoid green olives.  Unripe doesn’t mean bad—just different. For olives, that means that the green variety will usually be a little more acerbic and sharp, while black olives tend to be more mellow and smooth.

When you go to buy olives, the most common European or gourmet variety you will encounter is the Kalamata.  The Kalamata is a Greek black olive that is to American black olives what Mouton Rothschild’s is to Ripple.  It’s a great introduction into the more exotic world of real olives.  Fortunately for all of us, olives are becoming more popular these days, and many supermarkets are adding olive bars.  Take advantage of these and try out all the varieties.  This is the best way to figure out which ones you like best.  If your local stores don’t have olive bars, berate them first, but then look for Mezzetta and Krinos olives.  Both companies offer some good olives—both black and green.

Curing and Pits

The way olives are prepared is also an important to consider.  The obvious question here is pitted or unpitted?

While pitted olives are certainly easier to cook with (and to eat), you generally won’t find too many choices if you restrict yourself to pitted varieties.  Pitted Kalamata olives are pretty easy to come by, but that’s really about it.

Pitting also greatly reduces the shelf life of fresh olives (if you’re still buying canned then you have bigger problems to deal with), so don’t buy pitted olives unless you plan to eat them right away.

When it comes to curing, the choice is also pretty straightforward: wine/vinegar or oil.  Curing is simply soaking the olives in some sort of liquid to preserve them and make them taste better.

Most gourmet (and let’s settle on that term so I don’t have to keep typing “European or” over and over) olives are cured in some mixture of wine and vinegar.  This type curing is what gives olives the sharp bite.

Oil cured olives, on the other hand, are amazingly enough, cured in oil—usually olive oil for obvious reasons. Oil curing makes for a much mellower and smoother flavor.  I personally find offering a bit of both is the best solution to trying to decide between the two, but it strictly personal preference here.

Serving Olives

If you’re thinking martinis here, you might want to go back and reread the beginning of the article again.  We’re talking gourmet olives here—you don’t want to hide them in a drink.

As these olives do stand up very well on their own, serving them plain as part of an appetizer selection is always a good bet.  I like to start with a nice selection of black and green olives, making sure I have at least one type of oil-cured olive in the mix.

Since olives are one of the main staples of Mediterranean cuisine, I really like to pair them up with other Mediterranean foods for maximum effect.  Cheeses make excellent partners with olives.  Specifically, I like to serve a mellow earthy cheese like Spanish Manchego or Idiazabal.  Feta and fresh Mozzarella also pair up well.

Hummus also makes an excellent complement, as it serves to mellow out the taste buds before you wake them up with the next olive.  One note of caution here—avoid the hummus varieties with chopped up olives in them.  You and your dinner guests are much better served by keeping them separate.

Olive Appetizer Recipes

When you want to go all out, here are two simple tapenade type recipes you can serve as dip/spread to simply wow your guests.  The first version is more Greek, the second more Italian, but both will be big hits at any dinner party.

Greek Olive Tapenade

• 1 large jar Greek olives (a mixture of types is best, but Kalamatas work fine)
• 1/4 cup diced roasted red peppers (roast them yourself if you have the time, otherwise the jar variety are fine)
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1/2 pound feta cheese, diced or crumbled
• 2 T fresh Rosemary, chopped small
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 T red wine vinegar (the better vinegar you use, the better this will turn out; Whole Foods sells a really good red wine vinegar under its house label)
• 2 T fresh lemon juice (fresh really helps here—don’t skimp out and use the little plastic lemon)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, mix, and serve.  It’s really quite simple.  I like to serve this with good crackers.  And Pita bread cut up into little triangles. 

For and added touch, brush about 4 pitas with olive oil, wrap them in foil, and stick them in a 350 degree oven for about 5-7 minutes to warm them up.  Then sit back and watch you guests devour them.

Italian Olive Tapenade

• 1 large jar Italian olives (a mixture of types is again best; if you can’t find Italian olives, a Greek mixture or Kalamatas work fine here, too)
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1/4 pound Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, shaved thin (you want about the thickness of soap flakes; Parmesan cheese is very flavorful, so you don’t need big pieces here—oh, go for the real stuff here; the pre-grated American stuff is…well…horrible)
• 1 T fresh Basil, chopped small
• 1 T fresh Oregano, chopped small
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 T Balsamic vinegar (again, the better vinegar you use, the better this will turn out; get some that comes from Modena, Italy)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Once again, simply combine all the ingredients in a bowl, mix, and serve.  This time, I also like to have crackers, but I skip the pita bread in favor of some kind of crusty loaf of bread that I slice thin.